Summary:
Grundy County Schools is a small, rural Tennessee district serving about 1,225 students across five schools — one high school and four PK–8 elementary schools — with no standalone middle school. Overall, the district ranks in the bottom quarter of Tennessee (106th of 141 districts) with a 1-star rating, but performance varies sharply from school to school.
The district’s clear standout is Pelham Elementary School, the smallest school (165 students) and the only one whose all-subject proficiency (~48%) beats the state average (~45.5%). Pelham ranks in the 59th percentile (3 stars) and improved in every subject last year, especially ELA, which jumped from 29% to 43%. North Elementary School is also solid, ranking 57th percentile, with strong science (54.8%) and the district’s lowest chronic absenteeism (14.1%), though its math scores slipped sharply and its ranking has declined for three straight years. On the other end, Tracy Elementary School and Swiss Memorial Elementary School both sit at the 25th percentile (1 star). Tracy has the lowest all-subject average (~28%), with 8th grade ELA at just 11.5%, while Swiss has the highest chronic absenteeism (20.9%) and has been slipping for years.
The biggest concern is Grundy County High School, ranking 33rd percentile with a 84.8% graduation rate (state 90.5%) and a dropout rate of 8%. High school math is especially weak — Algebra II proficiency is just 13.3% versus 37.3% statewide. Middle grades are a district-wide weak spot, with several schools showing big drops in 6th–8th grade math and ELA. Since the PK–8 elementaries feed directly into the high school, improving middle-grade instruction at Tracy and Swiss could be the highest-leverage change. Spending doesn’t fully explain results: Tracy and Swiss spend more per student than North, yet trail badly. Pelham, which spends the most ($14,659), shows that targeted resources and effective instruction can lift a small school to state-average performance.
Thank you for your feedback!