Summary:
Tazewell, Tennessee is served by three schools within the Claiborne County Schools district, spanning grades K–12 across a traditional elementary school, a middle school, and a small virtual alternative academy. The city has no traditional high school, making Claiborne Virtual Learning Academy the only in-city option for high school students. The district overall ranks in the 18th percentile statewide with a 1-star rating, placing it 115th out of 141 Tennessee districts.
Springdale Elementary School is the clear academic leader in Tazewell. It ranks in the 35th percentile statewide, earns 2 stars, and outperforms the district in mathematics (31.6% vs. 29.7%), English language arts (41.5% vs. 32.8%), and social studies (51.5% vs. 40.4%). Its social studies program is especially strong, essentially matching the state average. By contrast, Soldiers Memorial Middle School is a concerning outlier, ranking in the 12th percentile with a 1-star rating. It trails the district in every subject and has a 25.5% chronic absenteeism rate, well above both the district and state. Claiborne Virtual Learning Academy enrolls just 42 students and has limited testing data, with its only reported score being 20% proficiency in Biology I.
Several patterns stand out for parents. At Soldiers Memorial, proficiency declines as students advance, with math falling from 30.9% in 5th grade to just 9.6% in 8th grade. Springdale outperforms Soldiers Memorial in every tested subject at the 7th and 8th grade levels, despite serving the same grade spans. Notably, Soldiers Memorial spends slightly more per student ($13,107 vs. $12,799) yet achieves far weaker results. Chronic absenteeism tracks performance at both schools. For families considering options, Springdale is the strongest academic choice within Tazewell, while the virtual academy remains an unknown given its small size, and the lack of a traditional high school is a significant community limitation.
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