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Best Public Schools in Elizabethton, TN

At a glance

Schools

5,211

Students

Districts

5-star school

Top rankedWest Side Elementary School82^nd of 1,019 Tennessee elementary schools

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Biggest riser

Hampton High School up 69 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Hampton High School 12.5 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

5★

4★

3★

2★

1★

1 school without a SchoolDigger rating (too few tested students)

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

Summary:

Elizabethton, Tennessee is served by 13 public schools—6 elementary, 2 middle, and 5 high schools (including one alternative school)—spanning two districts: Elizabethton City Schools and Carter County Schools. The city district ranks 20th out of 141 districts statewide, while the county district ranks 108th. That gap shows in scores: West Side Elementary School posts 67.7% math proficiency while Unaka Elementary School posts 20.0%. Still, county schools like Valley Forge Elementary School and Happy Valley Middle School perform well above their district average, so the picture is mixed.

The standout school overall is West Side Elementary, the only 5-star school in the area, ranking 82nd out of 1,019 elementary schools and beating state averages by 20+ points in math, ELA, and science. Elizabethton High School is the strongest high school, ranking 53rd out of 400, with a 95.5% graduation rate and strong Biology I and English II scores—though its 28.5% chronic absenteeism rate is high. T A Dugger Junior High School stands out in math: 93.1% of students scored proficient in Algebra I. Happy Valley High School and Hampton High School are both on the rise, ranking in the mid-50th percentile, with graduation rates above 95%. Hampton also has the lowest chronic absenteeism in the city at 9.3%.

A few patterns are worth noting. Chronic absenteeism does not always predict results: Valley Forge and Elizabethton High have high absenteeism but still beat district averages, while Unaka Elementary has low absenteeism but the lowest math proficiency. Several elementaries improve sharply from 3rd to 4th grade, suggesting effective interventions. County high schools struggle with advanced math—Unaka High School has just 7.4% Algebra II proficiency and Hampton 23.8%, well below the state average. Encouragingly, all four traditional high schools graduate students above 94%, and spending does not align with outcomes: Unaka Elementary spends the most per student but scores lowest, while West Side spends less and leads the area.

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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 II (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 (2016)	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 11th Grade	TNReady Algebra I 12th Grade	TNReady Algebra I All Grades	TNReady Algebra II 9th Grade	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 12th Grade	TNReady Biology I All Grades	TNReady Integrated Math II 9th Grade	TNReady Integrated Math II 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 10th Grade	TNReady English I 11th Grade	TNReady English I All Grades	TNReady English II 9th Grade	TNReady English II 10th Grade	TNReady English II 11th Grade	TNReady English II 12th Grade	TNReady English II All Grades	TNReady Geometry 9th Grade	TNReady Geometry 10th Grade	TNReady Geometry 11th Grade	TNReady Geometry 12th 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
Hampton High School	Public	9-12	139 Keenburg Road	Elizabethton	37643	Carter County	Carter County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 725-5200	395	32	12.5	74.7%	376 (95.2%)	3 (0.8%)	9 (2.3%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.3%)	53.5	170^th of 400 public high schools	57.5%		36.4	239^th of 389 public high schools	38.6%	69																38.8				36.1		51.6	6.5		23.8	67.7	49.1			56.0							29.7			29.1		62.0			61.0		34.2			32.5												$13,382	$1,189	$11,281
Happy Valley High School	Public	9-12	121 Warpath Lane	Elizabethton	37643	Carter County	Carter County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 547-4094	450	26	17.2	75.5%	397 (88.2%)	8 (1.8%)	27 (6.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (3.8%)	52.2	178^th of 400 public high schools	55.5%		49.9	177^th of 389 public high schools	54.5%	1																19.4	< 5%			17.5		58.6	20.0		32.6	92.0	41.1	56.3		56.7							35.2			33.3	55.8	46.2			53.8		30.6			30.3												$11,892	$991	$10,259
Happy Valley Middle School	Public	5-8	163 Warpath Lane	Elizabethton	37643	Carter County	Carter County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 547-4070	361	22	16.7	79.9%	322 (89.2%)	3 (0.8%)	27 (7.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.5%)	60.6	212^th of 594 public middle schools	64.3%		73.3	125^th of 583 public middle schools	78.6%	87			30.4	33.6	41.5	48.6	38.7			21.7	35.8	36.2	18.7	28.1																																							31.5	47.3	50.0	57.9	47.1	47.3	70.2	64.5	60.1	$12,441	$1,262	$10,504
Hunter Elementary School	Public	K-8	145 Hope Street	Elizabethton	37643	Carter County	Carter County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 547-4074	519	39	13.4	80.3%	462 (89.0%)	4 (0.8%)	38 (7.3%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.3%)	36.2	681^st of 1019 public elementary schools	33.2%		31.3	720^th of 1009 public elementary schools	28.6%	39	28.3	51.5	49.3	14.9	34.4	44.1	37.2	33.3	52.2	30.4	26.9	21.3	16.9	30.5																																					36.7	61.8	27.5	23.9	32.8	42.4	37.5	23.9	37.7	42.4	34.2	$12,895	$1,281	$10,869
Unaka Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	120 Unaka Drive	Elizabethton	37643	Carter County	Carter County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 474-4110	213	15	14.3	84.7%	202 (94.8%)	1 (0.5%)	7 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.4%)	24.9	806^th of 1019 public elementary schools	20.9%		23.3	809^th of 1009 public elementary schools	19.8%	3	15.4	33.3					20.0	38.5	25.0					33.3																																					38.5	33.3					30.0					$17,890	$2,394	$13,958
Unaka High School	Public	9-12	119 Robinson Lane	Elizabethton	37643	Carter County	Carter County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 474-4100	309	23	13.3	74.0%	283 (91.6%)	1 (0.3%)	19 (6.1%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.6%)	45.8	210^th of 400 public high schools	47.5%		34.9	248^th of 389 public high schools	36.2%	38																33.9				33.3			7.7		7.4	42.9	43.2	17.4		35.1							44.4			44.4		46.0			46.0		34.8			35.8												$14,446	$1,474	$12,294
Valley Forge Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1485 Riverview Drive	Elizabethton	37643	Carter County	Carter County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 547-4085	214	15	14.7	86.1%	203 (94.9%)	3 (1.4%)	4 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.9%)	63.9	319^th of 1019 public elementary schools	68.7%		71.9	223^rd of 1009 public elementary schools	77.9%	96	56.7	50.0	63.6				56.6	40.0	54.2	63.6				51.3																																					36.7	50.0	59.1				47.4					$15,155	$1,779	$12,241
Carter County Alternative School	Public	5-12	120 Unaka Drive	Elizabethton	37643	Carter County	Carter County Schools	No	No	No	No	(423) 547-4050	61	3	24.4	88.9%	57 (93.4%)	2 (3.3%)	1 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.6%)								(n/a)
East Side Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	800 Siam Road	Elizabethton	37643	Carter County	Elizabethton City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 547-8010	462	27	16.9	65.0%	409 (88.5%)	10 (2.2%)	14 (3.0%)	3 (0.6%)	3 (0.6%)	2 (0.4%)	21 (4.5%)	59	380^th of 1019 public elementary schools	62.7%		65.9	286^th of 1009 public elementary schools	71.7%	94	30.0	73.9	45.2				48.5	24.0	56.5	47.9				43.2																																					34.0	78.3	57.5				56.2					$14,288	$978	$12,477
Elizabethton High School	Public	9-12	907 Jason Witten Way	Elizabethton	37643	Carter County	Elizabethton City Schools	No	No	No	No	(423) 547-8015	879	66	13.3	46.6%	790 (89.9%)	17 (1.9%)	32 (3.6%)	6 (0.7%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (3.8%)	78.5	53^rd of 400 public high schools	86.8%		71.1	74^th of 389 public high schools	81.0%	21																53.0				51.1		76.9	38.0		42.9	65.8				63.3				52.2		51.7	57.6			57.3		67.6			66.4	≥ 95%	49.4	< 5%		50.7												$13,522	$464	$12,694
Harold McCormick Elementary School	Public	K-5	226 Cedar Avenue	Elizabethton	37643	Carter County	Elizabethton City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 547-8020	363	26	13.8	73.5%	321 (88.4%)	7 (1.9%)	12 (3.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (6.1%)	55.5	433^rd of 1019 public elementary schools	57.5%		61.5	343^rd of 1009 public elementary schools	66.0%	90	26.5	58.2	41.7				41.0	36.8	65.5	45.8				48.4																																					39.7	67.3	50.0				51.4					$14,522	$710	$12,954
T A Dugger Junior High School	Public	6-8	305 West E Street	Elizabethton	37643	Carter County	Elizabethton City Schools	No	No	No	No	(423) 547-8025	623	39	16.0	48.4%	558 (89.6%)	10 (1.6%)	23 (3.7%)	5 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (4.3%)	72.1	136^th of 594 public middle schools	77.1%		74.7	110^th of 583 public middle schools	81.1%	26				50.5	45.2	58.6	51.1				47.1	35.0	41.4	41.1	93.1					93.1																																		52.6	43.0	55.6	50.3	66.8	61.0	58.6	62.1	$12,571	$568	$11,422
West Side Elementary School	Public	K-5	1310 Burgie Street	Elizabethton	37643	Carter County	Elizabethton City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 547-8030	362	21	16.9	42.6%	324 (89.5%)	9 (2.5%)	12 (3.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (4.4%)	90.6	82^nd of 1019 public elementary schools	92.0%		93.6	59^th of 1009 public elementary schools	94.2%	23	56.0	76.5	67.6				67.7	70.0	82.4	60.3				71.0																																					60.0	88.2	70.6				74.2					$13,724	$759	$12,338

Cities Near Elizabethton

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Johnson City	3.52 mi	18	50^th
Hampton	5.13 mi	2	223^rd
Piney Flats	6.94 mi	1	74^th
Bluff City	9.23 mi	3	288^th
Unicoi	12.38 mi	1	249^th

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.