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Smoky Mountain Elementary School

Q: Is Smoky Mountain Elementary School a good school?

Smoky Mountain Elementary School ranks 233 rd of 1019 Tennessee elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-8

233^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,019 Tennessee Elementary Schools

Better than 77% of Tennessee elementary schools

Summary

Smoky Mountain Elementary School in Cosby, TN, is a small rural school serving 176 students in grades PK-8 within Cocke County Schools, and it has become one of the strongest-performing schools in the region despite its modest size. The school currently ranks 233rd out of 1,019 Tennessee schools (77th percentile) with a 4-star rating, and it consistently outpaces both its district and the state in nearly every subject. On the most recent TNReady assessments, math proficiency reached 56.9% versus 43.0% statewide, science hit 67.9% versus 46.9%, and social studies came in at 63.0% versus 51.4%. English language arts is essentially at the state average (40.4% vs. 40.6%), making it the school’s relative weak spot rather than a systemic issue.

What truly sets Smoky Mountain apart is how well it serves students from low-socioeconomic-status households: in 2021–2022, the school ranked #1 out of 858 schools statewide for low-SES students, and it has remained in the top quartile since. Attendance is another bright spot, with a chronic absenteeism rate of just 15.3% in 2024–2025 compared to 26.2% for the district and 18.3% statewide. This success is all the more impressive given the school’s trajectory—as recently as 2013–2014 it ranked in the 11th percentile, and it now sits comfortably in the top quarter of schools. Nearby schools tell a mixed story: Grassy Fork Elementary School (8.5 miles away) is similarly strong in math and social studies, while Cosby Elementary School and Northwest Elementary School lag well behind in most subjects.

Smoky Mountain’s signature strengths are science and social studies, with 4th grade science reaching 77.3% proficiency and 7th grade social studies hitting 73.7%. The school also delivers strong outcomes at a moderate cost of $13,027 per student, far less than Jones Cove Elementary School, which spends $28,788 per student yet ranks in the 42nd percentile. The main area for growth is literacy, particularly in 6th grade, where ELA proficiency drops to 16.7% versus a 39.8% state average. If the school can shore up upper-elementary and middle-grade reading skills, it has the potential to become one of the highest-performing rural schools in East Tennessee.

176

Students ?

13.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,027

Per pupil spending ?

40.3%

Directly certified for free meals (2024-25) ?

135 South 32 Highway
Cosby, TN 37722

(423) 487-2255

District: Cocke County Schools

Students who attend Smoky Mountain Elementary School usually attend:

High:	Cocke County Adult High School
	Cosby High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

97.2%

African American:

1.1%

Asian:

0.6%

See top rated Tennessee elementary schools

Compare Smoky Mountain Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 11th percentile in 2014 → 77th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Tennessee average (56% vs 45% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 23% of Tennessee elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 66 percentile points since 2014

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school56%

District avg43%

Tennessee avg45%

Elementary school

233^rd of 1,019

Tennessee public elementary schools ?

Top 23%▲ up 18 pts since 2018

From top 41% (2018) to top 23% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Tennessee Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

139^th of 594

Tennessee public middle schools ?

Top 23%▲ up 73 pts since 2017

From bottom 3% (2017) to top 23% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Tennessee Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 9Elementary Schools in the Cocke County Schools

61^st of 141Cocke 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	71.5	233 of 1019	77.1%	★★★★☆
2025	75.8	187 of 1009	81.5%	★★★★☆
2024	59.3	352 of 1018	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	65.5	291 of 1020	71.5%	★★★★☆
2022	73.4	197 of 1000	80.3%	★★★★☆
2021	52.3	412 of 983	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	53.2	393 of 985	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	53.9	404 of 997	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2015	34.4	657 of 855	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	18.3	756 of 853	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	64.7	325 of 846	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2012	93.2	57 of 820	93.0%	★★★★★
2011	58.4	358 of 818	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2010	46.5	461 of 809	43.0%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2022	91.1	72 of 975	92.6%	★★★★★
2021	79.2	130 of 945	86.2%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2023	71.9	147 of 865	83.0%	★★★★☆
2022	99.5	1 of 858	99.9%	★★★★★
2021	98.1	5 of 823	99.4%	★★★★★
2018	91.7	16 of 877	98.2%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	75.2	177 of 984	82.0%	★★★★☆
2024	72.4	202 of 991	79.6%	★★★★☆
2023	68.7	235 of 987	76.2%	★★★★☆
2022	56.5	349 of 980	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	45.4	466 of 941	50.5%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	63.8	247 of 849	70.9%	★★★★☆
2025	64.2	241 of 840	71.3%	★★★★☆
2024	50.1	382 of 847	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.6	317 of 852	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	64.3	234 of 844	72.3%	★★★★☆
2021	45.5	422 of 844	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	42.2	451 of 812	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.7	444 of 841	47.2%	★★☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	71.9	139 of 594	76.6%	★★★★☆
2025	84.7	58 of 583	90.1%	★★★★★
2024	73.2	118 of 587	79.9%	★★★★☆
2023	61.7	195 of 594	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	80.9	68 of 569	88.0%	★★★★☆
2021	62.8	156 of 576	72.9%	★★★★☆
2019	43.2	314 of 574	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.6	411 of 563	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	10.7	350 of 362	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	18.0	453 of 492	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	14.5	449 of 485	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	23.1	431 of 475	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	2.8	465 of 466	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	45.4	279 of 462	39.6%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2024	82.8	65 of 554	88.3%	★★★★☆
2023	73.5	113 of 560	79.8%	★★★★☆
2022	77.8	77 of 552	86.1%	★★★★☆
2019	27.0	412 of 529	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2018	68.1	82 of 481	83.0%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	86.9	49 of 550	91.1%	★★★★★
2023	69.6	120 of 557	78.5%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	64.9	140 of 494	71.7%	★★★★☆
2025	75.6	89 of 492	81.9%	★★★★☆
2024	65.3	138 of 504	72.6%	★★★★☆
2023	51.7	223 of 503	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	73.0	91 of 500	81.8%	★★★★☆
2021	55.3	181 of 496	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	39.6	284 of 484	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	22.1	416 of 481	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆

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

Female (2022)93rd percentile+12 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2023)83rd percentile+12 vs school

Male (2025)82nd percentile~ school

White (2026)71st percentile-6 vs school

Middle school

Male (2025)91st percentile~ school

Female (2024)88th percentile+8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2018)83rd percentile+56 vs school

White (2026)72nd percentile-5 vs school

By subject vs Tennessee (2025-2026) ?

Science68%+21 vs state

Social Studies63%+12 vs state

Mathematics57%+14 vs state

English Language Arts40%~ state avg

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Schools Near Smoky Mountain 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)							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 3rd Grade	TNReady Mathematics 4th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 5th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 6th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 7th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 8th 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 6th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 7th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 8th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts All Grades	TNReady Science 3rd Grade	TNReady Science 4th Grade	TNReady Science 5th Grade	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
Smoky Mountain Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	135 South 32 Highway	Cosby	37722	Cocke County	Cocke County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 487-2255	187	14	13.6	40.3%	182 (97.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.1%)	71.5	233^rd of 1019 public elementary schools	77.1%		75.8	187^th of 1009 public elementary schools	81.5%	46	56.3	63.6	64.7	44.4	68.4	41.2	56.9	37.5	50.0	52.9	16.7	52.6	29.4	40.4	62.5	77.3	70.6	55.6	78.9	58.8	67.9	66.7	73.7	47.1	63.0	$13,027	$1,186	$10,332
Cosby Elementary School	Public	K-8	3320 Cosby Highway	Cosby	37722	Cocke County	Cocke County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 487-3850	437	26	17.1	44.1%	392 (89.7%)	6 (1.4%)	18 (4.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	18 (4.1%)	59.9	365^th of 1019 public elementary schools	64.2%		68.9	249^th of 1009 public elementary schools	75.3%	116	57.8	52.8	41.8	62.2	46.9	61.5	53.1	55.6	28.3	30.9	40.0	30.6	22.5	34.5	60.0	60.4	38.2	51.1	44.9	53.8	51.0	60.0	57.1	42.5	53.7	$12,764	$1,508	$10,555
Jones Cove Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	4554 Jones Cove Road	Cosby	37722	Cocke County	Sevier County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(865) 453-9325	99	13	7.4	44.1%	85 (85.9%)	1 (1.0%)	10 (10.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (3.0%)	43.1	592^nd of 1019 public elementary schools	41.9%		42.9	565^th of 1009 public elementary schools	44.0%	27	31.3	42.9	38.9				38.1	31.3	23.8	44.4				34.9	31.3	76.2	44.4				52.4					$28,788	$1,197	$25,349
Grassy Fork Elementary School	Public	K-8	4120 Big Creek Road	Hartford	37753	Cocke County	Cocke County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 487-5835	124	11	11.2	37.9%	116 (93.5%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (3.2%)	69.1	261^st of 1019 public elementary schools	74.4%		70.7	230^th of 1009 public elementary schools	77.2%	31	43.8	66.7	53.3	60.0	72.7	57.1	58.1	56.3	40.0	26.7	53.3	27.3	14.3	35.5	56.3	53.3	53.3	60.0	81.8	47.6	57.0	73.3	72.7	57.1	66.0	$15,729	$1,014	$12,728
Pittman Center Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	2455 East Parkway	Gatlinburg	37738	Sevier County	Sevier County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(865) 436-4515	305	21	14.5	18.5%	282 (92.5%)	9 (3.0%)	9 (3.0%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	67.7	281^st of 1019 public elementary schools	72.4%		58	380^th of 1009 public elementary schools	62.3%	99	61.9	47.3	47.7	48.1			50.8	47.6	42.6	52.3	53.7			49.0	58.5	70.9	60.5	51.9			60.6	41.5			41.5	$18,020	$674	$16,218
Edgemont Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	375 Carson Springs Road	Newport	37821	Cocke County	Cocke County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 623-2288	561	34	16.3	51.4%	481 (85.7%)	18 (3.2%)	37 (6.6%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (3.9%)	46.1	544^th of 1019 public elementary schools	46.6%		34.5	685^th of 1009 public elementary schools	32.1%	141	52.8	65.5	54.5	16.7	39.2	23.4	42.1	41.5	41.8	30.9	26.7	25.5	14.9	30.5	50.9	43.6	45.5	31.7	31.4	21.3	37.7	38.3	43.1	10.6	31.6	$11,942	$1,383	$9,543
Newport Grammar School	Public	PK, KG-8	301 College Street	Newport	37821	Cocke County	Newport City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 623-3811	690	57	12.2	30.4%	566 (82.0%)	18 (2.6%)	33 (4.8%)	29 (4.2%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.3%)	41 (5.9%)	56.1	421^st of 1019 public elementary schools	58.7%		65	297^th of 1009 public elementary schools	70.6%	124	35.6	36.8	26.9	12.3	43.4	69.9	37.3	40.4	47.4	47.4	60.3	57.9	41.1	48.8	62.2	61.8	60.3	52.1	68.4	56.2	60.3	52.1	78.9	75.3	68.9	$11,989	$1,317	$9,802
Catons Chapel Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	3135 Catons Chapel Road	Sevierville	37876	Sevier County	Sevier County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(865) 453-2132	301	32	9.2	20.0%	259 (86.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (8.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (5.6%)	90.1	86^th of 1019 public elementary schools	91.6%		80.3	156^th of 1009 public elementary schools	84.5%	70	73.7	56.1	87.5	80.0			73.3	65.8	56.1	71.9	51.4			61.0	78.9	78.0	84.4	80.0			80.1	74.3			74.3	$20,073	$785	$18,232
Bridgeport Elementary School	Public	K-8	1935 Edwina Bridgeport Road	Newport	37821	Cocke County	Cocke County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 623-5780	287	18	15.7	46.4%	269 (93.7%)	2 (0.7%)	10 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.1%)	57.6	403^rd of 1019 public elementary schools	60.5%		46.8	524^th of 1009 public elementary schools	48.1%	121	75.0	46.4	36.7	45.2	50.0	62.5	51.4	50.0	46.4	36.7	51.6	31.8	43.8	42.2	40.0	46.4	33.3	51.6	38.6	43.8	42.2	64.5	45.5	46.9	51.4	$12,850	$970	$10,559
New Center Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	2701 Old Newport Highway	Sevierville	37876	Sevier County	Sevier County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(865) 453-2123	617	44	14.1	18.3%	552 (89.5%)	7 (1.1%)	40 (6.5%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.5%)	12 (1.9%)	49.1	503^rd of 1019 public elementary schools	50.6%		58.2	379^th of 1009 public elementary schools	62.4%	124	30.5	47.6	54.8	41.3			43.7	51.2	41.2	41.9	33.8			42.3	48.4	39.8	49.5	38.7			44.3	32.0			32.0	$15,906	$816	$14,304

Frequently Asked Questions about Smoky Mountain Elementary School

What schools do graduates of Smoky Mountain Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Smoky Mountain Elementary School usually go on to attend:

High : Cocke County Adult High School
High : Cosby High School

Is Smoky Mountain Elementary School a good school?

Smoky Mountain Elementary School ranks 233^rd of 1019 Tennessee elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Smoky Mountain Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 176 students attended Smoky Mountain Elementary School.

What district is Smoky Mountain Elementary School in?

Cocke County Schools

What is the racial makeup of Smoky Mountain Elementary School?

Students at Smoky Mountain Elementary School are 97% White, 1% African American.

Rate Smoky Mountain Elementary School!

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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.