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De Kalb County High School

Q: Is De Kalb County High School a good school?

De Kalb County High School ranks 256 th of 389 Tennessee high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

256^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 389 Tennessee High Schools

Better than 34% of Tennessee high schools

Summary

De Kalb County High School is a public high school in Smithville, Tennessee, serving 783 students in grades 9-12. The school is part of the DeKalb County School District, which is ranked 94 out of 139 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Academically, De Kalb County High School has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Tennessee high schools over the past five years, with proficiency rates on state assessments generally below the state and county averages. For example, in 2024-2025, the school's proficiency rates in Algebra I (9.1%), Algebra II (18.6%), and Biology I (8.3%) were significantly lower than the state averages. Compared to nearby schools like Gordonsville High School, De Kalb County High School's academic performance is generally lower.

The school also faces challenges with its graduation rate, which has ranged from 84.8% to 89.2% in recent years, slightly below the state average, and a higher-than-average dropout rate between 6.7% and 8.2%. Additionally, De Kalb County High School has experienced high rates of chronic absenteeism, ranging from 16.7% to 23% in recent years, significantly higher than the state average. While the school has a diverse student population, the performance of different subgroups varies, indicating a need for more targeted interventions and support to ensure equitable outcomes for all students.

781

Students ?

14.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,646

Per pupil spending ?

64.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1130 West Broad ST
Smithville, TN 37166

(615) 597-4094

District: DeKalb County

Feeder schools for De Kalb County High School:

Elementary:	DeKalb West Elementary
	Northside Elementary
	Smithville Elementary
Middle:	DeKalb Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

76.3%

Hispanic:

17.8%

Two or more races:

3.7%

See top rated Tennessee high schools

Compare De Kalb County High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 43rd percentile in 2015 → 34th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Tennessee average (27% vs 40% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 9 percentile points since 2015

!Biology I scores 37 pts below the Tennessee average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school27%

District avg27%

Tennessee avg40%

256^th of 389

Tennessee public high schools ?

Bottom 34%▼ down 9 pts since 2015

From bottom 43% (2015) to bottom 34% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Tennessee High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

94^th of 139DeKalb County among Tennessee districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	34.1	256 of 389	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.9	199 of 392	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.6	244 of 384	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	41.3	202 of 358	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	32.5	235 of 347	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.2	225 of 342	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	48.1	153 of 341	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2017	44.5	143 of 273	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2016	44.1	200 of 351	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2015	53.2	171 of 300	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2014	39.1	216 of 296	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	40.6	220 of 285	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	53.3	156 of 269	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2011	66.7	89 of 273	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2010	68.2	80 of 267	70.0%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2022	59.5	51 of 222	77.0%	★★★★☆
2021	40.0	111 of 208	46.6%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	28.3	273 of 365	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	42.1	207 of 365	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.0	272 of 366	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	39.6	210 of 350	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	31.5	242 of 340	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	33.2	236 of 337	30.0%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2022	70.5	3 of 11	72.7%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	33.9	142 of 213	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.1	156 of 209	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.0	161 of 202	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	38.1	114 of 189	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	36.8	109 of 180	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	33.5	95 of 153	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.2	96 of 159	39.6%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	42.1	174 of 324	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	56.0	110 of 337	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	37.0	210 of 330	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	53.8	107 of 322	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	47.0	145 of 317	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	24.2	253 of 302	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	52.7	94 of 308	69.5%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	37.0	226 of 368	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.1	184 of 366	49.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	41.1	191 of 359	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.6	190 of 349	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	30.3	241 of 332	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	35.4	211 of 329	35.9%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2024	45.5	75 of 183	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	18.7	146 of 154	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	48.6	41 of 125	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.7	39 of 159	75.5%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	25.9	254 of 323	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	38.0	192 of 326	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.5	237 of 325	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	33.9	221 of 312	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	27.0	243 of 306	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.1	243 of 301	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	42.7	167 of 307	45.6%	★★☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

African American (2022)77th percentile+33 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2022)73rd percentile+29 vs school

Special Education (2024)59th percentile+10 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)46th percentile+12 vs school

Male (2025)39th percentile+4 vs school

Hispanic (2025)33rd percentile~ school

Female (2025)25th percentile-9 vs school

White (2025)21st percentile-13 vs school

By subject vs Tennessee (2024-2025) ?

English II49%-6 vs state

English I32%-8 vs state

Geometry29%-8 vs state

US History26%-12 vs state

Algebra II19%-16 vs state

Algebra I9%-20 vs state

Biology I8%-37 vs state

1.0

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What people are saying

by a student
Monday, September 14, 2015

I went to this school for four years over ten years ago, so it could be better by now. A LOT of small town political issues take place in this school that unfortunately involve the students. (I know this can take place anywhere, but this is a WHOLE other level!)

I graduated over ten years ago, and I have not been back since. I was involved in numerous extracurricular activities, but at the end of the day it all came down to who you were or who your family is. There was a handful of good teachers who were really genuine and engaging in their students, but for the most part, it SUCKED for lack of better words. No guidance at all whatsoever. I didn't even know we had a guidance counselor until I was a senior. Lol Close Quote

Schools Near De Kalb County High School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				TNReady Mathematics (2025)			TNReady English Language Arts (2025)			TNReady Algebra I (2025)			TNReady Algebra II (2025)			TNReady Biology I (2025)				TNReady US History (2025)				TNReady English I (2025)		TNReady English II (2025)		TNReady Geometry (2025)				TNReady Science (2025)			TNReady Social Studies (2025)			Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	TNReady Mathematics 7th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 8th Grade	TNReady Mathematics All Grades	TNReady English Language Arts 7th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 8th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts All Grades	TNReady Algebra I 9th Grade	TNReady Algebra I 10th Grade	TNReady Algebra I All Grades	TNReady Algebra II 10th Grade	TNReady Algebra II 11th Grade	TNReady Algebra II All Grades	TNReady Biology I 9th Grade	TNReady Biology I 10th Grade	TNReady Biology I 11th Grade	TNReady Biology I All Grades	TNReady US History 10th Grade	TNReady US History 11th Grade	TNReady US History 12th Grade	TNReady US History All Grades	TNReady English I 9th Grade	TNReady English I All Grades	TNReady English II 10th Grade	TNReady English II All Grades	TNReady Geometry 9th Grade	TNReady Geometry 10th Grade	TNReady Geometry 12th Grade	TNReady Geometry All Grades	TNReady Science 7th Grade	TNReady Science 8th Grade	TNReady Science All Grades	TNReady Social Studies 7th Grade	TNReady Social Studies 8th Grade	TNReady Social Studies All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
De Kalb County High School	Public	9-12	1130 West Broad ST	Smithville	37166	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(615) 597-4094	783	55	14.3		603 (77.0%)	12 (1.5%)	131 (16.7%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.5%)	30 (3.8%)	34.1	256^th of 389 public high schools	34.2%		44.9	199^th of 392 public high schools	49.2%	57							10.1		9.1	60.0	14.9	18.6				8.3		26.7		26.2	33.2	31.7	52.3	48.8	88.9	22.0		28.9							$12,646	$1,689	$10,144
De Kalb County Adult High School	Public	10-12	242 Tiger DR	Smithville	37166	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	No	(615) 497-2254	1				1 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
DeKalb County Schools Adult Education Virtual School	Public, Virtual	9-12	110 South Public Square	Smithville	37166	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(615) 597-4084	0																		(n/a)
Gordonsville High School	Public	7-12	110 Main Street East	Gordonsville	38563	Smith County	Smith County	No	No	No	No	(615) 683-8245	532	36	14.5		482 (90.6%)	9 (1.7%)	18 (3.4%)	4 (0.8%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (3.2%)	60.4	121^st of 389 public high schools	68.9%		62.6	108^th of 392 public high schools	72.4%	13	42.9	40.5	41.6	46.8	26.2	36.0	31.5		31.5		22.6	22.8		75.0	51.0	56.0	41.7	31.2	34.6	33.6	48.9	48.9	56.6	54.4		26.3		24.7	64.9	47.6	55.9	64.9	63.1	64.0	$12,383	$554	$10,993
Cannon County High School	Public	9-12	1 Lion DR	Woodbury	37190	Cannon County	Cannon County	No	No	No	No	(629) 218-3197	533	37	14.3		495 (92.9%)	10 (1.9%)	19 (3.6%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.3%)	23.4	309^th of 389 public high schools	20.6%		33.6	260^th of 392 public high schools	33.7%	49								13.3			5.6	5.2	18.1	7.1		16.8					20.3	19.8	46.0	46.0	70.6	23.5		28.2							$12,052	$583	$10,911
Watertown High School	Public	9-12	9360 Sparta PIKE	Watertown	37184	Wilson County	Wilson County	No	No	No	No	(615) 237-3434	660	44	15.0		572 (86.7%)	25 (3.8%)	38 (5.8%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	20 (3.0%)	48.3	185^th of 389 public high schools	52.4%		53.9	144^th of 392 public high schools	63.3%	41							12.5		12.9	78.3	24.8	32.3	55.7	41.9		48.2					39.7	39.6	55.0	55.2	83.9	26.4		34.4							$13,597	$503	$12,488
Upperman High School	Public	9-12	6950 Nashville HWY	Baxter	38544	Putnam County	Putnam County	No	No	No	No	(931) 858-3112	918	46	19.8		807 (87.9%)	23 (2.5%)	61 (6.6%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	23 (2.5%)	37.5	232^nd of 389 public high schools	40.4%		39.9	224^th of 392 public high schools	42.9%	8							8.0		7.8	78.6	20.7	28.9			41.8	40.8					25.4	24.9	50.6	56.7	64.7	19.3	7.1	24.1							$11,388	$675	$10,117

Frequently Asked Questions about De Kalb County High School

How many students attend De Kalb County High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 781 students attended De Kalb County High School.

What district is De Kalb County High School in?

DeKalb County

What schools feed into De Kalb County High School?

De Kalb County High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : DeKalb West Elementary
Elementary : Northside Elementary
Elementary : Smithville Elementary
Middle : DeKalb Middle School

What is the racial makeup of De Kalb County High School?

Students at De Kalb County High School are 76% White, 18% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 2% African American.

Is De Kalb County High School a good school?

De Kalb County High School ranks 256^th of 389 Tennessee high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate De Kalb County High School!

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Tennessee Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.