Scott County Schools

Scott County Schools is a small Tennessee district serving 7 schools (5 elementary schools, 1 middle school, and 1 high school) with about 2,423 students across the county. The district ranks 100th out of 141 Tennessee districts, placing it in the bottom third with a 1-star rating, yet two elementary schools prove that higher performance is achievable within the same community.

Fairview Elementary School is the district's model school, earning a 73rd-percentile rank with 4 stars and beating state averages in math, ELA, and science. It also has the lowest chronic absenteeism (7.9%) and highest per-student spending ($15,462). Huntsville Elementary School is the other standout, jumping from the 37th percentile to the 71st percentile in three years and leading the district in math at 58.7% proficiency. On the other end of the spectrum, Burchfield Elementary School, the largest elementary school with 431 students, ranks in the 22nd percentile with math and ELA proficiency well below state averages. Robbins Elementary School and Winfield Elementary School both sit in the bottom third, with Winfield suffering from the district's highest chronic absenteeism at 26.1%.

The district's weakest link is the transition into middle and high school. Huntsville Middle School ranks in the 26th percentile with only 25.4% math proficiency, while Scott High School ranks in the 29th percentile with a 7% Algebra I proficiency rate, a 10.1% dropout rate, and an 86.5% graduation rate—all worse than state averages. Interestingly, Fairview's 4th graders score 75% proficient in math and ELA, but its 8th graders drop to 29.2% and 12.5% respectively. Spending alone does not explain outcomes: Fairview spends the most and performs best, but Huntsville Elementary spends the second-lowest amount yet is a top performer. Chronic absenteeism varies dramatically, from Fairview's 7.9% to Winfield's 26.1%, but Burchfield shows that even with 13.3% absenteeism, low scores persist. For parents, the clearest takeaway is that Fairview and Huntsville Elementary are the district's bright spots, while the middle school years and the path into Scott High require urgent attention.