Hancock Middle School

Hancock Middle School serves 195 students in grades 6–8 in Sneedville, Tennessee, a small rural community in the eastern part of the state. It is part of Hancock County Schools, one of the lowest-ranked districts in Tennessee. The school's academic performance trails state averages in every subject. In the 2025–2026 school year, only 18.8% of students were proficient in math (compared with 43.0% statewide), and just 25.1% were proficient in English language arts (versus 40.6% statewide). Science and social studies came closer to state averages but still lagged, with proficiency rates of 32.8% and 34.3%, respectively.

When compared with nearby schools, Hancock Middle School ranks lowest in every subject. East Ridge Middle School posted math proficiency of 50.4%, nearly 32 percentage points higher than Hancock's 18.8%, and Surgoinsville Middle School and Rogersville Middle School also outperformed Hancock across the board. What makes these gaps especially striking is that Hancock spends more per student ($16,662) than any of these neighboring schools — over $5,000 more per student than East Ridge — yet achieves the lowest results. Chronic absenteeism is likely a contributing factor: 23.1% of Hancock students miss enough school to be considered chronically absent, a rate higher than East Ridge's 17.2% and Surgoinsville's 13.9%.

There are a few bright spots. Eighth-grade math proficiency reached 30.2%, more than double the rate for 6th graders, and science and social studies are relative strengths compared with math and reading. Special education students also showed substantial improvement, jumping from the 5th percentile statewide to the 37th percentile. The school's overall ranking ticked upward slightly this year. Still, the biggest question for families is why Hancock's high spending is not producing better outcomes. Parents considering this school may want to ask about plans to improve math and reading instruction, address chronic absenteeism, and build on the progress seen in 8th grade and special education.