Loudon County Schools

Loudon County Schools serves the communities of Loudon County in eastern Tennessee with 9 schools covering grades PK–12—5 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, 1 high school, and 1 alternative school, including Philadelphia Elementary School (PK–8) and Greenback School (PK–12). The district ranks 39th out of 141 Tennessee districts (72nd percentile, 4 stars) and enrolls about 5,085 students. Overall, it performs above the state average in key areas, particularly chronic absenteeism, where every school is below the state rate of 18.3%, led by Philadelphia Elementary at 8.6% and Eaton Elementary School at 9.2%.

The district’s standout schools are North Middle School and Eaton Elementary. North Middle is the highest-ranked school in the district (91st percentile, 5 stars), with 62.3% math proficiency and 53.9% ELA proficiency—roughly 20 points above state averages—and it does so with the lowest per-student spending at $10,611. Eaton is the top elementary school (89th percentile, 4 stars), posting 74.8% math and 71.3% ELA proficiency, both about 20 points above district averages. Steekee Elementary School is the smallest school (211 students) but stands out in math at 70.4%, including 82.4% in 5th grade math; however, it has the highest spending at $15,594 per student. Meanwhile, Loudon High School shows a mixed profile—strong in Biology I (86.7% in 9th grade) and English II, but well below state in Geometry (26.2%) and US History (28.1%), with a declining overall rank.

The most striking finding is the divide between the two middle schools. North Middle outperforms Ft Loudoun Middle School by 27.5 points in math (62.3% vs. 34.8%) and 24.7 points in ELA (53.9% vs. 29.2%), with Ft Loudoun only at the 45th percentile. Similarly, Loudon Elementary School lags behind Eaton by about 28 points in math and 37 points in ELA, while Highland Park Elementary School sits in the middle. Greenback School, despite its “alternative” label, has the district’s highest graduation rate (97.6%) and strong Algebra II and US History results, even with the highest chronic absenteeism rate (16.6%). Spending does not clearly align with performance—North Middle and Eaton achieve top results with below-average spending, suggesting instructional quality and targeted support matter more than raw dollars. Overall, Loudon County is a solidly above-average district, but the challenge is internal equity: a few schools are excellent, while several need focused help in reading, math, and high school history.