Bearden Middle School

Bearden Middle School is a large public middle school in Knoxville, Tennessee, serving approximately 1,229 students in grades 6–8 as part of Knox County Schools. The school earns a 4-star rating and currently ranks #169 of 594 Tennessee middle schools, placing it in the 72nd percentile — solidly above average. Bearden's standout strengths are English language arts, science, and social studies, along with an exceptional Algebra I program where 88.2% of students score proficient, far exceeding the state average of 32.3%.

Compared with nearby Knox County middle schools, Bearden occupies a distinct middle tier: it is the top-ranked school among the cluster that includes Powell Middle School, Karns Middle School, and Cedar Bluff Middle School, yet trails far behind the county's elite schools, Farragut Middle School and West Valley Middle School. Bearden's ELA proficiency of 43.2% ranks third among nearby schools, behind Farragut (70.5%) and West Valley (63.0%). The school's clearest challenge is general math. With 35.5% proficiency, Bearden falls below both the state (43.0%) and district (45.0%) averages, and 8th-grade math proficiency drops to just 23.3% — a pattern that reflects many advanced students taking Algebra I instead of grade-level math.

Bearden's other major concern is equity: outcomes vary widely across student groups. English learners, students from low-income families, and special education students score well below their peers, and English learner performance has declined sharply in recent years. Chronic absenteeism has improved steadily from 28.1% to 19.7%, but roughly one in five students still misses too much school — nearly double the rate at Farragut (10.3%) and West Valley (12.3%). Interestingly, Bearden spends $12,022 per student, more than either of those higher-performing schools, which suggests that targeted support matters more than total spending.