Middle Schools in Rhea County Schools

Rhea County Schools has two middle schools serving grades 6–8 in a Tennessee district rated 4 stars and ranked 35th out of 141 districts statewide. Spring City Middle School is the county’s all-around standout, ranking 91st out of 594 Tennessee middle schools with a 4-star rating, while Rhea Middle School ranks 223rd with a 3-star rating. Spring City leads the district in science (58.9% proficient) and social studies (71.5% proficient), both well above state averages, and improved in every subject from last year. Rhea Middle is the math leader at 55.4% proficiency, but it lags in ELA, science, and social studies, which keeps its overall ranking lower despite that strength.

Looking at the key numbers, Spring City outperforms Rhea in three of four core subjects: ELA (42.5% vs. 35.8%), science (58.9% vs. 43.3%), and social studies (71.5% vs. 45.8%). Rhea only tops Spring City in math (55.4% vs. 52.6%). Chronic absenteeism runs higher at Spring City at 23.1%, compared to Rhea’s 16.8%, yet Spring City’s test scores are stronger—an interesting mismatch. Per-pupil spending is similar, with Spring City at $14,774 and Rhea at $14,007. Both schools excel in 8th-grade math, with Spring City at 69.5% proficient and Rhea at 63.3%, far exceeding the state’s 38.3% average. However, Spring City’s 7th-grade math drops to 35.5%, below the state average, which may point to a transition challenge.

The clearest takeaway is that these two schools are moving in opposite directions. Spring City gained between 4.6 and 7.3 percentage points across all subjects, while Rhea declined in every tested subject, with math dropping 6.6 points and science down 4.7 points. ELA is a shared weakness—neither school reaches the district average of 43.2% proficiency, and Rhea’s 35.8% lags behind the state’s 40.6%. For parents, Spring City currently offers the strongest overall academics and momentum, while Rhea Middle remains a solid choice for families prioritizing math, especially at the 8th-grade level. Data on free/reduced lunch and student-teacher ratios is not available, so deeper equity or class-size analysis isn’t possible here.