High Schools in Johnson City Schools

Johnson City Schools is a high-performing district in Tennessee served by a single high school: Science Hill High School, which enrolls 2,359 students in grades 9–12 and holds a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school ranks 26th out of 400 high schools statewide, placing it in the 94th percentile, while the Johnson City Schools district ranks 7th out of 141 districts in Tennessee. Science Hill’s state rank has improved steadily from #33 in 2023–2024 to #27 in 2024–2025 and now #26, reflecting consistent year-over-year gains.

Science Hill’s academic outcomes are well above state averages across the board. The graduation rate is 97.2% compared to 90.5% statewide, and the dropout rate is just 1.6% versus 6.7% for Tennessee. Chronic absenteeism sits at 16.5%, which is better than the state’s 18.3% but higher than the district’s 11.8% — a signal that high schoolers miss more days than younger students in the feeder system. On TNReady assessments, Science Hill averages roughly 65.8% proficiency across seven core subjects, a substantial 23-point advantage over the state’s 42.8% average. The school outperforms Tennessee in every subject, with the largest gaps in Algebra II (69.9% vs. 37.3%), Geometry (67.4% vs. 42.3%), and English II (78.5% vs. 58.1%).

Notable findings reveal both strengths and areas to watch. Algebra I is the school’s relative weak spot at 49.7% proficiency, well below the district’s 57.7% — likely because the district figure includes high-achieving middle schoolers taking the course early, while Science Hill’s score is dragged down by 10th graders retaking Algebra I (5.9% proficiency). Similarly, students testing “late” in Algebra II, Geometry, and Biology I score far lower than on-time test-takers, reflecting the retake population. Encouragingly, year-over-year trends are mostly positive, with Algebra II jumping 12.1 points and Geometry improving 8.5 points. With $13,510 spent per student, near-universal graduation, and a top-7% statewide rank, Science Hill is an exceptional choice for high school families.