Middle Schools in Marion County Schools

Marion County Schools in Tennessee serves students in grades 5-8 across two middle schools: Jasper Middle School and Whitwell Middle School, within a district currently ranked 97th out of 141 Tennessee districts. Whitwell Middle School is the clear standout, earning 4-star ratings for three consecutive years and ranking in the top quarter of Tennessee middle schools, while Jasper Middle School has slipped from a 3-star to a 2-star rating over the same period. In 2025-2026, Whitwell outperforms Jasper in every subject by wide margins: math proficiency is 54.2% versus 27.8%, science is 52.2% versus 33.6%, social studies is 59.9% versus 42.9%, and English language arts is 39.1% versus 25.7%. Whitwell also exceeds both district and state averages in all four subjects, while Jasper falls below both in every category.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated at both schools relative to the state average of 18.3%, but Jasper’s rate of 24.9% is notably higher than Whitwell’s 19.9%. Per-student spending is similar, with Whitwell at $12,504 and Jasper at $12,034, suggesting the large academic gap is not simply a function of funding. Whitwell’s 7th-grade performance is exceptionally strong, with 65.7% proficiency in math, 70.0% in science, 71.4% in social studies, and 50.0% in ELA—far above district and state levels in each subject. Jasper, however, has one bright spot: 72.5% of its 6th graders are proficient in social studies, which actually beats Whitwell’s 6th-grade social studies score of 54.1%.

Jasper’s biggest concern is 8th-grade ELA, where only 15.9% of students are proficient, compared to the district’s 22.5% and the state’s 32.3%. This is the lowest grade-level result in either school and signals a serious challenge for students about to enter high school. Given that both schools operate within the same district, the wide gap between Whitwell and Jasper points to school-level factors—such as leadership, teaching quality, or school climate—as key drivers of success. For parents, Whitwell Middle School is clearly the stronger choice academically, while Jasper Middle School may benefit from investigating and replicating Whitwell’s effective practices, particularly at the 7th-grade level.