Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Central Middle School

Q: Is Central Middle School a good school?

Central Middle School ranks 426 th of 594 Tennessee middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades 5-8

426^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 594 Tennessee Middle Schools

Better than 28% of Tennessee middle schools

Summary

Central Middle School is a small school in Wartburg, Tennessee, serving 317 students in grades 5–8 and operating within the Morgan County Schools district, one of the lowest-ranked districts in the state at 132 out of 141. The school itself is ranked 426 out of 594 Tennessee middle schools for the 2025–2026 school year, placing it in the 28th percentile with a 1-star rating. Academically, Central trails the state average in every core subject: math proficiency is 28.1% versus 43.0% statewide, while English Language Arts proficiency is just 16.3%, less than half of the state's 40.6% average.

The most striking concern for parents is English Language Arts, where Central's proficiency rate sits 12 to 32 percentage points behind every nearby middle school. This weakness is consistent across all grade levels, from 18.3% in 5th grade down to 11.9% in 8th grade. Additionally, chronic absenteeism reached 38.7% in 2023–2024 — nearly three times the district rate and double the state average — and per-pupil spending of $10,716 is lower than every comparable nearby school, including Norwood Middle School's $18,434 and Oliver Springs Middle School's $16,872.

Central is the lowest-ranked middle school in its immediate area. Cherokee Middle School, located just 16 miles away, ranks in the 87th percentile with math and ELA proficiency rates roughly double Central's. However, the school is not uniformly low-performing: 6th graders exceed state averages in math, science, and social studies, and economically disadvantaged students at Central rank in the 33rd percentile statewide — better than the school's overall standing. Chronic absenteeism, weak literacy outcomes, and significant resource gaps remain serious barriers to improvement.

317

Students ?

19.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,716

Per pupil spending ?

31.9%

Directly certified for free meals (2024-25) ?

146 Liberty Road
Wartburg, TN 37887

(423) 346-2800

District: Morgan County Schools

Students who attend Central Middle School usually attend:

High:

Central High School

Feeder schools for Central Middle School:

Elementary:

Central Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

96.2%

Two or more races:

2.8%

Hispanic:

0.6%

See top rated Tennessee middle schools

Compare Central Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 14th percentile in 2014 → 28th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 14 percentile points since 2014

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Tennessee average (27% vs 45% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (39% vs 19% Tennessee)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school27%

District avg33%

Tennessee avg45%

426^th of 594

Tennessee public middle schools ?

Bottom 28%▲ up 17 pts since 2018

From bottom 11% (2018) to bottom 28% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Tennessee Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

132^nd of 141Morgan 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	31.6	426 of 594	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	19.4	481 of 583	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.0	440 of 587	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.0	419 of 594	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.8	402 of 569	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.0	449 of 576	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	16.6	495 of 574	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	15.5	500 of 563	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	21.6	443 of 492	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	23.9	415 of 485	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	30.3	409 of 475	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	17.9	417 of 466	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	36.2	324 of 462	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2010	48.9	221 of 435	49.2%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	16.9	462 of 546	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.6	423 of 554	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.6	399 of 560	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.2	394 of 552	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.3	427 of 538	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	14.4	472 of 529	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	30.5	20 of 31	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.8	14 of 23	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.3	14 of 26	46.2%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	36.1	322 of 478	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	25.7	386 of 490	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	36.8	315 of 510	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.3	368 of 514	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	33.7	317 of 495	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	33.0	316 of 483	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	20.6	425 of 490	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.5	427 of 481	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	23.3	437 of 550	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.0	424 of 560	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.3	394 of 557	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.3	366 of 540	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	24.4	400 of 529	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.4	431 of 523	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	21.5	295 of 332	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.5	209 of 222	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	21.0	434 of 494	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	11.6	466 of 492	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	18.6	447 of 504	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.2	421 of 503	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.3	420 of 500	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	14.9	460 of 496	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	10.5	468 of 484	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.0	472 of 481	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Homeless (2025)35th percentile+18 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)33rd percentile+4 vs school

Male (2025)21st percentile+3 vs school

Female (2025)15th percentile~ school

White (2026)12th percentile-16 vs school

Special Education (2025)11th percentile-6 vs school

By subject vs Tennessee (2025-2026) ?

Social Studies36%-15 vs state

Science31%-16 vs state

Mathematics28%-15 vs state

English Language Arts16%-24 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Central Middle School and help other families decide.

Rate Central Middle School

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Central Middle School

Load more schools when map is moved

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 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	Directly certified (2024-25)	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 8th Grade	TNReady Algebra I All Grades	TNReady Biology I 8th Grade	TNReady Biology I All Grades	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
Central Middle School	Public	5-8	146 Liberty Road	Wartburg	37887	Morgan County	Morgan County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 346-2800	246	13	19.6	31.9%	238 (96.7%)	1 (0.4%)	3 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.6%)	31.6	426^th of 594 public middle schools	28.3%		19.4	481^st of 583 public middle schools	17.5%	55	8.5	59.1	31.0	14.9	28.1	18.3	21.2	14.3	11.9	16.3							15.5	54.5	32.1	23.9	31.3	53.0	27.4	29.9	35.9	$10,716	$577	$8,979
Harriman Middle School	Public	6-8	1025 Cumberland Street	Harriman	37748	Roane County	Roane County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(865) 882-1727	290	19	15.5	38.0%	230 (79.3%)	13 (4.5%)	14 (4.8%)	2 (0.7%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (10.0%)	56.4	246^th of 594 public middle schools	58.6%		48.6	289^th of 583 public middle schools	50.4%	43		59.3	30.3	46.1	45.0		37.6	27.0	31.0	31.8								64.0	31.5	45.9	46.9	52.3	56.2	45.9	51.5	$14,236	$901	$12,315
Oliver Springs Middle School	Public	6-8	317 Roane Street	Oliver Springs	37840	Roane County	Roane County Schools	No	No	No	No	(865) 435-0011	164	13	12.3	21.5%	151 (92.1%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (5.5%)	41.4	355^th of 594 public middle schools	40.2%		46.4	304^th of 583 public middle schools	47.9%	51		40.0	34.8	16.9	29.1		46.7	27.5	20.0	28.3								53.3	39.1	51.7	46.5	40.0	46.4	30.0	39.0	$16,872	$776	$14,592
Norwood Middle School	Public	6-8	803 Tri- County Boulevard	Oliver Springs	37840	Roane County	Anderson County Schools	No	No	No	No	(865) 435-7749	158	16	9.8	29.6%	137 (86.7%)	3 (1.9%)	8 (5.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (6.3%)	46.4	316^th of 594 public middle schools	46.8%		46.7	301^st of 583 public middle schools	48.4%	15		40.9	40.7	47.9	43.0		29.5	32.2	22.4	28.3								47.7	39.0	35.4	40.4	50.0	49.2	27.1	42.4	$18,434	$875	$16,588
Cherokee Middle School	Public	6-8	200 Paint Rock Ferry Road	Kingston	37763	Roane County	Roane County Schools	No	No	No	No	(865) 376-9281	520	31	16.6	17.6%	458 (88.1%)	8 (1.5%)	25 (4.8%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (5.0%)	82.7	75^th of 594 public middle schools	87.4%		80.4	82^nd of 583 public middle schools	85.9%	7		63.9	48.3	56.6	56.6		56.4	40.1	39.8	45.6	≥ 95%	≥ 95%						62.0	60.5	66.3	63.0	70.1	61.2	69.3	67.1	$12,252	$547	$10,946
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	24.3%	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
Rockwood Middle School	Public	6-8	434 West Rockwood Street	Rockwood	37854	Roane County	Roane County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(865) 354-0931	281	20	14.0	38.3%	250 (89.0%)	8 (2.8%)	9 (3.2%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (4.3%)	44.2	331^st of 594 public middle schools	44.3%		31.2	412^th of 583 public middle schools	29.3%	81		39.0	37.2	23.3	33.5		43.0	24.7	22.2	30.5								46.0	40.7	41.1	42.8	44.0	43.0	40.0	42.4	$14,526	$778	$12,648
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	14.6%	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

Frequently Asked Questions about Central Middle School

Is Central Middle School a good school?

Central Middle School ranks 426^th of 594 Tennessee middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

What district is Central Middle School in?

Morgan County Schools

How many students attend Central Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 317 students attended Central Middle School.

What high school do graduates of Central Middle School attend?

Students who attend Central Middle School usually go on to attend Central High School

What is the racial makeup of Central Middle School?

Students at Central Middle School are 96% White, 3% Two or more races.

Rate Central Middle School!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

TNTennessee Middle School Rankings

TNTennessee District Rankings

Schools in Wartburg, TN

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Central Middle School!

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.