Best Public Schools in Sewanee, TN

Sewanee, Tennessee, a small college town home to The University of the South, contains just one public school — Sewanee Elementary School — which serves grades PK–5 with an enrollment of 145 students and operates as a part of Franklin County Schools.

Sewanee Elementary School is genuinely exceptional, having earned a 5-star rating in each of the last three school years and ranking in the 93rd–96th percentile statewide among more than 1,000 elementary schools. This puts it in the top 7% of Tennessee elementary schools, with its latest rank at 70 of 1,019 schools. The contrast with its district is striking: Franklin County Schools ranks only 109th of 141 Tennessee districts with a 1-star rating, making Sewanee Elementary a major positive outlier. On the most recent TNReady tests, the school posted 68.6% proficiency in math, 74.3% in ELA, and 72.9% in science — far exceeding district averages of 29.2%, 30.7%, and 41.1%, and state averages of 43.0%, 40.6%, and 46.9%. Every grade and subject combination beat both district and state benchmarks, with 4th graders particularly strong at 84.2% proficiency in both ELA and science. The school also reports low chronic absenteeism at 6.6%, compared with 15.1% for the district and 18.3% for the state, and per-student spending is a relatively high $16,824, typical of a small school.

While the school remains elite, the most recent data shows some movement worth monitoring: math proficiency slipped from 80.0% to 68.6%, and the statewide rank dipped from 36th to 70th, though still comfortably in the top 10%. ELA and science declined only slightly, and three consecutive years of 5-star ratings indicate the school's success is not a fluke. The college-town environment of Sewanee likely contributes to strong family and community support, though the data does not directly measure this. For parents, Sewanee offers a single school option, but that option is excellent — a consistently high-performing elementary school that outperforms its district and the state by very large margins, with a stable culture of high achievement and strong attendance.