Best Public Schools in Hohenwald, TN

Hohenwald, Tennessee is served by Lewis County Schools, a district with 7 schools spanning elementary through high school, including both traditional in-person campuses and the Volunteer State Virtual Academy. The district overall ranks in the 26th percentile in Tennessee with a 1-star rating, but this average masks a dramatic split between its brick-and-mortar schools and its virtual academy campuses.

If you are looking for strong traditional schools, Lewis County Middle School is the clear standout, earning 4 stars and ranking in the 72nd percentile statewide—well above the district. It beats state proficiency averages in math, science, and social studies, and its chronic absenteeism rate is below the state average. Lewis County Intermediate School is also strong, with 3 stars and above-state scores in math, ELA, and science. Lewis County High School earns 3 stars with a 90.1% graduation rate and a 5.9% dropout rate, both near or better than state averages. In contrast, every Volunteer State Virtual Academy campus—elementary, middle, and high school—ranks in the bottom 28% of the state, with very low test proficiency and high absenteeism.

Chronic absenteeism is a huge red flag at the virtual schools: Volunteer State Virtual Academy Middle School has a 39.2% chronic absenteeism rate, more than double the state average, while Volunteer State Virtual Academy High School has a 23.1% dropout rate and a 71.2% graduation rate—far worse than Lewis County High School. The virtual schools also spend roughly half as much per student ($4,940–$6,349) compared to traditional schools ($10,693–$14,201), and they perform far worse, especially in math. For parents, the message is clear: the traditional schools in Hohenwald are solid options, but the virtual academy is struggling on nearly every measure, and improving those campuses would be the district's biggest opportunity for raising its overall performance.