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Clay County High School

Q: Is Clay County High School a good school?

Clay County High School ranks 147 th of 400 Tennessee high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Q: How many students attend Clay County High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 311 students attended Clay County High School.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Clay County High School?

Students at Clay County High School are 87% White, 6% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 1% African American, 1% American Indian.

Q: What schools feed into Clay County High School?

Clay County High School is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Celina K-8 School Elementary : Hermitage Springs Elementary School

Public Grades 9-12

147^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 400 Tennessee High Schools

Better than 63% of Tennessee high schools

Summary

Clay County High School in Celina, TN, is a small rural high school serving 311 students in grades 9–12. In 2025–2026, the school ranked 147th out of 400 Tennessee high schools, placing it in the 63rd percentile with a 3-star rating—a strong rebound from the prior year's 43rd percentile. Among nearby schools, it is the highest-ranked, outpacing Livingston Academy (53rd percentile), Jackson County High School (43rd percentile), and Red Boiling Springs School (23rd percentile).

The school's clearest academic strength is in math and science. Proficiency rates in Biology (56.4%) and Geometry (48.7%) both exceed state averages, and Clay leads all nearby schools in Geometry. However, English is a significant weakness—just 20.8% of students were proficient in English I, compared to 37.3% statewide, and English II proficiency (48.8%) also trails the state (58.1%). This STEM-versus-literacy gap is more pronounced at Clay than at Livingston Academy or Jackson County High School, making literacy instruction the biggest opportunity for improvement.

Clay County High School graduates a high percentage of its students—95.3% in 2023–2024, well above the state rate—and has historically low dropout rates. Chronic absenteeism sits at 18.9%, roughly the state average but higher than Red Boiling Springs' 12.0%. One notable concern is a sharp recent decline in male student outcomes, from the 74th percentile in 2022–2023 to the 25th percentile in 2024–2025, even as female students remained stable. The school also far outperforms its district, Clay County Schools, which ranks in the bottom 14% of Tennessee districts. The 2025–2026 rebound suggests resilience, but sustaining momentum will likely depend on addressing literacy gaps and understanding what changed for male students.

311

Students ?

13.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

27.3%

Directly certified for free meals (2024-25) ?

860 Clay County Highway
Celina, TN 38551

(931) 243-2340

District: Clay County Schools

Feeder schools for Clay County High School:

Elementary:	Celina K-8 School
	Hermitage Springs Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

87.1%

Hispanic:

6.1%

Two or more races:

4.2%

See top rated Tennessee high schools

Compare Clay County High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 58th percentile in 2016 → 63rd in 2026

Strengths

✓95% graduate in 4 years — above the Tennessee average (89%)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 5 percentile points since 2016

✓Above the Tennessee median (63rd percentile)

Worth a look

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

!English I scores 16 pts below the Tennessee average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school39%

District avg39%

Tennessee avg43%

147^th of 400

Tennessee public high schools ?

Top 37%▲ up 5 pts since 2016

From top 42% (2016) to top 37% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Tennessee High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

121^st of 141Clay 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	56.6	147 of 400	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	39.7	223 of 389	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	53.1	148 of 392	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.5	136 of 384	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	46.7	166 of 358	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	44.1	167 of 347	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	46.8	153 of 342	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	38.0	212 of 341	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2017	48.9	128 of 273	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2016	53.6	148 of 351	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2015	56.5	155 of 300	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2014	52.7	141 of 296	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2013	37.5	236 of 285	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	27.5	235 of 269	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	26.4	238 of 273	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	43.8	186 of 267	30.3%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	49.0	171 of 365	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	42.6	205 of 365	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	49.9	163 of 366	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	48.8	154 of 350	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	59.3	88 of 340	74.1%	★★★★☆
2019	56.5	107 of 337	68.2%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	49.9	134 of 308	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	41.7	175 of 324	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	55.3	113 of 337	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	59.5	76 of 330	77.0%	★★★★☆
2022	46.3	142 of 322	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	32.1	228 of 317	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	60.1	77 of 302	74.5%	★★★★☆
2018	45.7	135 of 308	56.2%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	26.9	275 of 368	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	60.7	107 of 366	70.8%	★★★★☆
2023	60.9	95 of 359	73.5%	★★★★☆
2022	41.4	186 of 349	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	29.7	243 of 332	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	40.5	182 of 329	44.7%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2018	26.7	135 of 159	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	46.4	163 of 330	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	30.6	229 of 323	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	47.6	154 of 326	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	50.2	136 of 325	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	41.5	175 of 312	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	37.6	194 of 306	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	36.0	195 of 301	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	29.5	248 of 307	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)56th percentile-7 vs school

Female (2025)53rd percentile+10 vs school

White (2026)51st percentile-13 vs school

Male (2025)25th percentile-17 vs school

Special Education (2018)15th percentile-23 vs school

By subject vs Tennessee (2025-2026) ?

Biology I56%+7 vs state

English II49%-9 vs state

Geometry49%+6 vs state

Algebra II31%-7 vs state

Algebra I27%-6 vs state

English I21%-16 vs state

★

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Schools Near Clay County High 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 Algebra I (2026)				TNReady Algebra II (2026)				TNReady Biology I (2026)					TNReady US History (2026)			TNReady English I (2026)			TNReady English II (2026)					TNReady Geometry (2026)					TNReady Science (2026)				TNReady Social Studies (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 6th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 7th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 8th Grade	TNReady Mathematics All Grades	TNReady English Language Arts 6th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 7th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 8th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts All Grades	TNReady Algebra I 9th Grade	TNReady Algebra I 10th Grade	TNReady Algebra I 11th Grade	TNReady Algebra I All Grades	TNReady Algebra II 10th Grade	TNReady Algebra II 11th Grade	TNReady Algebra II 12th Grade	TNReady Algebra II All Grades	TNReady Biology I 9th Grade	TNReady Biology I 10th Grade	TNReady Biology I 11th Grade	TNReady Biology I 12th Grade	TNReady Biology I All Grades	TNReady US History 11th Grade	TNReady US History 12th Grade	TNReady US History All Grades	TNReady English I 9th Grade	TNReady English I 10th Grade	TNReady English I All Grades	TNReady English II 9th Grade	TNReady English II 10th Grade	TNReady English II 11th Grade	TNReady English II 12th Grade	TNReady English II All Grades	TNReady Geometry 9th Grade	TNReady Geometry 10th Grade	TNReady Geometry 11th Grade	TNReady Geometry 12th Grade	TNReady Geometry All Grades	TNReady Science 6th Grade	TNReady Science 7th Grade	TNReady Science 8th Grade	TNReady Science All Grades	TNReady Social Studies 6th Grade	TNReady Social Studies 7th Grade	TNReady Social Studies 8th Grade	TNReady Social Studies All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Clay County High School	Public	9-12	860 Clay County Highway	Celina	38551	Clay County	Clay County Schools	No	No	No	No	(931) 243-2340	311	24	13.1	27.3%	277 (89.1%)	4 (1.3%)	14 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.2%)	56.6	147^th of 400 public high schools	63.3%		39.7	223^rd of 389 public high schools	42.7%	76									27.4			26.7		31.1		30.6		57.1			56.4				20.8		20.8		49.4			48.8		48.7			48.7									$12,945	$657	$11,615
Clay County Adult High School	Public	9-12	520 Brown Street	Celina	38551	Clay County	Clay County Schools	No	No	No	No	(931) 243-3310	0			—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Jackson County High School	Public	9-12	190 Blue Devil Ln	Gainesboro	38562	Jackson County	Jackson County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 268-9771	389	24	16.1	27.9%	358 (92.0%)	2 (0.5%)	19 (4.9%)	1 (0.3%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.5%)	43	230^th of 400 public high schools	42.5%		36.1	242^nd of 389 public high schools	37.8%	12									12.2			11.8		32.5		32.6	49.4				48.4				30.0		29.0		59.2			58.0		35.8			34.7									$13,344	$954	$11,379
Livingston Academy	Public	9-12	120 Melvin Johnson Drive	Livingston	38570	Overton County	Overton County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 823-5911	847	48	17.6	20.3%	792 (93.5%)	9 (1.1%)	24 (2.8%)	6 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (1.9%)	51.5	186^th of 400 public high schools	53.5%		53.8	156^th of 389 public high schools	59.9%	30									36.4			35.8	≥ 95%	27.0		30.1	61.0				59.0	< 5%		6.3	31.5		31.2		54.3			53.9		30.9			30.2									$10,469	$866	$9,291
Red Boiling Springs School	Public	6-12	415 Hillcrest Drive	Red Boiling Springs	37150	Macon County	Macon County Schools	No	No	No	No	(615) 699-3125	351	29	12.1	37.8%	286 (81.5%)	3 (0.9%)	60 (17.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	25.4	308^th of 400 public high schools	23.0%		23.2	312^th of 389 public high schools	19.8%	4	26.4	27.3	28.9	27.5	37.7	31.8	13.3	28.2	14.6			13.6		16.7		16.2	33.3				34.1	22.7		22.2	18.6		18.6		48.8			47.6		33.3			30.2	34.0	36.4	31.1	33.8	37.7	47.7	33.3	39.4	$14,962	$590	$13,607

Frequently Asked Questions about Clay County High School

How many students attend Clay County High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 311 students attended Clay County High School.

What schools feed into Clay County High School?

Clay County High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Celina K-8 School
Elementary : Hermitage Springs Elementary School

What district is Clay County High School in?

Clay County Schools

Is Clay County High School a good school?

Clay County High School ranks 147^th of 400 Tennessee high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Clay County High School?

Students at Clay County High School are 87% White, 6% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 1% African American, 1% American Indian.

Rate Clay County High School!

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TNTennessee High School Rankings

TNTennessee District Rankings

Schools in Celina, TN

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Latest Tennessee data All new data »

2025–26 dropout ratesNewNov 2, 2026

2025–26 graduation ratesNewOct 29, 2026

2025–26 TNReady test scoresAug 25, 2026

2024–25 dropout ratesApr 2, 2026

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.