Summary:
The city of Camden, Tennessee is served by four public schools—Camden Elementary School (PK–2), Briarwood School (3–5), Camden Junior High School (6–8), and Camden Central High School (9–12)—which together enroll roughly 1,773 students in the Benton County Schools district. The district ranks in the 21st percentile of Tennessee districts and holds a 1-star rating, though individual schools rank somewhat higher, with Camden Central High School at the 42nd percentile and both Briarwood and Camden Junior High at the 37th percentile.
Camden Central High School stands out for its exceptional 98.1% graduation rate and impressive results in accelerated courses—9th-grade Biology (94.4% proficient) and Geometry (90.0%) far exceed state averages—yet standard English I (20.2%) and Algebra I (15.5%) proficiency lag badly. Briarwood School has the district's lowest chronic absenteeism rate (15.1%) and strong 5th-grade science, but its 4th grade is a significant trouble spot across all subjects. Camden Junior High School has the most concerning profile: ELA proficiency is 17.8 points below the state average and its overall ranking fell sharply from the 61st to the 37th percentile in one year.
Chronic absenteeism trends upward with school level, peaking at Camden Junior High (18.4%)—the only school above the state average—while Briarwood is lowest at 15.1%. Spending is nearly identical across all four schools, ranging just $68 per student, so schools with greater academic challenges receive no additional resources. ELA is a district-wide weakness, with every tested school below state averages in English. At the high school, grade-level data reveal a large gap between accelerated and on-level students, as 11th-grade Geometry proficiency is only 7.7% versus 26.4% statewide. Camden Elementary School has no test data but shows moderate absenteeism at 17.1%, slightly above the district rate.
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