Best Public Schools in Mohawk, TN

The city of Mohawk, Tennessee, is home to just one public school—McDonald Elementary School—which serves 228 students in grades PK through 5 and belongs to Greene County Schools, a district ranked 42nd out of 141 in Tennessee. Since Mohawk has no other schools, this analysis focuses entirely on McDonald Elementary and compares it to district and state benchmarks. The school stands out for its dramatic improvement: its state ranking jumped from the 26th percentile (1 star) in 2023–2024 to the 36th percentile (2 stars) in 2024–2025, and then to the 59th percentile (3 stars) in 2025–2026, a rise of 338 places in two years.

Academically, McDonald Elementary shows real strengths. English Language Arts is the school's best subject, with 51.1% of students proficient—about 10 points above both the district (40.2%) and the state (40.6%). Math proficiency is 47.3%, above the state (43.0%) but below the district (50.5%), while science proficiency is 50.0%, roughly matching the district (50.9%) and beating the state (46.9%). Year-over-year gains are notable: math improved by 19.1 points, science by 14.1 points, and ELA by 8.4 points. The 4th grade cohort stands out dramatically, with 82.1% proficient in math, 78.6% in ELA, and 64.3% in science—all roughly 30 points above the state. However, 3rd grade math (31.4%) and 5th grade math (33.3%) lag behind, showing inconsistency across grade levels.

Some concerns are also worth noting. Chronic absenteeism affects 21.4% of students, higher than the district's 16.4% and the state's 18.3%, which could put the school's progress at risk. The school spends a relatively high $16,034 per student, though free/reduced lunch data and student-teacher ratios are not reported. With only 228 students, grade-level cohorts are small, so proficiency rates can swing significantly from year to year. Still, McDonald Elementary's consistent gains across all subjects, its standout ELA results, and its exceptional 4th grade performance make it a school with strong upward momentum within the Greene County Schools district.