Jefferson County Schools

Jefferson County Schools is a 12-school district in Tennessee serving roughly 6,918 students across eight elementary schools, two middle schools, and two high schools — including Jefferson Virtual Academy, a small grades 5-12 virtual program. The district ranks 71st out of 141 Tennessee districts, landing exactly at the state median with a 3-star rating, though individual schools range from 1 to 4 stars.

Four schools stand out as the district's strongest performers. Talbott Elementary School is the top-ranked elementary school at the 76th percentile, posting 63.3% math proficiency versus 43.0% statewide, along with strong science results. Dandridge Elementary School follows closely with above-state proficiency in math, ELA, and science, driven by an especially strong 4th grade cohort. Maury Middle School is clearly the better of the two middle schools, outperforming Jefferson Middle School in every subject. Jefferson County High School ranks at the 78th percentile with a 95.4% graduation rate, well above the state's 90.5%, and a dropout rate of just 2.2%.

Not all schools are thriving. Rush Strong Elementary School is the district's only 1-star school, dropping from the 51st to the 28th percentile in a single year with ELA proficiency of just 27.9%. White Pine Elementary School also struggles, particularly in middle grades, and Jefferson Middle School now sits below district and state averages in math, ELA, and science. Notably, the two PK-8 schools are the lowest-rated elementaries, raising questions about how well that model supports middle-grades instruction. Attendance and spending do not explain these results — Rush Strong has the best attendance in the district (11.5% chronic absenteeism) yet ranks last, and higher-spending schools like New Market Elementary School do not outperform more efficient ones like Talbott.