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Putnam County Schools

New rankings! Tennessee test scores for the 2025-26 school year were just released — SchoolDigger posted updated rankings this week.

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At a glance

56^thof 141 Tennessee districts▲ 15

Better than 60% of Tennessee districts

Elementary 11 Middle 4 High 4 Alternative 2Grades PK, KG-12

1400 East Spring Street
Cookeville, TN 38506·(931) 526-9777·All Tennessee district rankings →

Statewide performance 2018–2026

2026: better than 60.3% of districts

Schools

11,762

Students

5-star school

Top rankedCapshaw Elementary School60^th of 1,019 Tennessee elementary schools

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Biggest riser

Sycamore Elementary School up 277 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Putnam County VITAL School 5.2 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

4★

3★

2★

5 schools without a SchoolDigger rating (too few tested students)

Compare Tennessee districts →See the top-ranked Tennessee schools →

Summary:

Putnam County Schools serves approximately 11,756 students across 21 schools in the Cookeville, Tennessee area, including 11 elementary schools, 4 middle schools, 4 high schools, and 2 alternative schools, and ranks 56th out of 141 Tennessee districts. The district has notable standouts at every level. Capshaw Elementary School is the district's star, ranking 60th statewide (94th percentile, 5 stars) with proficiency rates far above district and state averages — 79.3% in math and 73.1% in ELA. Algood Elementary School and Prescott South Elementary School also earn 4-star ratings, with Algood posting the district's lowest chronic absenteeism rate at just 5.1%. At the middle school level, Algood Middle School and Prescott South Middle School rank in the 85th–86th percentiles statewide, and Algood's Algebra I proficiency of 94.3% dwarfs the state average of 32.3%.

Cookeville High School is the district's top traditional high school, ranking 113th of 400 statewide with a 95.2% graduation rate and strong Biology I, English II, and Geometry scores. Upperman High School is improving, jumping from the 40th to 55th percentile. Monterey High School is a mixed picture: it leads the district in Geometry at 54.8% but has the lowest traditional graduation rate at 84.8% and Biology I proficiency of just 32.6%. Alternative schools like Putnam County VITAL School post a respectable 87.5% graduation rate, while White Plains Academy struggles with 39.7% chronic absenteeism and the district's lowest test scores despite spending $28,685 per student.

The district's biggest challenges are 9th-grade English I proficiency (29.8% vs. 37.3% statewide), chronic absenteeism (17.3% district-wide, but as high as 26.4% at Cookeville High), and achievement gaps between schools — Capshaw's 73.1% ELA proficiency compares to just 30.7% at Jere Whitson Elementary School. Encouragingly, several schools are improving: Cornerstone Elementary School jumped from the 61st to 82nd percentile, Sycamore Elementary School from 37th to 65th, and Cane Creek Elementary School from 44th to 56th. If successful practices from Capshaw and Algood are scaled, Putnam County is well positioned to rise.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				TNReady Mathematics (2026)							TNReady English Language Arts (2026)							TNReady Algebra I (2026)				TNReady Algebra II (2026)			TNReady Biology I (2026)				TNReady English I (2026)		TNReady English II (2026)				TNReady Geometry (2026)				TNReady Science (2026)							TNReady Social Studies (2026)				Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	TNReady Mathematics 3rd Grade	TNReady Mathematics 4th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 5th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 6th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 7th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 8th Grade	TNReady Mathematics All Grades	TNReady English Language Arts 3rd Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 4th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 5th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 6th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 7th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 8th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts All Grades	TNReady Algebra I 8th Grade	TNReady Algebra I 9th Grade	TNReady Algebra I 10th Grade	TNReady Algebra I All Grades	TNReady Algebra II 10th Grade	TNReady Algebra II 11th Grade	TNReady Algebra II All Grades	TNReady Biology I 10th Grade	TNReady Biology I 11th Grade	TNReady Biology I 12th Grade	TNReady Biology I All Grades	TNReady English I 9th Grade	TNReady English I All Grades	TNReady English II 9th Grade	TNReady English II 10th Grade	TNReady English II 11th Grade	TNReady English II All Grades	TNReady Geometry 9th Grade	TNReady Geometry 10th Grade	TNReady Geometry 11th Grade	TNReady Geometry All Grades	TNReady Science 3rd Grade	TNReady Science 4th Grade	TNReady Science 5th Grade	TNReady Science 6th Grade	TNReady Science 7th Grade	TNReady Science 8th Grade	TNReady Science All Grades	TNReady Social Studies 6th Grade	TNReady Social Studies 7th Grade	TNReady Social Studies 8th Grade	TNReady Social Studies All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Putnam County Adult High School	Public	9-12	268 East Main Street	Cookeville	38506	Putnam County	Putnam County Schools	No	No	No	No	(931) 528-8685	29	0	76.3		7 (24.1%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (75.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Cane Creek Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	1500 West Jackson Street	Cookeville	38501	Putnam County	Putnam County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 520-1173	432	32	13.7		345 (79.9%)	9 (2.1%)	70 (16.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.4%)	54	450^th of 1019 public elementary schools	55.8%		57.3	390^th of 1009 public elementary schools	61.3%	60	50.7	64.8					57.9	37.7	40.8					39.3																						33.3	56.3					45.0					$14,481	$1,424	$11,767
Avery Trace Middle School	Public	5-8	230 Raider Drive	Cookeville	38501	Putnam County	Putnam County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 520-2200	745	52	14.2		421 (56.5%)	33 (4.4%)	256 (34.4%)	22 (3.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (1.6%)	54.3	259^th of 594 public middle schools	56.4%		51.9	257^th of 583 public middle schools	55.9%	2			55.8	43.1	39.1	49.4	46.6			39.5	34.1	32.9	33.0	34.6																								43.4	36.5	42.5	42.6	41.1	49.1	62.5	41.5	50.7	$12,113	$694	$10,561
Cornerstone Elementary School	Public	2-4	371 First Avenue South	Baxter	38544	Putnam County	Putnam County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 858-9190	367	26	14.3		339 (92.4%)	5 (1.4%)	14 (3.8%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	7 (1.9%)	77.1	179^th of 1019 public elementary schools	82.4%		57.2	392^nd of 1009 public elementary schools	61.1%	213	65.7	70.0					67.6	56.7	53.6					55.3																						56.4	53.6					55.1					$13,480	$998	$11,709
Capshaw Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	1 Cougar Lane	Cookeville	38501	Putnam County	Putnam County Schools	No	No	No	No	(931) 526-2414	522	34	15.5		440 (84.3%)	8 (1.5%)	43 (8.2%)	24 (4.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.1%)	93.5	60^th of 1019 public elementary schools	94.1%		96.3	37^th of 1009 public elementary schools	96.3%	23	70.1	88.5					79.3	68.0	78.1					73.1																						63.9	77.1					70.5					$13,284	$390	$12,098
Jere Whitson Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	178 East Jere Whitson Road	Cookeville	38501	Putnam County	Putnam County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 526-6575	317	27	11.5		92 (29.0%)	10 (3.2%)	208 (65.6%)	5 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	38.4	651^st of 1019 public elementary schools	36.1%		35.5	671^st of 1009 public elementary schools	33.5%	20	36.4	64.4					50.9	29.1	32.2					30.7																						29.1	44.1					36.8					$14,550	$1,537	$11,687
Monterey High School	Public	7-12	710 East Commercial Avenue	Monterey	38574	Putnam County	Putnam County Schools	No	No	No	No	(931) 839-2970	544	41	13.3		349 (64.2%)	2 (0.4%)	189 (34.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	46.8	206^th of 400 public high schools	48.5%		51.8	164^th of 389 public high schools	57.8%	42					38.5	58.2	47.5					40.5	35.4	38.1	90.0	18.3		32.4		25.6	31.2		32.1		32.6	26.0	23.0		58.2		58.2		50.8		54.8					51.4	56.1	53.6		52.7	43.9	48.6	$13,505	$693	$12,042
Northeast Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	575 N Old Kentucky Road	Cookeville	38501	Putnam County	Putnam County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 526-2978	453	31	14.7		327 (72.2%)	10 (2.2%)	103 (22.7%)	5 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.8%)	70.2	250^th of 1019 public elementary schools	75.5%		68.7	251^st of 1009 public elementary schools	75.1%	1	55.6	70.6					63.7	41.7	61.2					52.2																						40.3	63.5					52.9					$13,119	$831	$11,384
Park View School	Public	PK, KG-4	2000 Lee Seminary Road	Cookeville	38506	Putnam County	Putnam County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 526-2516	422	29	14.5		317 (75.1%)	18 (4.3%)	79 (18.7%)	5 (1.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	62.5	340^th of 1019 public elementary schools	66.6%		57	396^th of 1009 public elementary schools	60.8%	56	67.7	44.8					56.1	49.2	47.8					48.5																						50.8	50.7					50.8					$15,140	$1,144	$12,933
Cookeville High School	Public, Magnet	9-12	1 Cavalier Drive	Cookeville	38501	Putnam County	Putnam County Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(931) 520-2287	2,202	136	16.2		1,592 (72.3%)	75 (3.4%)	448 (20.3%)	47 (2.1%)	3 (0.1%)	1 (0.0%)	36 (1.6%)	62.5	113^th of 400 public high schools	71.8%		68.8	82^nd of 389 public high schools	78.9%	31																20.2	9.1	20.0	91.4	31.2	41.3	88.5	60.8	60.0	62.5	35.1	34.3		65.2	8.7	67.3		41.2	26.1	50.0												$11,130	$633	$9,795
Sycamore Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	452 Ellis Avenue	Cookeville	38501	Putnam County	Putnam County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 526-9322	310	24	12.9		205 (66.1%)	17 (5.5%)	69 (22.3%)	5 (1.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (4.2%)	60.9	359^th of 1019 public elementary schools	64.8%		37.4	636^th of 1009 public elementary schools	37.0%	277	51.8	54.7					53.3	53.6	50.0					51.7																						46.4	45.3					45.8					$15,570	$1,784	$12,760
Upperman Middle School	Public	5-8	6700 Nashville Highway	Baxter	38544	Putnam County	Putnam County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 858-6601	847	54	15.8		748 (88.3%)	21 (2.5%)	57 (6.7%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	16 (1.9%)	46	320^th of 594 public middle schools	46.1%		43.6	329^th of 583 public middle schools	43.6%	9			50.8	41.3	39.5	51.7	46.2			37.2	31.6	33.5	22.8	31.2																								43.1	39.8	39.9	34.7	39.3	43.4	52.7	29.2	41.7	$11,592	$909	$10,038
Burks Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	300 Crossville Street	Monterey	38574	Putnam County	Putnam County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 839-7641	530	39	13.5		324 (61.1%)	5 (0.9%)	197 (37.2%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	57.6	402^nd of 1019 public elementary schools	60.5%		64.4	308^th of 1009 public elementary schools	69.5%	94	46.8	58.8	58.8	50.0			53.4	54.4	41.2	22.1	39.1			39.8																						45.6	50.0	45.6	40.6			45.5	54.7			54.7	$13,434	$1,112	$11,164
Algood Middle School	Public	5-8	540 Dry Valley Road	Cookeville	38506	Putnam County	Putnam County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 537-6141	730	51	14.4		593 (81.2%)	10 (1.4%)	100 (13.7%)	11 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (2.2%)	78.9	84^th of 594 public middle schools	85.9%		79.2	86^th of 583 public middle schools	85.2%	2			54.4	62.2	53.3	66.7	59.4			36.3	50.0	41.6	46.6	43.7	94.3			94.3																				45.0	58.5	48.0	55.9	52.0	69.5	57.2	56.4	60.8	$13,248	$852	$11,599
Upperman High School	Public	9-12	6950 Nashville Highway	Baxter	38544	Putnam County	Putnam County Schools	No	No	No	No	(931) 858-3112	918	46	19.8		807 (87.9%)	23 (2.5%)	61 (6.6%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	23 (2.5%)	52.1	180^th of 400 public high schools	55.0%		37.5	232^nd of 389 public high schools	40.4%	52																20.6		20.6		29.1	39.6		50.3		50.9	28.2	28.6	89.5	55.8	36.4	58.2	75.9	34.9	30.0	41.1												$11,388	$675	$10,117
T T U Child Development Lab School	Public	PK	720 Quadrangle	Cookeville	38505	Putnam County	Putnam County Schools	No	No	No	(n/a)	(931) 372-6262	20	2	10.0		16 (80.0%)	2 (10.0%)	2 (10.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Algood Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	2525 Old Walton Road	Cookeville	38506	Putnam County	Putnam County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 303-0362	507	38	13.2		435 (85.8%)	15 (3.0%)	45 (8.9%)	10 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	82.9	135^th of 1019 public elementary schools	86.8%		82.3	140^th of 1009 public elementary schools	86.1%	5	77.9	72.3					75.0	50.5	71.3					61.2																						52.6	65.3					59.2					$14,165	$745	$12,499
White Plains Academy	Public, Alternative	K-12	288 E. Main Street	Cookeville	38506	Putnam County	Putnam County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 528-1847	98	17	5.6		77 (78.6%)	7 (7.1%)	7 (7.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (7.1%)								(n/a)							13.6						9.1	14.3		5.0										10.0	7.7		15.8	15.4	15.2		5.3									13.6				15.0	$28,685	$1,834	$26,829
Prescott South Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	115 W. Cemetery Road	Cookeville	38506	Putnam County	Putnam County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 526-2275	545	35	15.5		477 (87.5%)	5 (0.9%)	43 (7.9%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (2.9%)	84.4	123^rd of 1019 public elementary schools	87.9%		86.2	114^th of 1009 public elementary schools	88.7%	9	63.1	74.3					68.4	60.4	66.0					63.0																						56.8	64.4					60.4					$12,811	$897	$11,192
Prescott South Middle School	Public	5-8	1859 S. Jefferson Street	Cookeville	38506	Putnam County	Putnam County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 528-3647	766	59	12.9		635 (82.9%)	23 (3.0%)	79 (10.3%)	10 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	18 (2.3%)	78.4	88^th of 594 public middle schools	85.2%		76	99^th of 583 public middle schools	83.0%	11			68.9	62.8	57.7	62.2	63.4			51.9	51.9	48.0	48.0	50.1																								54.9	47.7	56.1	53.8	52.9	51.4	67.6	53.8	57.0	$11,657	$764	$10,245
Putnam County VITAL School	Public, Virtual, Alternative	K-12	1400 E. Spring Street	Cookeville	38506	Putnam County	Putnam County Schools	No	No	Yes	No	(931) 372-2368	106	20	5.2		86 (81.1%)	8 (7.5%)	8 (7.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (3.8%)								(n/a)					13.3	20.8	12.9				27.3	42.1	19.0	27.0		5.3				5.3	9.1		17.6		26.3	5.6	5.0		65.4		64.3		16.7		18.5				27.3	47.4	19.0	32.3	18.2	47.4	23.8	31.4	$8,856	$370	$8,465
Baxter Primary School	Public	PK, KG-1	125 Elmore Town Road	Baxter	38544	Putnam County	Putnam County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 858-3110	352	22	16.3		317 (90.1%)	11 (3.1%)	15 (4.3%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	5 (1.4%)								(n/a)																																															$16,234	$756	$14,058

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Overton County Schools	6.05 mi	7	85^th
Jackson County Schools	8.98 mi	4	73^rd
White County Schools	12.41 mi	8	17^th
Cumberland County Schools	20.72 mi	12	65^th
Smith County Schools	23.71 mi	9	45^th

See the top TN Tennessee districts

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Tennessee Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.