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Powell High School

Q: Is Powell High School a good school?

Powell High School ranks 198 th of 400 Tennessee high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Q: How many students attend Powell High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,253 students attended Powell High School.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Powell High School?

Students at Powell High School are 66% White, 19% Hispanic, 8% African American, 6% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

Q: What schools feed into Powell High School?

Powell High School is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Norwood Elementary School Elementary : Powell Elementary School Middle : Powell Middle School

Public Grades 9-12

198^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 400 Tennessee High Schools

Better than 50% of Tennessee high schools

Summary

Powell High School is a large comprehensive public high school in Powell, Tennessee, serving 1,253 students in grades 9–12 as part of Knox County Schools. In the latest statewide ranking, it sits essentially at the middle of Tennessee high schools — 198th out of 400, or the 50th percentile — placing it right alongside nearby Karns High School and Central High School. Its graduation rate of 91.8% is a clear bright spot, edging out the district rate of 90.4% and the state rate of 90.5%, and it tops most neighboring schools including Halls High School, Karns, Central, Fulton High School, and Clinton High School.

The school's biggest academic challenge is math. Only 16.5% of Powell students scored proficient in Algebra I, well below the district's 32.8% and the state's 32.3%, and Geometry proficiency is also low at 30.3%. However, this gap is concentrated in the standard track — 10th graders taking Algebra II post an 83.8% proficiency rate, far above the state's 63.9%. Science and history are relative strengths: Biology I proficiency (51.7%) tops the state average, and US History (44.0%) beats both the district and state. For context, Clinton High School, just 7.8 miles away in Anderson County Schools, outperforms Powell in most tested subjects, though Powell's graduation rate is stronger.

Chronic absenteeism has improved dramatically — down from 40.7% in 2021–22 to 23.0% — but it still runs about five points above the state average and remains a barrier to learning. On the positive side, special education students rank at the 61st percentile statewide, and English learner students have made striking gains since 2021–22. While most student subgroups now perform near or above the median, Hispanic students have ranked in the bottom quintile for three straight years, suggesting the school could benefit from additional targeted academic and language supports. Overall, Powell is a solidly average school with identifiable strengths — a strong graduation rate, excellent results in advanced classes, and improving attendance — and the clearest path forward lies in strengthening Algebra I and Geometry support.

1,253

Students ?

16.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,352

Per pupil spending ?

40.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2136 West Emory Road
Powell, TN 37849

(865) 938-2171

District: Knox County Schools

Feeder schools for Powell High School:

Elementary:	Norwood Elementary School
	Powell Elementary School
Middle:	Powell Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

65.8%

Hispanic:

18.7%

African American:

8.1%

See top rated Tennessee high schools

Compare Powell High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 40th percentile in 2023 → 50th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 50th (2026) from a 40th-percentile low (2023)

✓Above the Tennessee median (50th percentile)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Tennessee average (37% vs 43% meeting standards)

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

!Algebra I scores 16 pts below the Tennessee average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school37%

District avg45%

Tennessee avg43%

198^th of 400

Tennessee public high schools ?

Top 50%▼ down 8 pts since 2016

From top 42% (2016) to top 50% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Tennessee High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

8^th of 17High 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	48.0	198 of 400	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	51.2	171 of 389	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.5	186 of 392	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	37.4	230 of 384	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.0	169 of 358	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	41.1	191 of 347	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	47.9	147 of 342	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.6	134 of 341	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2017	42.0	157 of 273	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2016	53.8	147 of 351	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2015	60.7	131 of 300	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2014	55.5	125 of 296	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2013	55.2	143 of 285	49.8%	★★★☆☆
2012	50.1	168 of 269	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2011	55.7	145 of 273	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2010	61.8	112 of 267	58.1%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	37.5	139 of 230	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	47.1	102 of 233	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	36.7	130 of 240	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.6	175 of 239	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.0	154 of 222	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	41.5	106 of 208	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.2	105 of 187	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.2	131 of 199	34.2%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2024	61.9	8 of 29	72.4%	★★★★☆
2023	34.3	13 of 18	27.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	21.3	11 of 13	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	48.8	173 of 365	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.6	185 of 365	49.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	37.3	233 of 366	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.6	194 of 350	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.6	176 of 340	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	53.6	122 of 337	63.8%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	26.1	185 of 229	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	27.5	167 of 213	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.2	177 of 209	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.5	178 of 202	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	38.9	107 of 189	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	39.3	102 of 180	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	29.1	106 of 153	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.3	100 of 159	37.1%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	43.8	159 of 308	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	46.4	146 of 324	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	30.0	253 of 337	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.2	272 of 330	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	37.3	197 of 322	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	37.0	202 of 317	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	49.3	131 of 302	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	52.5	95 of 308	69.2%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	49.2	163 of 368	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	43.6	188 of 366	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.1	213 of 359	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.9	163 of 349	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	42.6	169 of 332	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.7	186 of 329	43.5%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	47.7	81 of 210	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	45.0	77 of 198	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	41.7	92 of 183	49.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	22.4	135 of 154	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	63.2	19 of 151	87.4%	★★★★☆
2021	18.1	120 of 125	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	45.9	64 of 127	49.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	37.2	92 of 159	42.1%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	46.3	165 of 330	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	51.0	139 of 323	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.0	148 of 326	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	39.9	184 of 325	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.1	171 of 312	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	38.1	190 of 306	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	47.1	140 of 301	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	48.7	127 of 307	58.6%	★★★☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2024)72nd percentile+20 vs school

Special Education (2026)61st percentile+11 vs school

Male (2025)56th percentile~ school

Female (2025)53rd percentile-3 vs school

White (2026)50th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)48th percentile~ school

African American (2026)40th percentile-11 vs school

Hispanic (2026)19th percentile-31 vs school

By subject vs Tennessee (2025-2026) ?

Biology I52%~ state avg

English II52%-7 vs state

US History44%~ state avg

Algebra II34%-3 vs state

English I30%-7 vs state

Geometry30%-12 vs state

Algebra I16%-16 vs state

★

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Schools Near Powell 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 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)						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	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2020)	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 Algebra I 9th Grade	TNReady Algebra I 10th Grade	TNReady Algebra I 11th Grade	TNReady Algebra I 12th Grade	TNReady Algebra I All Grades	TNReady Algebra II 9th Grade	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 10th Grade	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 11th Grade	TNReady English I 12th 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 8th Grade	TNReady Geometry 9th Grade	TNReady Geometry 10th Grade	TNReady Geometry 11th Grade	TNReady Geometry 12th Grade	TNReady Geometry All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Powell High School	Public	9-12	2136 West Emory Road	Powell	37849	Knox County	Knox County Schools	No	No	No	No	(865) 938-2171	1,292	80	16.1	40.1%	868 (67.2%)	111 (8.6%)	223 (17.3%)	23 (1.8%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	65 (5.0%)	48	198^th of 400 public high schools	50.5%		51.2	171^st of 389 public high schools	56.0%	27	17.0	7.7			16.5		83.8	27.8	< 5%	34.2		71.9	45.8		51.7		44.0		44.0	30.3				30.3		53.7			51.5		85.3	23.4		9.1	30.3	$13,352	$906	$11,906
Dr. Paul L. Kelley Volunteer Academy	Public	9-12	535 Chickamauga Avenue Avenue	Knoxville	37917	Knox County	Knox County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(865) 525-0069	72	10	7.2		39 (54.2%)	20 (27.8%)	10 (13.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (4.2%)	6.9	391^st of 400 public high schools	2.3%					(n/a)								< 5%	< 5%	< 5%			< 5%	10.0	6.1		5.9		< 5%			< 5%		< 5%									< 5%		< 5%	$34,515	$1,011	$33,156
Central High School	Public	9-12	5321 Jacksboro Pike	Knoxville	37918	Knox County	Knox County Schools	No	No	No	No	(865) 689-1400	1,296	86	15.0		707 (54.6%)	223 (17.2%)	257 (19.8%)	16 (1.2%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	91 (7.0%)	47.2	202^nd of 400 public high schools	49.5%		43.1	205^th of 389 public high schools	47.3%	3	12.2	< 5%			11.2		91.1	27.0	< 5%	37.7		69.9	40.3		48.5		34.6		34.4	39.4	< 5%			37.5		57.2	< 5%		52.8		≥ 95%	26.8	9.1		33.3	$13,026	$718	$11,854
West High School	Public, Magnet	9-12	3300 Sutherland Avenue	Knoxville	37919	Knox County	Knox County Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(865) 594-4477	1,509	88	17.0	34.3%	876 (58.1%)	312 (20.7%)	196 (13.0%)	34 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.3%)	86 (5.7%)	60.2	125^th of 400 public high schools	68.8%		62.6	108^th of 389 public high schools	72.2%	17	11.7	< 5%			10.7		89.0	17.1	9.1	44.7	83.8	70.4	29.4	10.0	61.7		49.3		49.1	56.0				54.8		67.9			65.9		≥ 95%	26.4	7.7		48.4	$12,616	$827	$11,481
Fulton High School	Public	9-12	2509 North Broadway	Knoxville	37917	Knox County	Knox County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(865) 594-1240	927	74	12.6		217 (23.4%)	289 (31.2%)	355 (38.3%)	3 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	62 (6.7%)	12.4	363^rd of 400 public high schools	9.3%		13.4	352^nd of 389 public high schools	9.5%	11	5.5	< 5%			5.1		30.0	< 5%	5.6	5.1			21.4		11.1		13.3		13.2	15.7				15.5		38.8	< 5%		31.8		76.9	9.0	< 5%		11.6	$15,766	$1,492	$13,732
Karns High School	Public	9-12	2710 Byington Solway Road	Knoxville	37931	Knox County	Knox County Schools	No	No	No	No	(865) 539-8670	1,341	90	14.9	36.3%	906 (67.6%)	111 (8.3%)	235 (17.5%)	10 (0.7%)	6 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	72 (5.4%)	47.9	199^th of 400 public high schools	50.3%		46.4	191^st of 389 public high schools	50.9%	8	10.5	6.7			10.2		74.1	17.4	< 5%	27.3		77.9	49.2		57.2		47.1		46.9	31.7				31.7		58.6			57.5		93.1	29.4	36.4		35.6	$12,677	$897	$11,349
Halls High School	Public	9-12	4321 East Emory Road	Knoxville	37938	Knox County	Knox County Schools	No	No	No	No	(865) 922-7757	1,252	72	17.3	28.3%	1,034 (82.6%)	25 (2.0%)	147 (11.7%)	13 (1.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (2.6%)	43.2	228^th of 400 public high schools	43.0%		41.9	210^th of 389 public high schools	46.0%	18	13.1	< 5%			11.8		75.3	14.1	< 5%	29.9	81.2				75.6		46.2		46.3	40.7				40.2		50.7	33.3		49.8		91.8	13.8	< 5%		31.3	$12,421	$795	$11,320
L N STEM Academy	Public, Magnet	9-12	800 World's Fair Park Drive	Knoxville	37902	Knox County	Knox County Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(865) 329-8440	581	33	17.4	13.9%	457 (78.7%)	28 (4.8%)	39 (6.7%)	27 (4.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (5.2%)	98.2	3^rd of 400 public high schools	99.3%		89.2	23^rd of 389 public high schools	94.1%	20	54.0				54.7		≥ 95%	56.2		77.5		≥ 95%	85.9		92.6		88.6		88.6	83.4				83.6		93.0			93.1		≥ 95%	64.1			83.4	$12,335	$744	$11,269
Bearden High School	Public	9-12	8352 Kingston Pike	Knoxville	37919	Knox County	Knox County Schools	No	No	No	No	(865) 539-7800	2,008	114	17.5	20.8%	1,421 (70.8%)	172 (8.6%)	247 (12.3%)	61 (3.0%)	2 (0.1%)	3 (0.1%)	102 (5.1%)	68.5	92^nd of 400 public high schools	77.0%		69.4	81^st of 389 public high schools	79.2%	11	21.7	5.0			20.5	≥ 95%	94.8	32.3	< 5%	50.0	92.8	53.3	46.8	28.6	61.1		42.6		42.3	48.1				47.4		74.1	12.5		71.2		93.4	39.8	20.0		51.1	$11,936	$819	$10,844
Clinton High School	Public	9-12	425 Dragon Drive	Clinton	37716	Anderson County	Anderson County Schools	No	No	No	No	(865) 457-2611	1,073	73	14.7	44.7%	933 (87.0%)	40 (3.7%)	61 (5.7%)	3 (0.3%)	4 (0.4%)	3 (0.3%)	29 (2.7%)	56.7	146^th of 400 public high schools	63.5%		58.5	134^th of 389 public high schools	65.6%	12	33.8				32.1		82.8	19.8	10.0	28.4	≥ 95%	34.8	28.6		55.0		53.8	46.7	53.3	31.7	< 5%			30.0		57.0			55.4		≥ 95%	43.8			47.3	$12,920	$574	$11,933

Frequently Asked Questions about Powell High School

What is the racial makeup of Powell High School?

Students at Powell High School are 66% White, 19% Hispanic, 8% African American, 6% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

How many students attend Powell High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,253 students attended Powell High School.

What district is Powell High School in?

Knox County Schools

Is Powell High School a good school?

Powell High School ranks 198^th of 400 Tennessee high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What schools feed into Powell High School?

Powell High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Norwood Elementary School
Elementary : Powell Elementary School
Middle : Powell Middle 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.