Johnson County Schools

Johnson County Schools is a small, rural Tennessee district with 8 schools serving roughly 4,952 students in grades K-12, yet it ranks in the bottom 5% of the state at 136th out of 141 districts with a 0-star rating. A defining feature is that two virtual schools — Tennessee Connections Academy Johnson County 9-12 and Tennessee Connections Academy Johnson County 4-8 — enroll about 61% of all students, while the six traditional schools serve the remaining 1,938 students.

For parents, the bright spots are Johnson County Middle School, Mountain City Elementary School, and Johnson County High School. Johnson County Middle School is the district's top-ranked school at the 48th percentile, with social studies proficiency of 59.2% that beats the state's 51.4% average. Mountain City Elementary is the strongest traditional elementary school, posting the district's lowest chronic absenteeism at 6.9%, though its ranking has fallen sharply from the 74th percentile in 2023-24 to the 34th percentile today. Johnson County High School ranks at the 44th percentile with an 80.4% graduation rate and a 10.1% dropout rate — far better than the district's 21.5%. In contrast, the virtual schools are the weakest: Tennessee Connections Academy Johnson County 9-12 has a 25.2% dropout rate and just 7.5% Algebra I proficiency, while Tennessee Connections Academy Johnson County 4-8 sits at the 13th percentile.

Districtwide, math is the deepest weakness at 17.9% proficiency versus the state's 43%, and every elementary school — including Roan Creek Elementary School, Doe Elementary School, and Laurel Elementary School — has declined in state rankings since 2023-24. Spending does not clearly predict success: Laurel Elementary spends the most at $19,274 per student yet posts just 14% math proficiency, while Mountain City Elementary spends less at $15,473 and gets the best elementary results. The most urgent priorities are raising math achievement, improving virtual school persistence, and reversing the elementary decline.