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Holston Middle School

Q: Is Holston Middle School a good school?

Holston Middle School ranks 344 th of 583 Tennessee middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

344^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 583 Tennessee Middle Schools

Better than 41% of Tennessee middle schools

Summary

Holston Middle School is a public middle school in Knoxville, Tennessee, serving 476 students in grades 6-8. The school is part of the Knox County School District, which is ranked 77 out of 139 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Holston Middle School consistently ranks in the bottom half of Tennessee middle schools, with low academic performance across all subjects and grade levels. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 25.6% of Holston students were proficient or better in Mathematics, compared to 43.2% in Knox County and 42.2% statewide. The school also struggles with high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 18.9% to 22.2% over the past 4 years, which is significantly higher than the state average. Despite increased spending per student, from $11,111 in 2020-2021 to $15,262 in 2023-2024, the school's academic outcomes have not improved.

Compared to nearby middle schools in the Knox County district, such as Powell Middle School, Gibbs Middle School, and Carter Middle School, Holston Middle School performs significantly worse, with lower academic achievement and higher chronic absenteeism. The only exception is Vine Middle/Magnet School, which also struggles with low performance and is ranked among the lowest-performing middle schools in the state.

461

Students ?

13.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,855

Per pupil spending ?

44.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

600 Chilhowee DR
Knoxville, TN 37924

(865) 594-1300

District: Knox County

Students who attend Holston Middle School usually attend:

High:

Gibbs High School

Feeder schools for Holston Middle School:

Elementary:

Ritta Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

53.8%

African American:

30.6%

Hispanic:

10.0%

See top rated Tennessee middle schools

Compare Holston Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 30th percentile in 2022 → 41st in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 41st (2025) from a 30th-percentile low (2022)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Tennessee average (34% vs 43% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (26% vs 18% Tennessee)

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school34%

District avg46%

Tennessee avg43%

344^th of 583

Tennessee public middle schools ?

Bottom 41%▼ down 22 pts since 2015

From top 37% (2015) to bottom 41% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Tennessee Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

11^th of 16Middle Schools in the Knox County

77^th of 139Knox County 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
2025	40.5	344 of 583	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.1	337 of 587	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.5	371 of 594	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.8	396 of 569	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	30.2	392 of 576	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	36.4	386 of 574	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	64.4	145 of 563	74.2%	★★★★☆
2017	49.5	186 of 362	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2015	63.4	183 of 492	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2014	54.8	220 of 485	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2013	54.8	257 of 475	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2012	56.4	219 of 466	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2011	49.2	254 of 462	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2010	60.9	160 of 435	63.2%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	29.0	220 of 312	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	37.0	170 of 318	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.8	171 of 316	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.4	187 of 299	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	29.4	178 of 277	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	28.5	209 of 293	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	63.6	75 of 284	73.6%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	44.1	308 of 546	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	43.6	306 of 554	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.4	322 of 560	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.4	355 of 552	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	31.8	363 of 538	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	40.7	327 of 529	38.2%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	25.6	230 of 286	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.9	194 of 285	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.5	193 of 285	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	47.3	123 of 275	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	51.7	93 of 261	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	54.6	77 of 228	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	67.0	54 of 219	75.3%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	12.5	468 of 490	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	25.2	406 of 510	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	34.1	328 of 514	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	25.2	398 of 495	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	26.2	367 of 483	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	33.1	347 of 490	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	64.3	119 of 481	75.3%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	34.8	370 of 550	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.5	373 of 560	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.9	383 of 557	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	26.1	400 of 540	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	28.1	380 of 529	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	32.0	375 of 523	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	35.5	195 of 332	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.6	170 of 299	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	24.2	250 of 288	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.3	254 of 260	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	23.1	213 of 238	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	35.0	142 of 222	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	48.6	110 of 279	60.6%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	48.2	236 of 492	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	41.3	278 of 504	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.3	311 of 503	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.8	326 of 500	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	30.7	350 of 496	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	46.7	233 of 484	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	59.8	152 of 481	68.4%	★★★☆☆

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)

White (2025)52nd percentile+11 vs school

Female (2025)44th percentile+3 vs school

Special Education (2025)41st percentile~ school

Male (2025)33rd percentile-8 vs school

African American (2025)29th percentile-12 vs school

Hispanic (2025)20th percentile-21 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)4th percentile-37 vs school

By subject vs Tennessee (2024-2025) ?

Algebra I64%+34 vs state

Social Studies44%-5 vs state

Science35%-11 vs state

English Language Arts30%-9 vs state

Mathematics26%-17 vs state

1.8

4 ratings · 4 written reviews

5★0

4★1

3★0

2★0

1★3

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What people are saying

by a parent
Tuesday, August 11, 2015

This school doesn't follow a students IEP as they are required to do. The teachers are very rude & look down on students if they are not in the top ranking grades in their class. Close Quote

by a student on FaceBook
Wednesday, January 11, 2012

im a student at holston middle school.i found my best friends there.i will admit some of the teachers are hard to like .but i had wonderful math and science teachers.my favorite related arts classes were gym and art.we have a great sports like basketball and soccer.they even have sports like volleyball, golf or football.there are some fights here but thats the students fault .you cant blame the teachers for that.we have dances after school on some holidays.they have tutoring to.no matter what thers something to do here. Close Quote

by a citizen
Monday, October 3, 2011

My grandchild was beaten by another child and the administration didn't contact their parent or other emergency contact even though there were injuries. On the same date of the incident there were multiple fights at the school with injuries. The school administration is a poor example of staff and I believe with all of the fights with injuries that the children are in danger at Holston Middle School. Why are the county executives not doing something? Close Quote

by a parent
Thursday, May 12, 2011

This is the worst school my children every attended. They went from A & B students to D students within the first year. Teachers were rude and disrespectful. With my second daughter I was there every year for something. At one point, I had a teacher to tell me he was asking my daughter if she wanted to sit in the hall way by the time she was walking into the classroom. I asked why. His response was she was not easy to teach. I have to agree he did not have the easiest group of kids in that class, but no excuse. I went on to ask if she was causing trouble, he stated no everyone else would not leave her alone. So punish my child and her education because of everyone else. This was just the minor stuff. If I had more children I would move before sending my child to this school. I live about 25 minutes from this school. I have found out that people who live within minutes are not going to this school, and it is due to rezoning not a transfer. Close Quote

Schools Near Holston Middle School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				TNReady Mathematics (2025)				TNReady English Language Arts (2025)				TNReady Algebra I (2025)			TNReady English I (2025)		TNReady Science (2025)				TNReady Social Studies (2025)				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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	TNReady Mathematics 6th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 7th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 8th Grade	TNReady Mathematics All Grades	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 8th Grade	TNReady Algebra I 9th Grade	TNReady Algebra I All Grades	TNReady English I 9th Grade	TNReady English I All Grades	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
Holston Middle School	Public	6-8	600 Chilhowee DR	Knoxville	37924	Knox County	Knox County	No	No	No	Yes	(865) 594-1300	476	36	13.2		238 (50.0%)	153 (32.1%)	51 (10.7%)	8 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (5.5%)	40.5	344^th of 583 public middle schools	41.0%		40.1	337^th of 587 public middle schools	42.6%	7	32.7	27.5	14.8	25.6	36.1	27.3	27.8	30.4	63.6		63.6			48.3	34.9	12.9	35.2	42.9	40.3	47.9	43.6	$15,855	$1,513	$13,493
Whittle Springs Middle School	Public	6-8	2700 White Oak LN	Knoxville	37917	Knox County	Knox County	No	No	No	Yes	(865) 594-4474	467	38	12.2		147 (31.5%)	92 (19.7%)	190 (40.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (7.9%)	24.8	455^th of 583 public middle schools	22.0%		17.6	487^th of 587 public middle schools	17.0%	32	29.3	9.6	13.8	16.7	23.6	19.8	12.1	18.5						32.2	46.7	23.1	35.2	36.6	34.1	29.8	33.5	$16,459	$1,952	$13,660
Vine Middle/Magnet	Public, Magnet	6-8	1807 Martin Luther King Jr AVE	Knoxville	37915	Knox County	Knox County	No	Yes	No	Yes	(865) 594-4461	393	35	11.3		61 (15.5%)	234 (59.5%)	68 (17.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	28 (7.1%)	7.6	562^nd of 583 public middle schools	3.6%		7.6	567^th of 587 public middle schools	3.4%	5	11.4	11.8		9.0	11.4	14.2	7.5	10.9	13.3		18.8			13.5	21.0	8.5	14.5	15.1	18.6	11.5	15.0	$19,838	$2,151	$16,777
Tennessee School for the Deaf Middle School	Public	6-8	2527 Island Home BLVD	Knoxville	37920	Knox County	Tennessee Schools for the Deaf	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(865) 579-2507	0																		(n/a)
Tennessee Virtual Junior High School	Public, Virtual	7-9	1924 Dutch Valley DR	Knoxville	37918	Knox County	Union County	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(865) 992-9026	914	41	22.5		512 (56.0%)	252 (27.6%)	58 (6.3%)	11 (1.2%)	5 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	76 (8.3%)	22	464^th of 583 public middle schools	20.4%		16.9	490^th of 587 public middle schools	16.5%	26		17.5	10.9	14.2		23.6	18.5	21.0		10.1	10.1	23.9	23.9		40.3	22.8	31.4		33.0	22.4	27.6	$5,608	$151	$5,446
Knoxville Preparatory	Public, Charter	6	967 Irwin ST	Knoxville	37917	Knox County	Knox County	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(865) 394-8989	0																		(n/a)																						$30,780	$4,548	$25,319
Gresham Middle School	Public	6-8	500 Gresham RD	Knoxville	37918	Knox County	Knox County	No	No	No	No	(865) 689-1430	801	48	16.6		463 (57.8%)	141 (17.6%)	121 (15.1%)	6 (0.7%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	69 (8.6%)	50.8	268^th of 583 public middle schools	54.0%		47.1	295^th of 587 public middle schools	49.7%	27	42.0	31.0	16.2	30.4	43.1	33.2	26.1	34.1						54.9	40.1	24.8	40.7	52.0	55.6	42.9	50.2	$12,673	$1,164	$10,905
South Doyle Middle School	Public	6-8	3900 Decatur RD	Knoxville	37920	Knox County	Knox County	No	No	No	Yes	(865) 579-2133	799	60	13.3		531 (66.5%)	126 (15.8%)	76 (9.5%)	6 (0.8%)	2 (0.3%)	3 (0.4%)	55 (6.9%)	37	374^th of 583 public middle schools	35.8%		32	406^th of 587 public middle schools	30.8%	32	29.7	24.4	19.9	25.0	33.7	27.1	23.6	28.2	41.3		41.3			43.3	41.2	18.0	35.4	46.4	45.1	34.0	41.9	$14,454	$1,419	$12,345
Halls Middle School	Public	6-8	4317 East Emory RD	Knoxville	37938	Knox County	Knox County	No	No	No	No	(865) 922-7494	996	65	15.3		812 (81.5%)	22 (2.2%)	128 (12.9%)	7 (0.7%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	24 (2.4%)	55.2	232^nd of 583 public middle schools	60.2%		54.4	239^th of 587 public middle schools	59.3%	7	43.8	37.2	17.9	34.3	37.2	32.3	30.8	33.3	60.5		61.5			47.8	43.4	26.8	40.4	62.8	56.7	54.1	57.8	$12,662	$980	$11,237
Gibbs Middle School	Public	6-8	7625 Tazewell	Corryton	37721	Knox County	Knox County	No	No	No	No	(865) 594-1800	614	34	18.0		551 (89.7%)	10 (1.6%)	22 (3.6%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (4.6%)	53.3	247^th of 583 public middle schools	57.6%		49.7	274^th of 587 public middle schools	53.3%	27	38.5	33.2	17.9	31.2	40.0	36.8	25.4	34.3	60.0		60.0			53.5	44.5	23.2	42.3	56.5	52.6	51.6	53.6	$12,774	$730	$11,390

Frequently Asked Questions about Holston Middle School

Is Holston Middle School a good school?

Holston Middle School ranks 344^th of 583 Tennessee middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Holston Middle School in?

Knox County

How many students attend Holston Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 461 students attended Holston Middle School.

What high school do graduates of Holston Middle School attend?

Students who attend Holston Middle School usually go on to attend Gibbs High School

What is the racial makeup of Holston Middle School?

Students at Holston Middle School are 54% White, 31% African American, 10% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races.

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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.