Summary:
Humphreys County Schools in Tennessee includes two secondary schools — McEwen High School and Waverly Central High School — serving roughly 965 students. McEwen serves grades 6–12 with 526 students, while Waverly serves grades 9–12 with 439 students. The district overall ranks 79th out of 141 Tennessee districts, placing it in the 44th percentile with a 2-star rating. Both schools sit in the middle to upper-middle range of the 400 ranked high schools statewide.
McEwen is the clear standout in the district. It leads with a 91.3% graduation rate, a 1.4% dropout rate, and 17.8% chronic absenteeism — each better than district and state averages — and it holds the #117 state ranking. Its English II results are exceptional: 75% of students scored proficient or advanced, well above the state rate of 58.1%. Waverly, by comparison, has improved steadily in state ranking, climbing from #217 to #191 over three years, but it struggles with a 27.7% chronic absenteeism rate — nearly one in three students — and an 84.3% graduation rate. That said, Waverly outperforms McEwen in three end-of-course subjects: Algebra II, Biology I, and Geometry. It also posted dramatic one-year gains in Geometry (+20.6 points) and solid gains in Biology I and Algebra II.
Across both schools, math is the weakest subject area: Algebra I proficiency sits at 26.0% at McEwen and 16.7% at Waverly, both well below the state's 32.3%. Biology is a genuine strength, with both schools at or above the state proficiency rate of 49.8%. Notably, Waverly spends about $1,389 more per student ($13,737 vs. $12,348) yet achieves weaker graduation and attendance outcomes — a resource-effectiveness gap worth examining. For parents, McEwen currently offers the stronger, more efficient overall education, while Waverly is improving academically and could close the gap if it can address chronic absenteeism and continue its upward trajectory in end-of-course subjects.
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