Summary:
Morgan County Schools in Tennessee contains two high schools — Central High School and Morgan County Career and Technical Center — serving grades 9 through 12 and 409 students in this rural Appalachian district. The district ranks 132 out of 141 districts in Tennessee, placing it at the 6th percentile with a 0-star rating, which signals significant academic challenges across the board.
Central High School is the district's main comprehensive school, enrolling about 90% of all high school students (367 students). It graduates students at a high rate — 93.8% versus the state's 90.5% — and has an exceptionally low dropout rate of just 1.0% compared to 6.7% statewide. However, its test scores lag the state in every subject, with Algebra I being a major concern at only 13% proficiency versus 32.3% statewide, and US History at 25% versus 42.4% statewide. The school's strongest subject is English II at 44% proficiency, still below the state's 58.1%. Encouragingly, Central posted big improvements in the latest year — including a 17.5-point jump in English II and a 15.7-point jump in Geometry — raising its state ranking from the 20th to the 31st percentile and its star rating from 1 to 2.
In contrast, Morgan County Career and Technical Center is a small specialized school with only 42 students and per-student spending of $45,446 — nearly four times Central's $11,524 — reflecting its career-focused programs and small size. It reported a stellar 96% graduation rate in 2023–2024, but lacks published test scores, attendance, and ranking data, making comparisons difficult. A key concern for parents is chronic absenteeism at Central, at 19.9% versus the state's 18.3%, which likely contributes to lower academic performance. Overall, both schools keep students in school and graduate them at rates exceeding state averages, but academic proficiency — especially in math — remains the biggest area needing improvement.
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