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Carter County Schools

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At a glance

108^thof 141 Tennessee districts▼ 10

Better than 23% of Tennessee districts

Elementary 7 Middle 1 High 5 Alternative 1Grades PK, KG-12

139 Keenburg Road
Elizabethton, TN 37643·(423) 547-4000·All Tennessee district rankings →

Statewide performance 2018–2026

2026: better than 23.4% of districts

Schools

4,541

Students

Top rankedValley Forge Elementary School319^th 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

Central Elementary School 10.2 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

3★

2★

1★

2 schools without a SchoolDigger rating (too few tested students)

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

Summary:

Carter County Schools is a district of 14 schools in Tennessee, serving roughly 4,450 students across 7 elementary schools, 1 middle school, 5 high schools, and 1 alternative school. The district ranks 108th out of 141 Tennessee districts, placing it in the bottom quarter of the state with a 1-star rating. Across every tested subject, the district trails state proficiency averages, with the largest gap in English Language Arts (-7.3 points) and the smallest gap in Social Studies (-2.2 points).

Individual schools, however, show meaningful bright spots. Valley Forge Elementary School is the top academic performer, earning a 3-star rating with 56.6% math proficiency and 51.3% ELA proficiency, both well above district and state averages. Central Elementary School has made the biggest gains, climbing from the 40th to the 53rd percentile and boosting math proficiency from 30.2% to 43.8% in one year. Happy Valley Middle School, the district's only middle school, excels in Social Studies (60.1%) and Science (47.1%). Among high schools, Hampton High School leads with a 57th-percentile rank, a 95.3% graduation rate, and the district's lowest chronic absenteeism (9.3%). Cloudland High School posted the district's best single-subject score at 76.9% Social Studies proficiency, while Carter County Online Academy trails badly in nearly every metric, with just 6.5% math proficiency and a 20% dropout rate.

Notably, attendance and achievement do not follow a simple pattern. Valley Forge Elementary has the highest chronic absenteeism rate (31.8%) yet the highest test scores, while Unaka Elementary School posts some of the best attendance (9.9%) but the lowest elementary math proficiency (20.0%). High school math is a widespread concern, especially Algebra II at Unaka High School (7.4% proficient). Spending also does not align with outcomes: Unaka Elementary spends the most per student ($17,890) while producing low scores. For parents, the key takeaway is that this district offers genuine pockets of excellence, but literacy and high school mathematics are the areas most in need of attention.

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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 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 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 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 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
Central Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	252 Taylor Road	Johnson City	37601	Washington County	Carter County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 547-4045	261	25	10.2	93.3%	238 (91.2%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (5.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	9 (3.4%)	52	476^th of 1019 public elementary schools	53.3%		45	541^st of 1009 public elementary schools	46.4%	65	40.7	52.6	40.7				43.8	48.1	36.8	37.0				41.1																													37.0	57.9	55.6				49.3					$14,801	$1,610	$12,500
Cloudland Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	8540 Highway 19 East	Roan Mountain	37687	Carter County	Carter County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 772-5310	267	20	13.6	78.2%	258 (96.6%)	2 (0.7%)	4 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	38.8	647^th of 1019 public elementary schools	36.5%		42.9	567^th of 1009 public elementary schools	43.8%	80	31.4	46.3	9.7	15.2			27.1	40.0	41.5	31.3	39.4			38.3																													28.6	63.4	31.3	45.5			43.3	42.4			42.4	$14,189	$1,185	$11,898
Cloudland High School	Public	7-12	476 Cloudland Drive	Roan Mountain	37687	Carter County	Carter County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 772-5300	245	19	12.8	69.2%	236 (96.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.2%)	45.5	212^th of 400 public high schools	47.0%		58.4	135^th of 389 public high schools	65.3%	77					36.4	16.0	27.6					39.4	34.4	36.9		10.0				21.6	80.0	< 5%		27.3	63.6	17.6			46.3	35.9			35.9		65.6			65.6		< 5%		28.1					51.5	50.0	50.8		78.8	75.0	76.9	$15,313	$1,205	$13,168
Hampton Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	408 Hwy 321	Hampton	37658	Carter County	Carter County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 725-5220	622	43	14.6	85.8%	591 (95.0%)	1 (0.2%)	10 (1.6%)	3 (0.5%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (2.4%)	46.2	540^th of 1019 public elementary schools	47.0%		41.8	586^th of 1009 public elementary schools	41.9%	46	26.3	41.4	48.4	39.7	37.7	58.1	42.5	39.7	44.1	39.1	31.7	22.1	21.6	32.2																													43.9	53.4	46.9	23.8	33.8	35.1	38.9	52.4	46.8	45.9	48.1	$12,548	$1,155	$10,203
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 Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	1840 Milligan Highway	Johnson City	37601	Washington County	Carter County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 547-4028	541	36	15.0	82.1%	470 (86.9%)	12 (2.2%)	34 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	24 (4.4%)	53	465^th of 1019 public elementary schools	54.4%		54	433^rd of 1009 public elementary schools	57.1%	32	38.7	45.7					42.0	46.2	45.7					46.0																													48.4	51.3					49.7					$14,300	$1,574	$11,662
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)
Carter County Online Academy	Public, Virtual, Alternative	K-12	5325 Hwy 19-E	Hampton	37658	Carter County	Carter County Schools	No	No	Yes	No	(423) 547-1651	83	12	6.8		80 (96.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.2%)								(n/a)				9.1	< 5%	6.9	6.5				20.0	< 5%	6.9	9.8		< 5%				< 5%		< 5%		< 5%		16.7			13.6	7.1			7.1		29.6			28.6		< 5%		< 5%				9.1		18.5	12.1	9.1		11.1	8.5	$5,473	$1,305	$3,806

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Elizabethton City Schools	2.42 mi	5	20^th
Johnson City Schools	2.71 mi	12	7^th
Washington County Schools	4.86 mi	15	30^th
Sullivan County Schools	6.06 mi	15	63^rd
Unicoi County Schools	10.12 mi	7	103^rd

See the top TN Tennessee districts

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.