Nashville Education Facts

School Options for Nashville Students

PUBLIC ZONED NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOL

All children are zoned to a neighborhood public school and are guaranteed a seat in that school. But there are other options for parents in Davidson County.

PUBLIC MAGNET SCHOOL

A magnet school is a public school that offers specialized curricula and programs not available in traditional neighborhood zoned schools. Magnets are designed to attract students with a common interest or skillset, and students must apply and be accepted to enroll. Magnets are publicly funded schools.

PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL

Charter schools are independently run public schools that have increased flexibility in exchange for greater accountability. If a public charter school receives more applications than they have open seats, students are accepted based on a lottery. Charters are publicly funded schools.

PRIVATE SCHOOL

Private schools do not receive money from the state, so they fund operations by charging tuition. Many private schools offer some form of financial aid. They’re typically run by an independent body (like a school board or the Catholic Diocese). Because they’re exempt from direct state oversight and testing, they have the freedom to choose their own standards and educational approach. 

HOME SCHOOL

Parents have the option to educate their own children in grades K-12 at home, known as home schooling or home education. In Tennessee, there are three options for home schooling: Independent Home School, Church-Related Home School, and Accredited Online School

MNPS: By the Numbers

160 SCHOOLS

81,407 STUDENTS

28.1% White

41.3% Black

26% Hispanic

4.2% Asian

Source

SCHOOL CHOICE

75.8% in Traditional Schools

15.5% in Charter Schools

6.5% in Magnet Schools

2.1% in Non-Traditional Schools

Source: MNPS Data Warehouse

DEMOGRAPHICS

Source

Achievement Scores

The chart shows the percentage of students who scored “on track” or “mastered” in Literacy and Math, as measured by TNReady, the statewide assessment.
Source

College Readiness

Ready Graduate

29.7%
Met State Standards

70.3%
Did Not Meet Standards

District Average ACT

18.9/36

“Ready Graduate” is the percent of students who earn a regular high school diploma and meet success milestones that are aligned to increase the probability for postsecondary success, including earning a 21+ on the ACT.

Graduation Rate 80.2%
Source

College-Going and Completion

College Completion for MNPS Graduates by Institution Type

Post-secondary enrollment 60.9%
College Students Persisting to Second Year 73%
College Degree within 6 Years 24%
Source

Money (2017-2018 Data)

$13,376

Average Spent Annually Per Pupil
Source

56%

Student Spending Funded Locally
Source

$52,821

Average Teacher Salary
Source

Student Culture

8.9%

AVERAGE SUSPENSION RATE

The percentage of out-of-school suspensions given / total number of students

Source

16%

CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM

Percent of students missing more than 10% of school days

Source

Teacher Data

5,050
Teachers

Source (2017-2018 Data)

72.5% White

24.5% Black

2% Hispanic

0.8% Asian 

72.9%
Two-year Average Retention

Source: MNPS Data Warehouse

All information on this page reflects the most recent publicly-available data, sourced from the state or state-based non-profit organizations. See more information on our Data Notes.