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Central Elementary School

Q: Is Central Elementary School a good school?

Central Elementary School ranks 476 th of 1019 Tennessee elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

476^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,019 Tennessee Elementary Schools

Better than 53% of Tennessee elementary schools

Summary

Central Elementary School is a small PK–5 school in Johnson City, TN, serving 267 students under the Carter County Schools district—a district that overall ranks in the bottom quarter of Tennessee districts, making Central a notable bright spot with its 3-star, 53rd-percentile state ranking.

The school has posted dramatic academic gains in the most recent testing year, with math proficiency jumping from 30.2% to 43.8%, ELA from 26.6% to 41.1%, and science from 41.0% to 49.3%—now meeting or exceeding state averages in all three subjects. Attendance is a major strength: Central's chronic absenteeism rate is just 10.2%, compared to 15.9% for the district and 18.3% statewide. That's especially striking next to nearby Valley Forge Elementary, which sits about 5.5 miles away with a 31.8% chronic absenteeism rate, and Happy Valley Elementary at 17.5%. Central's attendance rivals top Johnson City Schools like North Side Elementary (8.0%) and South Side Elementary (8.8%). The school has also become notably effective with economically disadvantaged students, who ranked in the 67th percentile statewide last year—up from just the 12th percentile a few years ago.

Challenges remain, however. Students receiving special education services ranked in the 11th percentile statewide, and social studies has been a persistent weakness, with proficiency around 20 points below district and state averages in recent years. Grade-level gaps are uneven too: 4th grade math and science are strong, but 4th grade ELA and 5th grade math trail state averages. While Central outperforms its own district by wide margins, it still trails higher-ranked nearby schools like Towne Acres Elementary and West Side Elementary in Elizabethton City Schools. Still, with its small enrollment creating year-to-year volatility, the broad-based improvement across subjects and grades is an encouraging sign for parents considering this school.

267

Students ?

10.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,801

Per pupil spending ?

37.8%

Directly certified for free meals (2024-25) ?

252 Taylor Road
Johnson City, TN 37601

(423) 547-4045

District: Carter County Schools

Students who attend Central Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Happy Valley Middle School
High:	Cloudland High School
	Hampton High School
	Happy Valley High School
	Unaka High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

88.8%

Hispanic:

7.5%

Two or more races:

2.6%

See top rated Tennessee elementary schools

Compare Central Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 28th percentile in 2015 → 53rd in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 25 percentile points since 2015

✓Above the Tennessee median (53rd percentile)

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school45%

District avg38%

Tennessee avg43%

476^th of 1,019

Tennessee public elementary schools ?

Top 47%▲ up 21 pts since 2017

From bottom 32% (2017) to top 47% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Tennessee Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 7Elementary Schools in the Carter County Schools

108^th of 141Carter County Schools among Tennessee districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	52.0	476 of 1019	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	45.0	541 of 1009	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.6	609 of 1018	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	52.2	445 of 1020	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	31.8	688 of 1000	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	29.4	690 of 983	29.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	23.2	797 of 985	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	42.7	559 of 997	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2017	36.8	438 of 646	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2015	38.9	612 of 855	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	20.3	744 of 853	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	36.9	682 of 846	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	14.5	759 of 820	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	14.5	762 of 818	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	8.9	782 of 809	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	41.8	574 of 986	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	27.0	749 of 990	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	49.9	464 of 989	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	28.4	702 of 975	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	29.2	665 of 945	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	43.4	503 of 926	45.7%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	58.8	275 of 843	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.6	356 of 853	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	20.9	756 of 858	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	36.8	516 of 823	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.0	576 of 821	29.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	56.6	302 of 877	65.6%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	46.9	514 of 984	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	47.3	504 of 991	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	65.4	264 of 987	73.3%	★★★★☆
2022	33.4	655 of 980	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	26.7	687 of 941	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.4	700 of 916	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	20.9	569 of 641	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	40.2	503 of 849	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	33.9	566 of 840	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.3	610 of 847	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.7	590 of 852	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	21.7	728 of 844	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	20.4	734 of 844	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	17.9	742 of 812	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	32.1	608 of 841	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	22.1	463 of 583	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.3	477 of 587	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.4	406 of 594	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	16.1	484 of 569	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	25.2	427 of 576	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	43.9	308 of 574	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.4	321 of 563	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2017	43.0	237 of 362	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2015	15.3	460 of 492	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	9.4	465 of 485	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	16.9	444 of 475	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	23.6	395 of 466	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	35.0	331 of 462	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	11.0	495 of 546	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	15.2	477 of 554	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.6	391 of 560	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	22.0	434 of 552	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	26.4	396 of 538	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	72.2	90 of 529	83.0%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2024	28.1	383 of 510	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	51.6	209 of 514	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	20.0	428 of 495	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	24.0	381 of 483	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	62.2	120 of 490	75.5%	★★★★☆
2018	54.7	175 of 481	63.6%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	23.5	435 of 550	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.5	421 of 560	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.4	379 of 557	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	14.9	469 of 540	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.1	412 of 529	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	42.9	283 of 523	45.9%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	17.1	445 of 492	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.5	479 of 504	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	18.5	443 of 503	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	10.5	479 of 500	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	18.6	444 of 496	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	33.6	330 of 484	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.8	353 of 481	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Elementary school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)67th percentile+21 vs school

Male (2025)48th percentile~ school

Female (2025)42nd percentile-5 vs school

White (2026)41st percentile-13 vs school

Special Education (2026)11th percentile-42 vs school

Middle school

Low Socio Economic Status (2024)25th percentile+6 vs school

Male (2025)21st percentile~ school

White (2025)10th percentile-11 vs school

Female (2025)9th percentile-11 vs school

By subject vs Tennessee (2025-2026) ?

Science49%~ state avg

Mathematics44%~ state avg

English Language Arts41%~ state avg

1.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Monday, April 5, 2010

the principal and the office staff are some of the rudest people i've have come in contact with the kids are not allowed to talk during lunch the lights go out and they can't speak to one another these kids are in a classroom all day and the one time of the day they should be able to talk with one another they're not allowed to
when my child was in kindergarten she forget to get her spoon at lunch and they would not allow her to get one so she had to eat her mashed potatoes with her fingers how humiliatiing is that she forgot to get her milk one morning for breakfast and she was not allowed to get a milk so she had to eat cereal without something to drink i hate this school so much i use to go to this school and it was not like this i don't know what has happened there but something needs to change Close Quote

Schools Near Central Elementary School

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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 Science (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	Directly certified (2024-25)	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 All Grades	TNReady English Language Arts 3rd Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 4th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 5th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts All Grades	TNReady Science 3rd Grade	TNReady Science 4th Grade	TNReady Science 5th Grade	TNReady Science All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Central Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	252 Taylor Road	Johnson City	37601	Washington County	Carter County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 547-4045	261	25	10.2	37.8%	238 (91.2%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (5.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	9 (3.4%)	52	476^th of 1019 public elementary schools	53.3%		45	541^st of 1009 public elementary schools	46.4%	65	40.7	52.6	40.7	43.8	48.1	36.8	37.0	41.1	37.0	57.9	55.6	49.3	$14,801	$1,610	$12,500
Happy Valley Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	1840 Milligan Highway	Johnson City	37601	Washington County	Carter County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 547-4028	541	36	15.0	36.6%	470 (86.9%)	12 (2.2%)	34 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	24 (4.4%)	53	465^th of 1019 public elementary schools	54.4%		54	433^rd of 1009 public elementary schools	57.1%	32	38.7	45.7		42.0	46.2	45.7		46.0	48.4	51.3		49.7	$14,300	$1,574	$11,662
West Side Elementary School	Public	K-5	1310 Burgie Street	Elizabethton	37643	Carter County	Elizabethton City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 547-8030	362	21	16.9	11.2%	324 (89.5%)	9 (2.5%)	12 (3.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (4.4%)	90.6	82^nd of 1019 public elementary schools	92.0%		93.6	59^th of 1009 public elementary schools	94.2%	23	56.0	76.5	67.6	67.7	70.0	82.4	60.3	71.0	60.0	88.2	70.6	74.2	$13,724	$759	$12,338
Mountain View Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	907 King Springs Road	Johnson City	37601	Washington County	Johnson City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 434-5260	488	37	13.3	68.6%	257 (52.7%)	77 (15.8%)	62 (12.7%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	87 (17.8%)	53.4	458^th of 1019 public elementary schools	55.1%		42.6	575^th of 1009 public elementary schools	43.0%	117	44.9	46.3	53.6	48.1	42.9	38.8	46.4	42.7	46.2	41.8	49.3	45.8	$15,530	$1,233	$13,236
Fairmont Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1405 Lester Harris Road	Johnson City	37601	Washington County	Johnson City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 434-5275	555	40	13.9	42.8%	376 (67.7%)	42 (7.6%)	74 (13.3%)	15 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (8.6%)	92.7	69^th of 1019 public elementary schools	93.2%		90.1	86^th of 1009 public elementary schools	91.5%	17	65.8	78.8	74.7	73.2	69.7	70.0	74.7	71.5	71.1	68.8	74.7	71.5	$14,167	$1,273	$12,121
North Side Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1000 N Roan Street	Johnson City	37601	Washington County	Johnson City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 434-5249	357	29	12.3	58.2%	178 (49.9%)	58 (16.2%)	77 (21.6%)	6 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (10.6%)	78.8	166^th of 1019 public elementary schools	83.7%		88.2	97^th of 1009 public elementary schools	90.4%	69	37.5	75.5	78.9	61.9	60.0	69.8	55.3	62.3	48.2	69.8	63.2	59.9	$17,960	$1,831	$15,090
Harold McCormick Elementary School	Public	K-5	226 Cedar Avenue	Elizabethton	37643	Carter County	Elizabethton City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 547-8020	363	26	13.8	34.0%	321 (88.4%)	7 (1.9%)	12 (3.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (6.1%)	55.5	433^rd of 1019 public elementary schools	57.5%		61.5	343^rd of 1009 public elementary schools	66.0%	90	26.5	58.2	41.7	41.0	36.8	65.5	45.8	48.4	39.7	67.3	50.0	51.4	$14,522	$710	$12,954
South Side Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1011 Southwest Avenue	Johnson City	37604	Washington County	Johnson City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 434-5290	442	35	12.6	38.7%	275 (62.2%)	32 (7.2%)	80 (18.1%)	10 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (10.2%)	79.8	155^th of 1019 public elementary schools	84.8%		84.1	128^th of 1009 public elementary schools	87.3%	27	63.9	56.8	71.7	63.3	60.7	61.6	59.6	60.8	65.6	59.5	49.1	58.5	$15,752	$1,188	$13,570
East Side Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	800 Siam Road	Elizabethton	37643	Carter County	Elizabethton City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 547-8010	462	27	16.9	34.0%	409 (88.5%)	10 (2.2%)	14 (3.0%)	3 (0.6%)	3 (0.6%)	2 (0.4%)	21 (4.5%)	59	380^th of 1019 public elementary schools	62.7%		65.9	286^th of 1009 public elementary schools	71.7%	94	30.0	73.9	45.2	48.5	24.0	56.5	47.9	43.2	34.0	78.3	57.5	56.2	$14,288	$978	$12,477
Towne Acres Elementary School	Public	K-5	2310 Larkspur Drive	Johnson City	37604	Washington County	Johnson City Schools	No	No	No	No	(423) 854-4800	394	26	15.0	17.9%	294 (74.6%)	20 (5.1%)	30 (7.6%)	33 (8.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (4.1%)	98.4	12^th of 1019 public elementary schools	98.8%		98.7	6^th of 1009 public elementary schools	99.4%	6	80.0	92.0	91.8	87.7	79.2	92.0	85.2	85.6	74.7	89.3	86.9	83.4	$13,568	$372	$12,569

Frequently Asked Questions about Central Elementary School

Is Central Elementary School a good school?

Central Elementary School ranks 476^th of 1019 Tennessee elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Central Elementary School?

Students at Central Elementary School are 89% White, 7% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races.

How many students attend Central Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 267 students attended Central Elementary School.

What schools do graduates of Central Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Central Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Happy Valley Middle School
High : Cloudland High School
High : Hampton High School
High : Happy Valley High School
High : Unaka High School

What district is Central Elementary School in?

Carter County Schools

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Latest Tennessee data All new data »

2025–26 TNReady test scoresAug 25, 2026

2024–25 dropout ratesApr 2, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataFeb 27, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataDec 18, 2025

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.