Edgemont Elementary School

Edgemont Elementary School is a PK–8 school in Newport, TN, serving 541 students in the Cocke County Schools district. After spending most of the past decade in the bottom quarter of Tennessee schools, Edgemont has made a dramatic turnaround: it now ranks 544th of 1,019 schools statewide, placing it at the 47th percentile with a 2-star rating. That's up from the 23rd percentile in 2023–2024 and the school's best showing since 2014–2015. Still, the school trails its district and the state in every core subject — math is close at 42.1% vs. 43.0% statewide, but social studies is a major concern at 31.6% vs. 51.4% statewide.

Edgemont's most surprising strength is with historically underserved students. Special education students now rank at the 78th percentile statewide (144th of 641), and low-income students rank at the 71st percentile (239th of 823) — both huge jumps from just two years ago. Early elementary grades are also competitive with or better than state averages: 4th grade math hits 65.5% proficiency vs. 49.4% statewide, and 3rd grade science reaches 50.9% vs. 44.3% statewide. Notably, Edgemont's math proficiency (42.1%) actually beats nearby Newport Grammar (37.3%), even though Newport Grammar's overall ranking is higher.

The most significant red flags are chronic absenteeism and a sharp middle-school decline. Edgemont's chronic absenteeism rate is 27.3% — far above the state's 18.3% and among the highest in the area, second only to Northwest Elementary at 30.7%. While early grades outperform the state, the picture reverses by 6th grade: math proficiency falls to 16.7% vs. 40.1% statewide, and 8th grade social studies sits at just 10.6% vs. 47.6% — a 37-point gap. The school spends $11,942 per student, less than several peers such as Centerview ($14,143) and Northwest ($14,500). Despite trailing same-district rivals like Parrottsville, Bridgeport, Centerview, and Cosby, Edgemont is one of the most improved schools in the area.