Robertson County Schools

Robertson County Schools is a 22-school district in Tennessee serving approximately 11,124 students from elementary through high school, and while it ranks in the bottom third of Tennessee districts overall, that label hides dramatic variation. Innovation Academy of Robertson County is the clear standout, ranking in the top 14% of Tennessee high schools with proficiency rates far above district and state averages in every subject and the district's lowest chronic absenteeism rate at 8.1%. White House Heritage High School is consistently strong too, with a 96.5% graduation rate, a 1.8% dropout rate, and above-state performance in US History, English II, Biology I, and Algebra II. Greenbrier High School is improving steadily, climbing from 248th to 175th in state rankings over two years. At the elementary level, Watauga Elementary School, Greenbrier Elementary School, White House Heritage Elementary School, and Coopertown Elementary School all perform at or above state averages in multiple subjects.

At the other end of the spectrum, the district's middle schools are its weakest link. Coopertown Middle School ranks in the 12th percentile statewide with just 9.3% of 8th graders proficient in on-grade-level math, while Greenbrier Middle School also ranks in the bottom half of Tennessee. Strikingly, both schools post strong Algebra I results for 8th graders — 78.9% and 79.3% proficiency respectively — revealing a highly capable advanced math track that leaves the majority of students far behind. Krisle Elementary School (14th percentile) and Cheatham Park Elementary School (26th percentile) also struggle well below state averages, and East Robertson High School ranks in the 30th percentile with Algebra II proficiency of just 10%.

The district trails the state across all core subjects, with the largest deficit in social studies. Yet most individual high schools report graduation rates above 92% and dropout rates below the state average, creating a puzzle: the district aggregate shows 85.9% graduation and 11.0% dropout, numbers likely dragged down by alternative schools and students not attached to a single campus. Chronic absenteeism is below the state average overall but spikes to 41.2% at Robertson County Phoenix Academy and exceeds 18% at both middle schools. Spending does not track performance: low-performing Phoenix Academy spends $28,030 per student while high-performing Innovation Academy spends just $12,531. Several schools are trending upward — Coopertown Elementary jumped from 601st to 400th statewide — suggesting real momentum in places, even as the district works to close its largest gaps in middle-school math and attendance.