Elementary Schools in Putnam County

Summary:

The Putnam County school district in Tennessee is home to 12 elementary schools serving grades pre-kindergarten through 6th grade, with a range of student enrollments from 20 to 545 students. While some schools in the district, such as Prescott South Elementary, Capshaw Elementary, and Algood Elementary, are performing well and ranking among the top elementary schools in the state, others are struggling to meet academic standards.

The data reveals significant performance gaps between the highest and lowest-performing schools in the district. For example, Jere Whitson Elementary has only 32.1% proficiency in English Language Arts and 44.3% in math across all grades, well below the state and county averages. Additionally, there are often large differences in performance between grade levels within individual schools, suggesting inconsistent quality of instruction or other factors impacting student learning.

Overall, the Putnam County school district faces challenges in ensuring consistent academic excellence across all its elementary schools. While some schools are excelling, the district-wide average test scores lag behind the state averages, and the high chronic absenteeism rate of 18.9% across all schools is a significant concern that likely impacts student achievement. Addressing these disparities and improving the overall quality of education in the district will be crucial for the success of Putnam County's elementary school students.

District Detail

1400 East Spring ST
Cookeville, TN 38506-4313

(931) 526-9777

SchoolDigger Rank:
71^st of 139 Tennessee districts

See the 2025 Tennessee District rankings!

Grades served: PK, KG-12
Students: 11,776

Primary Schools: 11
Middle Schools: 4
High Schools: 4
Alternative Schools: 2

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				TNReady Mathematics (2025)					TNReady English Language Arts (2025)					TNReady Science (2025)					TNReady Social Studies (2025)		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 (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	TNReady Mathematics 3rd Grade	TNReady Mathematics 4th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 5th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 6th 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 All Grades	TNReady Science 3rd Grade	TNReady Science 4th Grade	TNReady Science 5th Grade	TNReady Science 6th Grade	TNReady Science All Grades	TNReady Social Studies 6th Grade	TNReady Social Studies All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Cane Creek Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	1500 West Jackson ST	Cookeville	38501	Putnam County	Putnam County	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%)	57.3	390^th of 1009 public elementary schools	61.3%		43.1	572^nd of 1018 public elementary schools	43.8%	182	54.7	56.7			55.6	42.7	48.3			45.2	37.3	45.0			40.7			$14,481	$1,424	$11,767
Cornerstone Elementary	Public	2-4	371 First Avenue South	Baxter	38544	Putnam County	Putnam County	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%)	57.2	392^nd of 1009 public elementary schools	61.1%		48.2	497^th of 1018 public elementary schools	51.2%	105	58.9	56.7			57.8	42.9	40.3			41.6	43.8	43.3			43.5			$13,480	$998	$11,709
Capshaw Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	1 Cougar LN	Cookeville	38501	Putnam County	Putnam County	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%)	96.3	37^th of 1009 public elementary schools	96.3%		94.9	53^rd of 1018 public elementary schools	94.8%	16	82.7	80.2			81.5	69.7	82.6			75.7	75.8	76.7			76.2			$13,284	$390	$12,098
Jere Whitson Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	178 East Jere Whitson RD	Cookeville	38501	Putnam County	Putnam County	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%)	35.5	671^st of 1009 public elementary schools	33.5%		24	799^th of 1018 public elementary schools	21.5%	128	49.1	39.2			44.3	36.4	27.5			32.1	32.7	29.4			31.1			$14,550	$1,537	$11,687
Northeast Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	575 N Old Kentucky RD	Cookeville	38501	Putnam County	Putnam County	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%)	68.7	251^st of 1009 public elementary schools	75.1%		70.8	233^rd of 1018 public elementary schools	77.1%	18	58.0	61.8			59.7	38.8	67.2			51.7	44.4	55.9			49.7			$13,119	$831	$11,384
Park View School	Public	PK, KG-4	2000 Lee Seminary RD	Cookeville	38506	Putnam County	Putnam County	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%)	57	396^th of 1009 public elementary schools	60.8%		57.8	384^th of 1018 public elementary schools	62.3%	12	64.6	51.5			57.9	41.8	47.1			44.4	41.8	39.7			40.7			$15,140	$1,144	$12,933
Sycamore Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	452 Ellis AVE	Cookeville	38501	Putnam County	Putnam County	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%)	37.4	636^th of 1009 public elementary schools	37.0%		39.9	616^th of 1018 public elementary schools	39.5%	20	40.6	41.3			40.9	34.8	31.9			33.6	37.7	34.8			36.5			$15,570	$1,784	$12,760
Burks Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	300 Crossville ST	Monterey	38574	Putnam County	Putnam County	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%)	64.4	308^th of 1009 public elementary schools	69.5%		63	312^th of 1018 public elementary schools	69.4%	4	45.1	60.3	67.7	61.8	58.3	39.4	46.0	38.7	44.1	42.0	35.2	52.4	37.1	64.7	47.3	61.8	61.8	$13,434	$1,112	$11,164
Algood Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	2525 Old Walton RD	Cookeville	38506	Putnam County	Putnam County	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%)	82.3	140^th of 1009 public elementary schools	86.1%		75.5	189^th of 1018 public elementary schools	81.4%	49	65.7	66.7			66.1	64.8	64.2			64.5	54.8	54.3			54.6			$14,165	$745	$12,499
Prescott South Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	115 W. Cemetery RD	Cookeville	38506	Putnam County	Putnam County	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%)	86.2	114^th of 1009 public elementary schools	88.7%		80.2	152^nd of 1018 public elementary schools	85.1%	38	76.8	65.5			70.7	67.4	61.1			63.9	61.1	62.8			62.0			$12,811	$897	$11,192
Baxter Primary	Public	PK, KG-1	125 Elmore Town Road	Baxter	38544	Putnam County	Putnam County	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	6.05 mi	7	76^th
Jackson County	8.98 mi	4	48^th
White County	12.41 mi	8	19^th
Cumberland County	20.72 mi	12	70^th
Smith County	23.71 mi	9	37^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.