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Hardin Valley Middle School

Public Grades 6-8

47^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 594 Tennessee Middle Schools

Better than 92% of Tennessee middle schools

Summary

Hardin Valley Middle School serves roughly 1,061 students in grades 6–8 in Knoxville, Tennessee, and consistently ranks among the best middle schools in the state. For 2025–2026, it ranks 47th out of 594 Tennessee middle schools — landing in the 92nd percentile with a 5-star rating. Over the past seven school years, the school has never fallen below the 88th percentile statewide. This is especially notable because Knox County Schools ranks only in the 45th percentile statewide, making Hardin Valley a clear standout within its district.

Academically, the school beats district and state averages in every core subject. In 2025–2026, 56.1% of students tested proficient in math (versus 43.0% statewide), 52.9% in English Language Arts (versus 40.6% statewide), 65.8% in science, and 75.5% in social studies — a full 24 points above the state average. The algebra program is especially remarkable: 94.3% of tested students scored proficient in Algebra I, versus 32.3% statewide. Hardin Valley also outperforms nearby Bearden Middle School, Powell Middle School, Karns Middle School, and Cedar Bluff Middle School by wide margins. Only Farragut Middle School and West Valley Middle School rank higher in the region.

Attendance is another strength: Hardin Valley's chronic absenteeism rate was 15.0% in 2024–2025, below Knox County's 19.4% and the state's 18.3%. The school also delivers strong results across most student groups, including special education students, who rank in the 88th percentile statewide. The main areas for improvement are a decline in math and ELA proficiency between 6th and 8th grade, and closing the gap for Hispanic students and students from economically disadvantaged households. For families, Hardin Valley Middle School offers top-tier academics, an exceptional advanced math pathway, and solid attendance — all at a cost per student ($11,459) that is lower than many nearby lower-performing schools.

1,061

Students ?

17.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,459

Per pupil spending ?

21.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2280 Steele
Knoxville, TN 37901

(865) 594-1800

District: Knox County Schools

Students who attend Hardin Valley Middle School usually attend:

High:

Hardin Valley Academy

Feeder schools for Hardin Valley Middle School:

Elementary:

Hardin Valley Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

74.2%

Hispanic:

10.7%

Asian:

6.3%

See top rated Tennessee middle schools

Compare Hardin Valley Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 95th percentile in 2019 → 92nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Tennessee average (64% vs 44% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 8% of Tennessee middle schools

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Knox County Schools

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school64%

District avg48%

Tennessee avg44%

47^th of 594

Tennessee public middle schools ?

Top 8%▼ down 3 pts since 2019

See the entire ranking list of Tennessee Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd 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	88.4	47 of 594	92.1%	★★★★★
2025	89.3	46 of 583	92.1%	★★★★★
2024	87.1	49 of 587	91.7%	★★★★★
2023	82.9	69 of 594	88.4%	★★★★☆
2022	84.9	51 of 569	91.0%	★★★★★
2021	85.8	46 of 576	92.0%	★★★★★
2019	91.8	31 of 574	94.6%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	80.9	43 of 328	86.9%	★★★★☆
2025	89.3	22 of 312	92.9%	★★★★★
2024	85.9	29 of 318	90.9%	★★★★★
2023	81.6	39 of 316	87.7%	★★★★☆
2022	79.6	32 of 299	89.3%	★★★★☆
2021	69.8	50 of 277	81.9%	★★★★☆
2019	79.1	37 of 293	87.4%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	65.8	22 of 57	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	66.3	20 of 63	68.3%	★★★★☆
2024	64.2	25 of 65	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.1	23 of 56	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	48.9	39 of 62	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	62.1	26 of 62	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	76.1	13 of 55	76.4%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	73.1	12 of 100	88.0%	★★★★☆
2024	29.9	63 of 73	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	57.9	12 of 42	71.4%	★★★★☆
2022	33.5	23 of 32	28.1%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	87.6	46 of 546	91.6%	★★★★★
2024	85.7	51 of 554	90.8%	★★★★★
2023	81.8	64 of 560	88.6%	★★★★☆
2022	83.9	49 of 552	91.1%	★★★★★
2021	82.6	52 of 538	90.3%	★★★★★
2019	90.4	29 of 529	94.5%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	45.7	155 of 302	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	51.5	126 of 286	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.3	131 of 285	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.1	125 of 285	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.1	80 of 275	70.9%	★★★★☆
2021	65.4	60 of 261	77.0%	★★★★☆
2019	70.0	48 of 228	78.9%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	57.8	166 of 478	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	56.3	175 of 490	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	66.3	114 of 510	77.6%	★★★★☆
2023	50.7	218 of 514	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.8	137 of 495	72.3%	★★★★☆
2021	51.1	177 of 483	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	54.2	171 of 490	65.1%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	87.9	44 of 550	92.0%	★★★★★
2024	85.4	52 of 560	90.7%	★★★★★
2023	81.6	64 of 557	88.5%	★★★★☆
2022	83.0	52 of 540	90.4%	★★★★★
2021	86.4	43 of 529	91.9%	★★★★★
2019	91.2	32 of 523	93.9%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	69.0	42 of 349	88.0%	★★★★☆
2025	67.6	47 of 332	85.8%	★★★★☆
2024	56.3	66 of 299	77.9%	★★★★☆
2023	55.4	59 of 288	79.5%	★★★★☆
2022	67.5	30 of 260	88.5%	★★★★☆
2021	54.7	54 of 238	77.3%	★★★★☆
2019	45.6	95 of 222	57.2%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	85.3	55 of 494	88.9%	★★★★☆
2025	84.5	56 of 492	88.6%	★★★★☆
2024	82.0	67 of 504	86.7%	★★★★☆
2023	78.8	84 of 503	83.3%	★★★★☆
2022	82.1	57 of 500	88.6%	★★★★☆
2021	85.3	50 of 496	89.9%	★★★★★
2019	90.3	33 of 484	93.2%	★★★★★

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)

Male (2025)92nd percentile~ school

Female (2025)92nd percentile~ school

White (2026)89th percentile-3 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)88th percentile-4 vs school

Special Education (2026)88th percentile-4 vs school

African American (2026)87th percentile-5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)65th percentile-27 vs school

Asian (2026)61st percentile-31 vs school

Hispanic (2026)49th percentile-43 vs school

By subject vs Tennessee (2025-2026) ?

Algebra I94%+62 vs state

Social Studies76%+24 vs state

Science66%+19 vs state

Mathematics56%+13 vs state

English Language Arts53%+12 vs state

★

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Schools Near Hardin Valley 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	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 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
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	21.7%	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
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	10.1%	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
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	40.1%	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
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	36.8%	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
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	13.4%	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
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	42.3%	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
Robertsville Middle School	Public	5-8	245 Robertsville Road	Oak Ridge	37830	Anderson County	Oak Ridge Schools	No	No	No	No	(865) 425-9201	743	50	14.9	52.3%	510 (68.6%)	86 (11.6%)	61 (8.2%)	7 (0.9%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.4%)	75 (10.1%)	74.5	114^th of 594 public middle schools	80.8%		73.5	122^nd of 583 public middle schools	79.1%	8	50.0	53.2	41.0	38.8	46.6	35.7	47.4	44.5	31.8	39.9			76.5	76.5								38.4	66.5	64.0	67.3	58.8	53.7	63.6	62.4	59.7	$15,236	$687	$14,021
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	41.0%	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
North Middle School	Public	5-8	421 Hickory Creek Road	Lenoir City	37771	Loudon County	Loudon County Schools	No	No	No	No	(865) 986-9944	750	44	17.2	42.1%	619 (82.5%)	6 (0.8%)	101 (13.5%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (2.7%)	86.8	52^nd of 594 public middle schools	91.2%		83.3	67^th of 583 public middle schools	88.5%	15	69.4	52.5	60.4	69.0	62.3	61.4	51.8	52.2	50.8	53.9			≥ 95%	≥ 95%								70.6	71.2	59.9	69.7	67.9	57.9	71.4	67.0	65.2	$10,611	$569	$9,452
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	39.0%	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

Frequently Asked Questions about Hardin Valley Middle School

What is the racial makeup of Hardin Valley Middle School?

Students at Hardin Valley Middle School are 74% White, 11% Hispanic, 6% Asian, 5% Two or more races, 3% African American.

How many students attend Hardin Valley Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,061 students attended Hardin Valley Middle School.

Is Hardin Valley Middle School a good school?

Yes. Hardin Valley Middle School ranks in the top 7.9% of Tennessee middle schools.

What district is Hardin Valley Middle School in?

Knox County Schools

What high school do graduates of Hardin Valley Middle School attend?

Students who attend Hardin Valley Middle School usually go on to attend Hardin Valley Academy

Rate Hardin Valley 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.