Summary:
Houston County Schools, located in rural Tennessee, has just one middle school: Houston County Middle School, which serves grades 6 through 8 and enrolls 265 students. The school stands out for its strong attendance: chronic absenteeism is 14.0%, notably better than the district's 21.8% and the state's 18.3%. Academically, the school’s best subjects are Science and Social Studies, where it matches or slightly exceeds the district average, though both remain below state averages.
On state tests, Houston County Middle School trails Tennessee by wide margins in every subject. In 2025–2026, only 17.6% of students were proficient in Math compared to 43.0% statewide – a gap of 25 points. ELA also lags at 23.1% vs. 40.6%. Science (32.9%) and Social Studies (38.0%) are closer but still 14 and 13 points behind. Encouragingly, Social Studies jumped 5.1 points from the previous year, while Math declined by 2.5 points. Grade-level results show 8th graders perform best in Science (38.7%) and Social Studies (40.3%), while 7th graders struggle most, especially in ELA (18.6%).
The school’s statewide ranking has slipped from the 29th percentile in 2023–24 to the 23rd percentile in 2025–26, meaning it is losing ground relative to other middle schools. Spending is $12,967 per student, which is substantial given the low test scores. The combination of good attendance and below-average academics suggests students are showing up but may need more targeted support, particularly in Math and for 7th graders. Overall, Houston County Middle School has bright spots in attendance, Science, and Social Studies, but faces clear challenges in math and overall state ranking.
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