Tellico Plains Junior High School

Tellico Plains Junior High School is a small, rural middle school in Tellico Plains, Tennessee, serving 258 students in grades 5 through 8 as part of Monroe County Schools. The school holds a 2-star rating and ranks 396th out of 594 Tennessee middle schools, with scores generally below state averages, though there are several genuine bright spots alongside the challenges.

The school's clearest academic strength is Social Studies, where 40.3% of students are proficient, well above Madisonville Middle School (30.8%) and Brown Intermediate School (29.6%). Seventh grade stands out across the board, with math, science, and Social Studies proficiency rates that beat both district and state averages. The school has also made significant gains with students from low-income families, climbing from the 41st to the 62nd percentile in statewide subgroup rankings, and chronic absenteeism has been cut dramatically from 45.3% in 2020–21 to 18.1% today. TPJHS now outperforms Madisonville Middle School in every tested subject and has far fewer students missing school regularly.

On the flip side, 6th grade science is a major concern at just 15.9% proficiency—a 32-point gap from the state average. Special education students rank in the 14th percentile statewide, and male student performance has slipped from the 42nd to the 27th percentile over two years. Despite spending more per student ($14,204) than any comparable nearby school, TPJHS trails both Athens City Middle School and Vonore Middle School in most subjects—Athens City posts much stronger math and science scores while spending about $2,400 less per student. Within its own district, TPJHS is the middle performer: ahead of Madisonville Middle School but clearly behind Vonore Middle School. The most encouraging sign is the rapid improvement among low-income students, which suggests recent initiatives may be taking hold and could be expanded schoolwide.