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Best Public Schools in Cleveland, TN

New rankings! Tennessee test scores for the 2025-26 school year were just released — SchoolDigger posted updated rankings this week.

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At a glance

Schools

15,839

Students

Districts

5-star school

Top rankedMichigan Avenue Elementary School92^nd of 1,019 Tennessee elementary schools

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Biggest riser

Candy's Creek Cherokee Elementary School up 30 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

G.R. Stuart Elementary School 9.9 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

4★

3★

2★

1★

3 schools without a SchoolDigger rating (too few tested students)

Compare Tennessee cities →See the top-ranked Tennessee schools →

Summary:

Cleveland, Tennessee is served by Cleveland City Schools and Bradley County Schools, which together operate 25 public schools for roughly 15,700 students in grades PK-12. The two districts perform very differently: Bradley County Schools ranks 58th out of 141 districts statewide (59th percentile, 3 stars), while Cleveland City Schools ranks 123rd (13th percentile, 1 star). This gap shows up consistently in test scores and attendance. Notably, Cleveland City schools generally spend more per student than their Bradley County counterparts, so higher funding alone does not explain the results.

For families seeking the area's strongest schools, Michigan Avenue Elementary School is the standout elementary school, ranking 92nd in the state with proficiency rates in the high 60s and chronic absenteeism near 11%. North Lee Elementary School is also top-tier, while Candy's Creek Cherokee Elementary School and E.L. Ross Elementary School are bright spots within the Cleveland City district. At the middle level, Ocoee Middle School is the clear winner — the only middle school above state averages in every core subject — while Lake Forest Middle School and Cleveland Middle School lag behind. For high school, Walker Valley High School ranks 83rd of 400 with strong English and Biology results, and Bradley Central High School has the city's highest graduation rate at 98% and lowest dropout rate at 1.5%.

The most concerning trends are in Cleveland City. Cleveland High School has dropped from the 57th to the 36th percentile over three years, with a 92.7% graduation rate, 30.5% chronic absenteeism, and only 9% proficiency in Algebra I. Arnold Memorial Elementary School, Blythe-Bower Elementary School, and G.R. Stuart Elementary School also sit well below state averages. Across the city, chronic absenteeism is the clearest predictor of achievement: top schools like Hopewell Elementary School and Black Fox Elementary School keep absenteeism around 10%, while struggling schools exceed 24%. Improving attendance may be a more effective strategy than simply increasing spending.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				TNReady Mathematics (2026)							TNReady English Language Arts (2026)							TNReady Algebra I (2026)				TNReady Algebra II (2026)				TNReady Biology I (2026)				TNReady Integrated Math I (2026)		TNReady Integrated Math II (2026)		TNReady Integrated Math III (2026)			TNReady US History (2026)				TNReady English I (2026)		TNReady English II (2026)			TNReady Geometry (2026)			TNReady Science (2026)							TNReady Social Studies (2026)				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 (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	TNReady Mathematics 3rd Grade	TNReady Mathematics 4th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 5th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 6th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 7th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 8th Grade	TNReady Mathematics All Grades	TNReady English Language Arts 3rd Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 4th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 5th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 6th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 7th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 8th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts All Grades	TNReady Algebra I 8th Grade	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 12th 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 Integrated Math I 9th Grade	TNReady Integrated Math I All Grades	TNReady Integrated Math II 10th Grade	TNReady Integrated Math II All Grades	TNReady Integrated Math III 10th Grade	TNReady Integrated Math III 11th Grade	TNReady Integrated Math III 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 11th Grade	TNReady English II All Grades	TNReady Geometry 10th Grade	TNReady Geometry 11th Grade	TNReady Geometry All Grades	TNReady Science 3rd Grade	TNReady Science 4th Grade	TNReady Science 5th Grade	TNReady Science 6th Grade	TNReady Science 7th Grade	TNReady Science 8th Grade	TNReady Science All Grades	TNReady Social Studies 6th Grade	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
Black Fox Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3119 Varnell Road	Cleveland	37311	Bradley County	Bradley County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 478-8800	506	32	15.8		444 (87.7%)	8 (1.6%)	34 (6.7%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (3.6%)	53.2	460^th of 1019 public elementary schools	54.9%		59.5	359^th of 1009 public elementary schools	64.4%	101	31.8	49.3	48.9				43.0	47.1	44.8	43.3				45.0																																45.9	44.8	52.7				47.8					$11,751	$1,011	$9,878
Ocoee Middle School	Public	6-8	2250 N Ocoee Street	Cleveland	37311	Bradley County	Bradley County Schools	No	No	No	No	(423) 476-0630	1,045	69	15.2		888 (85.0%)	31 (3.0%)	81 (7.8%)	4 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (3.8%)	72.6	130^th of 594 public middle schools	78.1%		71.9	134^th of 583 public middle schools	77.0%	4				47.8	48.3	53.7	49.9				44.1	37.1	42.1	41.1																																			53.5	56.1	55.5	55.0	61.1	56.9	56.0	58.0	$11,269	$587	$9,829
Bradley Central High School	Public	9-12	1000 South Lee Highway	Cleveland	37311	Bradley County	Bradley County Schools	No	No	No	No	(423) 476-0650	1,662	109	15.2		1,352 (81.3%)	58 (3.5%)	172 (10.3%)	9 (0.5%)	4 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	67 (4.0%)	54.7	161^st of 400 public high schools	59.8%		55.4	145^th of 389 public high schools	62.7%	16																							93.1	35.3		39.6	37.2	36.7	36.0	40.1	94.4	36.4	42.0		29.6		28.8	42.3	41.4	51.6	7.7	50.0															$11,937	$553	$10,669
Hopewell Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	5350 Freewill Road NW	Cleveland	37312	Bradley County	Bradley County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 478-8802	463	32	14.6		414 (89.4%)	9 (1.9%)	22 (4.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (3.7%)	64.1	316^th of 1019 public elementary schools	69.0%		63.4	323^rd of 1009 public elementary schools	68.0%	7	43.5	47.9	50.7				47.6	53.2	52.1	56.3				53.9																																51.6	53.4	49.3				51.5					$12,289	$1,260	$10,227
Michigan Avenue Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	188 Michigan Ave School Road	Cleveland	37323	Bradley County	Bradley County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 478-8807	453	29	15.8		353 (77.9%)	13 (2.9%)	48 (10.6%)	4 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (7.5%)	89.5	92^nd of 1019 public elementary schools	91.0%		89.7	90^th of 1009 public elementary schools	91.1%	2	57.5	71.6	72.9				67.3	67.1	71.6	65.7				68.2																																70.8	81.1	58.0				70.2					$11,288	$816	$9,691
North Lee Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	205 Sequoia Drive	Cleveland	37312	Bradley County	Bradley County Schools	No	No	No	No	(423) 478-8809	509	32	16.1		400 (78.6%)	23 (4.5%)	41 (8.1%)	16 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	27 (5.3%)	79.1	163^rd of 1019 public elementary schools	84.0%		81.4	144^th of 1009 public elementary schools	85.7%	19	48.1	62.9	66.7				59.1	63.0	57.1	65.4				62.1																																56.3	60.0	58.0				58.0					$10,535	$653	$9,142
Oak Grove Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	400 Durkee Road SE	Cleveland	37323	Bradley County	Bradley County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 478-8812	380	26	14.9		274 (72.1%)	16 (4.2%)	66 (17.4%)	2 (0.5%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (5.3%)	37.7	669^th of 1019 public elementary schools	34.3%		39.3	616^th of 1009 public elementary schools	38.9%	53	25.8	50.9	37.0				37.3	31.7	50.9	45.3				42.0																																32.3	35.8	33.3				33.7					$12,959	$1,081	$10,860
Prospect Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2450 Prospect School Road	Cleveland	37311	Bradley County	Bradley County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 478-8814	421	24	17.5		340 (80.8%)	7 (1.7%)	66 (15.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.9%)	46.7	532^nd of 1019 public elementary schools	47.8%		55.6	412^th of 1009 public elementary schools	59.2%	120	38.2	47.3	35.1				39.5	52.6	34.5	42.7				44.2																																40.8	50.9	37.3				42.2					$11,409	$980	$9,580
Taylor Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	5265 Bates PIKE	Cleveland	37323	Bradley County	Bradley County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 478-8817	277	19	14.9		239 (86.3%)	5 (1.8%)	24 (8.7%)	3 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.2%)	31.9	735^th of 1019 public elementary schools	27.9%		37.3	640^th of 1009 public elementary schools	36.6%	95	29.3	42.2	32.4				35.0	41.5	48.9	30.6				41.0																																24.4	31.1	29.7				28.5					$13,314	$1,171	$11,198
Lake Forest Middle School	Public	6-8	610 Kile Lake Road	Cleveland	37323	Bradley County	Bradley County Schools	No	No	No	No	(423) 478-8821	1,174	78	14.9		965 (82.2%)	26 (2.2%)	133 (11.3%)	6 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	42 (3.6%)	36.7	394^th of 594 public middle schools	33.7%		41.1	339^th of 583 public middle schools	41.9%	55				33.4	29.4	36.7	33.2				34.0	29.2	22.4	28.3																																			37.3	31.0	27.2	31.7	47.2	45.3	33.7	41.8	$11,436	$662	$9,947
Valley View Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	5607 Spring Place Road	Cleveland	37323	Bradley County	Bradley County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 478-8825	340	23	15.1		292 (85.9%)	3 (0.9%)	37 (10.9%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.5%)	42.5	604^th of 1019 public elementary schools	40.7%		38.4	625^th of 1009 public elementary schools	38.1%	21	28.3	61.5	40.4				43.9	43.5	40.4	40.4				41.3																																30.4	36.5	40.4				36.1					$12,269	$1,152	$10,203
Waterville Community Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4081 Dalton Pike	Cleveland	37323	Bradley County	Bradley County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 478-8827	672	42	16.0		504 (75.0%)	11 (1.6%)	116 (17.3%)	4 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.4%)	34 (5.1%)	49.6	498^th of 1019 public elementary schools	51.1%		50.6	477^th of 1009 public elementary schools	52.7%	21	33.3	52.7	48.1				45.3	47.6	41.3	42.2				43.5																																35.7	48.4	43.5				42.8					$11,940	$1,177	$9,914
North Cleveland GOAL Academy	Public, Alternative	K-12	2437 Parker Street NE	Cleveland	37311	Bradley County	Bradley County Schools	No	No	No	No	(423) 476-0699	11	5	2.2		10 (90.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (9.1%)								(n/a)
Walker Valley High School	Public	9-12	750 Lauderdale Memorial Hwy. N	Cleveland	37312	Bradley County	Bradley County Schools	No	No	No	No	(423) 336-1383	1,501	96	15.6		1,277 (85.1%)	45 (3.0%)	111 (7.4%)	9 (0.6%)	3 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (3.7%)	71	83^rd of 400 public high schools	79.3%		69.5	80^th of 389 public high schools	79.4%	3																							94.8	51.8		58.5	45.4	45.1	31.8	44.3		25.0	43.6	34.6	40.8	62.5	41.4	52.5	52.1	72.9		72.5															$12,092	$574	$10,769
Park View Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	300 Minnis Road	Cleveland	37323	Bradley County	Bradley County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 476-6622	443	29	15.5		375 (84.7%)	11 (2.5%)	39 (8.8%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (3.6%)	67.8	280^th of 1019 public elementary schools	72.5%		65.8	287^th of 1009 public elementary schools	71.6%	7	46.4	51.8	57.1				51.6	49.1	60.7	51.0				53.7																																33.3	69.6	67.3				56.2					$13,169	$1,161	$11,048
Bradley County Virtual School	Public, Virtual	6-12	2369 Parker Street NE	Cleveland	37311	Bradley County	Bradley County Schools	No	No	Yes	No	(423) 709-8414	137	7	19.5		118 (86.1%)	4 (2.9%)	7 (5.1%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (5.1%)	50.3	192^nd of 400 public high schools	52.0%		59.5	130^th of 389 public high schools	66.6%	62					20.0	38.5	30.4					40.0	57.1	50.0										54.5		54.5	30.8	35.7	20.0	20.0		13.0	13.0		31.8		33.3	63.6	63.6	55.0		55.0								30.0	50.0	41.7		40.0	57.1	50.0	$5,266	$432	$4,800
PIE Innovation Center	Public	9-12	2181 Parker St NE	Cleveland	37311	Bradley County	Bradley County Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(423) 476-0620	0	1	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
D.P. Yates Primary School	Public	PK, KG-2	750 Mouse Creek Road	Cleveland	37312	Bradley County	Cleveland City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 479-1723	298	23	12.8		162 (54.4%)	25 (8.4%)	77 (25.8%)	7 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	26 (8.7%)								(n/a)																																																									$16,484	$1,002	$14,630
Arnold Memorial Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	473 8th N W Street	Cleveland	37311	Bradley County	Cleveland City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 472-2241	312	21	14.7		97 (31.1%)	52 (16.7%)	124 (39.7%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.3%)	33 (10.6%)	16.3	883^rd of 1019 public elementary schools	13.3%		15.1	885^th of 1009 public elementary schools	12.3%	2	22.4	16.7	31.3				23.4	28.6	20.4	29.2				26.0																																26.5	27.1	19.1				24.3					$15,875	$1,048	$14,036
Cleveland High School	Public	9-12	850 Raider Drive	Cleveland	37312	Bradley County	Cleveland City Schools	No	No	No	No	(423) 478-1113	1,799	111	16.2		894 (49.7%)	186 (10.3%)	552 (30.7%)	41 (2.3%)	4 (0.2%)	15 (0.8%)	107 (5.9%)	36.8	254^th of 400 public high schools	36.5%		39.7	224^th of 389 public high schools	42.4%	30																9.3	7.1	9.0	75.5	19.6	7.7	27.2	86.7	35.8	17.6	45.8									25.5		26.0	31.6	30.5	58.2		53.7	24.8	8.7	31.8												$11,976	$534	$10,828
Cleveland Middle School	Public	6-8	3635 Georgetown Road N. W.	Cleveland	37312	Bradley County	Cleveland City Schools	No	No	No	No	(423) 479-9641	1,302	89	14.6		617 (47.4%)	126 (9.7%)	424 (32.6%)	26 (2.0%)	1 (0.1%)	7 (0.5%)	101 (7.8%)	32.2	422^nd of 594 public middle schools	29.0%		35	385^th of 583 public middle schools	34.0%	37				27.1	31.1	22.2	27.0				29.6	20.9	25.7	25.3	81.5			81.5																															32.9	34.6	36.3	34.6	38.7	39.0	37.3	38.3	$12,680	$607	$11,369
E.L. Ross Elementary School	Public	3-5	4340 Mouse Creek Road	Cleveland	37312	Bradley County	Cleveland City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 479-7274	254	19	13.2		140 (55.1%)	17 (6.7%)	69 (27.2%)	6 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (8.7%)	52.3	472^nd of 1019 public elementary schools	53.7%		58.3	376^th of 1009 public elementary schools	62.7%	96	47.5	51.6	59.2				52.2	42.2	38.5	46.1				42.0																																37.3	46.2	43.4				42.0					$15,393	$1,160	$13,362
G.R. Stuart Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	802 20th Nw Street	Cleveland	37311	Bradley County	Cleveland City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 476-8246	291	29	9.9		117 (40.2%)	36 (12.4%)	95 (32.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	39 (13.4%)	19.7	857^th of 1019 public elementary schools	15.9%		27	766^th of 1009 public elementary schools	24.1%	91	34.5	30.6	21.1				28.2	37.9	30.6	10.5				25.2																																34.5	27.8	18.4				26.2					$19,551	$1,966	$16,499
Mayfield Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	501 20th Street NE	Cleveland	37311	Bradley County	Cleveland City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 472-4541	448	34	13.1		177 (39.5%)	56 (12.5%)	156 (34.8%)	6 (1.3%)	1 (0.2%)	5 (1.1%)	47 (10.5%)	35.7	684^th of 1019 public elementary schools	32.9%		36.1	661^st of 1009 public elementary schools	34.5%	23	28.0	22.2	50.0				31.8	41.3	33.3	40.7				38.3																																41.3	32.4	42.6				38.5					$15,672	$1,149	$13,701
Blythe-Bower Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	604 20th St SE	Cleveland	37311	Bradley County	Cleveland City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 479-5121	668	48	13.8		288 (43.1%)	85 (12.7%)	216 (32.3%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (1.5%)	66 (9.9%)	22.8	823^rd of 1019 public elementary schools	19.2%		22.1	823^rd of 1009 public elementary schools	18.4%		29.0	42.5	32.7				34.9	21.3	35.8	20.9				26.0																																22.6	36.2	23.7				27.6					$14,011	$1,395	$11,795
Candy's Creek Cherokee Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4445 Georgetown Road	Cleveland	37312	Bradley County	Cleveland City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 476-1160	473	34	13.8		292 (61.7%)	30 (6.3%)	98 (20.7%)	18 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (7.4%)	65.5	303^rd of 1019 public elementary schools	70.3%		62.3	333^rd of 1009 public elementary schools	67.0%	30	67.1	49.3	59.8				58.9	65.8	47.9	54.0				55.8																																54.8	36.6	39.1				43.3					$14,333	$1,041	$12,694

Cities Near Cleveland

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Ooltewah	9.45 mi	8	105^th
Old Fort	10.33 mi	1	215^th
Charleston	10.64 mi	1	73^rd
Calhoun	11.78 mi	1	35^th
Benton	12.3 mi	4	292^nd

See the top TN Tennessee cities

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.