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Karns Middle School

Q: Is Karns Middle School a good school?

Karns Middle School ranks 210 th of 594 Tennessee middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

210^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 594 Tennessee Middle Schools

Better than 65% of Tennessee middle schools

Summary

Karns Middle School is a public middle school in Knoxville, TN, serving roughly 900 students in grades 6–8 within Knox County Schools. For 2025–2026, Karns ranks 210th out of 594 Tennessee middle schools, placing it in the 65th percentile with a 3-star rating — slightly above the statewide middle, though the district sits in the 45th percentile. Among nearby schools, Karns is outperformed by Farragut Middle School (98th percentile), West Valley Middle School (97th), and Hardin Valley Middle School (92nd), but ranks ahead of Northwest Middle School (16th) and is comparable to Powell Middle School, Bearden Middle School, and Cedar Bluff Middle School.

Academically, Karns is mixed. On 2025–2026 state assessments, 36.1% of students were proficient in math and 34.0% in English Language Arts, both below district and state averages. Science (49.4%) is close to the state average, and social studies stands out with 63.0% proficient, above both the district (58.5%) and state (51.4%). The biggest concern is 8th grade math, where only 23.3% of students are proficient, down from 42.0% in 6th grade and 41.2% in 7th grade. Some of this may reflect a broader enrollment in Algebra I, where Karns posts 56.9% proficiency but still lags district and state results. Encouragingly, Karns serves special education students well, ranking in the 82nd percentile statewide for that subgroup, a major improvement from a few years ago.

Attendance is a clear challenge. Karns had a 23.1% chronic absenteeism rate in 2024–2025, above the district (19.4%) and state (18.3%). Nearby Jefferson Middle School (10.2%), Farragut Middle School (10.3%), and West Valley Middle School (12.3%) have far lower rates. Spending has risen to $12,591 per student, higher than several nearby schools with stronger outcomes, suggesting resources alone are not the issue. The ranking has rebounded from 251st in 2024–2025 to 210th this year, though it remains far below the school's 53rd-place finish in 2017–2018. Karns is a solid mid-tier school, but closing the gaps in math, ELA, and attendance would help it match the high-performing schools just a few miles away.

900

Students ?

15.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,591

Per pupil spending ?

13.6%

Directly certified for free meals (2024-25) ?

2925 Gray Hendrix Road
Knoxville, TN 37931

(865) 539-7732

District: Knox County Schools

Students who attend Karns Middle School usually attend:

High:

Karns High School

Feeder schools for Karns Middle School:

Elementary:

Karns Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

69.2%

Hispanic:

14.8%

African American:

7.2%

See top rated Tennessee middle schools

Compare Karns Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 86th percentile in 2015 → 65th in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the Tennessee median (65th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 21 percentile points since 2015

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school46%

District avg48%

Tennessee avg44%

210^th of 594

Tennessee public middle schools ?

Top 35%▼ down 18 pts since 2017

From top 18% (2017) to top 35% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Tennessee Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 17Middle Schools in the Knox County Schools

78^th of 141Knox 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	60.7	210 of 594	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	52.6	251 of 583	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.2	234 of 587	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	62.5	190 of 594	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	65.3	151 of 569	73.5%	★★★★☆
2021	58.2	190 of 576	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	61.1	167 of 574	70.9%	★★★★☆
2018	82.9	53 of 563	90.6%	★★★★★
2017	72.1	64 of 362	82.3%	★★★★☆
2015	78.5	69 of 492	86.0%	★★★★☆
2014	78.1	59 of 485	87.8%	★★★★☆
2013	82.7	41 of 475	91.4%	★★★★★
2012	77.5	95 of 466	79.6%	★★★★☆
2011	75.5	101 of 462	78.1%	★★★★☆
2010	86.5	48 of 435	89.0%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	60.2	110 of 328	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	46.4	140 of 312	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	56.4	111 of 318	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.0	112 of 316	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.2	96 of 299	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	49.8	108 of 277	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	49.0	119 of 293	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	74.6	46 of 284	83.8%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2018	64.9	22 of 58	62.1%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	42.7	50 of 100	50.0%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	52.7	247 of 546	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.3	231 of 554	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	65.0	165 of 560	70.5%	★★★★☆
2022	65.7	139 of 552	74.8%	★★★★☆
2021	58.2	178 of 538	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	60.2	166 of 529	68.6%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	44.2	159 of 302	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	42.2	155 of 286	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.5	181 of 285	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.4	170 of 285	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	43.2	142 of 275	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	50.8	98 of 261	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	53.7	82 of 228	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	70.0	48 of 219	78.1%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	57.6	168 of 478	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	43.1	275 of 490	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	52.1	216 of 510	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.8	154 of 514	70.0%	★★★★☆
2022	49.8	215 of 495	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	49.3	193 of 483	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	55.2	166 of 490	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	66.6	94 of 481	80.5%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	49.4	255 of 550	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.0	239 of 560	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.1	217 of 557	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	61.3	162 of 540	70.0%	★★★★☆
2021	55.4	189 of 529	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	59.3	167 of 523	68.1%	★★★☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	29.2	18 of 22	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	9.9	20 of 20	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	61.8	63 of 349	81.9%	★★★★☆
2025	50.6	105 of 332	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	39.5	156 of 299	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.6	102 of 288	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	45.5	98 of 260	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	33.4	163 of 238	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	45.2	96 of 222	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	53.8	75 of 279	73.1%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	53.4	206 of 494	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	47.4	238 of 492	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.1	233 of 504	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	59.7	173 of 503	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	64.0	137 of 500	72.6%	★★★★☆
2021	55.5	180 of 496	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	56.3	165 of 484	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	78.8	66 of 481	86.3%	★★★★☆

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)

Special Education (2026)82nd percentile+17 vs school

African American (2026)66th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)65th percentile~ school

Asian (2018)62nd percentile-29 vs school

White (2026)58th percentile-6 vs school

Female (2025)55th percentile~ school

Male (2025)54th percentile-3 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)50th percentile-7 vs school

Hispanic (2026)47th percentile-17 vs school

Military Connected (2025)18th percentile-39 vs school

By subject vs Tennessee (2025-2026) ?

Social Studies63%+12 vs state

Algebra I57%+25 vs state

Science49%~ state avg

Mathematics36%-7 vs state

English Language Arts34%-7 vs state

★

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Schools Near Karns Middle 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 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 5th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 6th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 7th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 8th Grade	TNReady Mathematics All Grades	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 Algebra I 6th Grade	TNReady Algebra I 7th Grade	TNReady Algebra I 8th Grade	TNReady Algebra I All Grades	TNReady Algebra II 8th Grade	TNReady Algebra II All Grades	TNReady Biology I 8th Grade	TNReady Biology I All Grades	TNReady Geometry 7th Grade	TNReady Geometry 8th Grade	TNReady Geometry All Grades	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
Karns Middle School	Public	6-8	2925 Gray Hendrix Road	Knoxville	37931	Knox County	Knox County Schools	No	No	No	No	(865) 539-7732	957	61	15.6	13.6%	661 (69.1%)	85 (8.9%)	126 (13.2%)	9 (0.9%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.3%)	72 (7.5%)	60.7	210^th of 594 public middle schools	64.6%		52.6	251^st of 583 public middle schools	56.9%	41		42.0	41.2	23.3	36.1		39.3	34.6	28.3	34.0			56.9	56.9									56.9	49.2	42.4	49.4	60.3	67.7	61.2	63.0	$12,591	$831	$11,230
Cedar Bluff Middle School	Public	6-8	707 North Cedar Bluff Road	Knoxville	37923	Knox County	Knox County Schools	No	No	No	No	(865) 539-7891	547	33	16.8	17.1%	315 (57.6%)	58 (10.6%)	112 (20.5%)	8 (1.5%)	1 (0.2%)	5 (0.9%)	48 (8.8%)	59.5	221^st of 594 public middle schools	62.8%		53.6	245^th of 583 public middle schools	58.0%	24		39.0	41.1	23.7	36.0		43.0	32.6	31.4	35.5			66.7	67.4									51.6	51.7	45.9	49.8	50.9	65.6	54.1	57.2	$12,523	$792	$10,984
Powell Middle School	Public	6-8	3329 West Emory Road	Powell	37849	Knox County	Knox County Schools	No	No	No	No	(865) 938-9008	797	53	15.1	16.8%	638 (80.1%)	31 (3.9%)	90 (11.3%)	2 (0.3%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (4.1%)	63.9	188^th of 594 public middle schools	68.4%		63.8	183^rd of 583 public middle schools	68.6%	5		35.8	39.3	39.0	38.0		44.1	37.8	32.2	38.2			≥ 95%	≥ 95%									48.0	55.6	50.0	51.4	56.7	64.0	55.9	59.1	$12,502	$833	$11,044
Bearden Middle School	Public	6-8	1000 Francis Road	Knoxville	37909	Knox County	Knox County Schools	No	No	No	No	(865) 539-7839	1,243	72	17.1	21.2%	755 (60.7%)	203 (16.3%)	198 (15.9%)	18 (1.4%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	66 (5.3%)	66.8	169^th of 594 public middle schools	71.5%		65.6	171^st of 583 public middle schools	70.7%	2		41.1	39.7	23.3	35.5		44.5	45.0	40.6	43.2			87.6	88.2									52.8	52.9	50.6	52.0	53.5	62.5	58.8	58.2	$12,022	$833	$10,711
Hardin Valley Middle School	Public	6-8	2280 Steele	Knoxville	37901	Knox County	Knox County Schools	No	No	No	No	(865) 594-1800	1,017	57	17.7	6.0%	757 (74.4%)	42 (4.1%)	100 (9.8%)	70 (6.9%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (4.5%)	88.4	47^th of 594 public middle schools	92.1%		89.3	46^th of 583 public middle schools	92.1%	1		68.1	51.7	46.0	56.1		60.2	55.6	43.1	52.9			94.2	94.3									67.8	64.7	64.9	65.8	71.5	80.5	74.0	75.5	$11,459	$791	$10,254
West Valley Middle School	Public	6-8	9118 George Williams Road	Knoxville	37922	Knox County	Knox County Schools	No	No	No	No	(865) 539-5145	1,107	66	16.8	5.8%	849 (76.7%)	72 (6.5%)	78 (7.0%)	60 (5.4%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	45 (4.1%)	96	18^th of 594 public middle schools	97.0%		91.9	35^th of 583 public middle schools	94.0%	17		73.0	73.2	59.8	70.2		67.4	63.5	57.6	63.0			≥ 95%	≥ 95%							≥ 95%		81.5	75.7	72.6	76.7	80.4	78.6	77.9	79.0	$11,581	$862	$10,356
Northwest Middle School	Public	6-8	5301 Pleasant Ridge Road	Knoxville	37912	Knox County	Knox County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(865) 594-1345	808	64	12.5	29.1%	221 (27.4%)	177 (21.9%)	333 (41.2%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	72 (8.9%)	17	499^th of 594 public middle schools	16.0%		16.1	496^th of 583 public middle schools	14.9%	3		22.0	18.7	12.7	18.0		22.0	17.8	12.9	17.6			≥ 95%	≥ 95%									26.4	27.5	24.2	26.0	29.9	33.3	24.9	29.3	$15,150	$1,988	$12,439
Farragut Middle School	Public	6-8	200 West End Avenue	Knoxville	37922	Knox County	Knox County Schools	No	No	No	No	(865) 966-9756	1,400	78	17.9	3.0%	1,099 (78.5%)	19 (1.4%)	91 (6.5%)	135 (9.6%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	55 (3.9%)	97.3	11^th of 594 public middle schools	98.1%		96.7	16^th of 583 public middle schools	97.3%	5		69.7	74.5	73.0	72.5		71.8	73.0	67.3	70.5		≥ 95%	≥ 95%	≥ 95%			≥ 95%	≥ 95%					73.8	78.8	74.4	75.7	82.1	86.4	78.4	82.2	$10,698	$782	$9,713
Jefferson Middle School	Public	5-8	200 Fairbanks Road	Oak Ridge	37830	Anderson County	Oak Ridge Schools	No	No	No	No	(865) 425-9301	706	58	12.1	14.6%	492 (69.7%)	47 (6.7%)	78 (11.0%)	20 (2.8%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.3%)	66 (9.3%)	83	74^th of 594 public middle schools	87.5%		85.1	54^th of 583 public middle schools	90.7%	20	58.5	54.9	44.3	51.2	52.3	45.6	50.5	50.6	46.8	48.4			≥ 95%	≥ 95%								56.7	58.2	66.7	67.1	62.1	65.2	72.3	62.2	66.5	$15,625	$486	$14,620
Clinton Middle School	Public	6-8	110 N Hicks Street	Clinton	37716	Anderson County	Anderson County Schools	No	No	No	No	(865) 457-3451	613	45	13.6	27.4%	525 (85.6%)	28 (4.6%)	36 (5.9%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	21 (3.4%)	43.9	334^th of 594 public middle schools	43.8%		44.1	324^th of 583 public middle schools	44.4%	10		29.0	42.8	14.9	29.5		31.5	38.3	19.8	29.6			75.9	75.9									34.0	51.6	30.0	39.0	39.2	64.3	37.5	48.0	$13,020	$662	$11,651

Frequently Asked Questions about Karns Middle School

What high school do graduates of Karns Middle School attend?

Students who attend Karns Middle School usually go on to attend Karns High School

How many students attend Karns Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 900 students attended Karns Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Karns Middle School?

Students at Karns Middle School are 69% White, 15% Hispanic, 7% African American, 7% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

Is Karns Middle School a good school?

Karns Middle School ranks 210^th of 594 Tennessee middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Karns Middle School in?

Knox 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.