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Jere Whitson Elementary

Q: Is Jere Whitson Elementary a good school?

Jere Whitson Elementary ranks 671 st of 1009 Tennessee elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-4

671^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,009 Tennessee Elementary Schools

Better than 33% of Tennessee elementary schools

Summary

Jere Whitson Elementary is a public elementary school in Cookeville, Tennessee, serving 317 students in grades PK-4 as part of the Putnam County School District. While the district is ranked 71 out of 139 in the state, Jere Whitson Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Tennessee elementary schools, with academic performance below the district and state averages across all subjects and grade levels.

The school's performance varies significantly across different student subgroups. White students and those from low socioeconomic backgrounds perform relatively better, ranking in the middle third of Tennessee elementary schools. In contrast, Hispanic students and English Language Learners perform significantly worse, ranking in the bottom quarter or even bottom 5-10% of the state. The school has also experienced high rates of chronic absenteeism, ranging from 8.9% to 20.2% over the past few years, which is notably higher than the state average.

While Jere Whitson Elementary's per-student spending has increased in recent years and its student-teacher ratio is generally lower than nearby schools, its academic performance lags behind many of its counterparts, such as Prescott South Elementary and Capshaw Elementary, which have significantly higher proficiency rates and state rankings. Addressing the school's performance gaps and chronic absenteeism issues through targeted interventions and learning from the successes of higher-performing schools within the district could be crucial for improving Jere Whitson Elementary's overall outcomes.

339

Students ?

11.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,550

Per pupil spending ?

94.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

178 East Jere Whitson RD
Cookeville, TN 38501

(931) 526-6575

District: Putnam County

Students who attend Jere Whitson Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Avery Trace Middle School
High:	Cookeville High School
	Putnam County Adult High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

65.8%

White:

28.6%

African American:

3.2%

See top rated Tennessee elementary schools

Compare Jere Whitson Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 25th percentile in 2013 → 33rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 8 percentile points since 2013

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Tennessee average (36% vs 42% meeting standards)

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

!Science scores 15 pts below the Tennessee average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school36%

District avg48%

Tennessee avg42%

671^st of 1,009

Tennessee public elementary schools ?

Bottom 33%▲ up 14 pts since 2015

From bottom 20% (2015) to bottom 33% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Tennessee Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

10^th of 10Elementary Schools in the Putnam County

71^st of 139Putnam 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	35.5	671 of 1009	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	24.0	799 of 1018	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.4	793 of 1020	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.3	788 of 1000	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	14.7	849 of 983	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.7	777 of 985	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.6	829 of 997	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	31.2	686 of 855	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	28.9	681 of 853	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	42.7	631 of 846	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	41.6	531 of 820	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2011	19.5	722 of 818	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	22.2	683 of 809	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	19.3	205 of 211	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	21.0	168 of 178	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	42.3	84 of 164	48.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	41.1	84 of 165	49.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	28.1	55 of 66	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	45.6	43 of 95	54.7%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	40.1	597 of 986	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	20.6	804 of 990	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.4	838 of 989	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.7	799 of 975	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	13.9	828 of 945	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	17.8	809 of 926	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	37.1	267 of 424	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	24.8	342 of 415	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.0	297 of 387	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.8	270 of 363	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.2	276 of 324	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	35.0	158 of 250	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	26.3	266 of 319	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	53.7	347 of 843	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	45.2	455 of 853	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	53.0	361 of 865	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	47.5	415 of 858	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	37.6	501 of 823	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	40.3	510 of 821	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.2	606 of 877	30.9%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	30.6	716 of 984	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.6	697 of 991	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.1	693 of 987	29.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.1	603 of 980	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	15.4	818 of 941	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	39.6	553 of 916	39.6%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2022	32.3	302 of 447	32.4%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	55.5	332 of 840	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	45.0	445 of 847	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.8	539 of 852	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	21.4	731 of 844	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	30.2	617 of 844	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.3	739 of 841	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆

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)60th percentile+27 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)59th percentile+25 vs school

Female (2025)39th percentile+6 vs school

Hispanic (2025)37th percentile+4 vs school

Special Education (2022)32nd percentile+11 vs school

Male (2025)27th percentile-6 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)3rd percentile-31 vs school

By subject vs Tennessee (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics44%~ state avg

English Language Arts32%-7 vs state

Science31%-15 vs state

★

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Schools Near Jere Whitson Elementary

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 Science (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 3rd Grade	TNReady Mathematics 4th Grade	TNReady Mathematics All Grades	TNReady English Language Arts 3rd Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 4th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts All Grades	TNReady Science 3rd Grade	TNReady Science 4th Grade	TNReady Science All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Jere Whitson Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	178 East Jere Whitson RD	Cookeville	38501	Putnam County	Putnam County	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 526-6575	317	27	11.5		92 (29.0%)	10 (3.2%)	208 (65.6%)	5 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	35.5	671^st of 1009 public elementary schools	33.5%		24	799^th of 1018 public elementary schools	21.5%	128	49.1	39.2	44.3	36.4	27.5	32.1	32.7	29.4	31.1	$14,550	$1,537	$11,687
Sycamore Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	452 Ellis AVE	Cookeville	38501	Putnam County	Putnam County	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 526-9322	310	24	12.9		205 (66.1%)	17 (5.5%)	69 (22.3%)	5 (1.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (4.2%)	37.4	636^th of 1009 public elementary schools	37.0%		39.9	616^th of 1018 public elementary schools	39.5%	20	40.6	41.3	40.9	34.8	31.9	33.6	37.7	34.8	36.5	$15,570	$1,784	$12,760
Capshaw Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	1 Cougar LN	Cookeville	38501	Putnam County	Putnam County	No	No	No	No	(931) 526-2414	522	34	15.5		440 (84.3%)	8 (1.5%)	43 (8.2%)	24 (4.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.1%)	96.3	37^th of 1009 public elementary schools	96.3%		94.9	53^rd of 1018 public elementary schools	94.8%	16	82.7	80.2	81.5	69.7	82.6	75.7	75.8	76.7	76.2	$13,284	$390	$12,098
Cane Creek Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	1500 West Jackson ST	Cookeville	38501	Putnam County	Putnam County	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 520-1173	432	32	13.7		345 (79.9%)	9 (2.1%)	70 (16.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.4%)	57.3	390^th of 1009 public elementary schools	61.3%		43.1	572^nd of 1018 public elementary schools	43.8%	182	54.7	56.7	55.6	42.7	48.3	45.2	37.3	45.0	40.7	$14,481	$1,424	$11,767
Northeast Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	575 N Old Kentucky RD	Cookeville	38501	Putnam County	Putnam County	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 526-2978	453	31	14.7		327 (72.2%)	10 (2.2%)	103 (22.7%)	5 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.8%)	68.7	251^st of 1009 public elementary schools	75.1%		70.8	233^rd of 1018 public elementary schools	77.1%	18	58.0	61.8	59.7	38.8	67.2	51.7	44.4	55.9	49.7	$13,119	$831	$11,384
Algood Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	2525 Old Walton RD	Cookeville	38506	Putnam County	Putnam County	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 303-0362	507	38	13.2		435 (85.8%)	15 (3.0%)	45 (8.9%)	10 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	82.3	140^th of 1009 public elementary schools	86.1%		75.5	189^th of 1018 public elementary schools	81.4%	49	65.7	66.7	66.1	64.8	64.2	64.5	54.8	54.3	54.6	$14,165	$745	$12,499
Park View School	Public	PK, KG-4	2000 Lee Seminary RD	Cookeville	38506	Putnam County	Putnam County	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 526-2516	422	29	14.5		317 (75.1%)	18 (4.3%)	79 (18.7%)	5 (1.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	57	396^th of 1009 public elementary schools	60.8%		57.8	384^th of 1018 public elementary schools	62.3%	12	64.6	51.5	57.9	41.8	47.1	44.4	41.8	39.7	40.7	$15,140	$1,144	$12,933
Prescott South Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	115 W. Cemetery RD	Cookeville	38506	Putnam County	Putnam County	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 526-2275	545	35	15.5		477 (87.5%)	5 (0.9%)	43 (7.9%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (2.9%)	86.2	114^th of 1009 public elementary schools	88.7%		80.2	152^nd of 1018 public elementary schools	85.1%	38	76.8	65.5	70.7	67.4	61.1	63.9	61.1	62.8	62.0	$12,811	$897	$11,192
Cornerstone Elementary	Public	2-4	371 First Avenue South	Baxter	38544	Putnam County	Putnam County	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 858-9190	367	26	14.3		339 (92.4%)	5 (1.4%)	14 (3.8%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	7 (1.9%)	57.2	392^nd of 1009 public elementary schools	61.1%		48.2	497^th of 1018 public elementary schools	51.2%	105	58.9	56.7	57.8	42.9	40.3	41.6	43.8	43.3	43.5	$13,480	$998	$11,709
Baxter Primary	Public	PK, KG-1	125 Elmore Town Road	Baxter	38544	Putnam County	Putnam County	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 858-3110	352	22	16.3		317 (90.1%)	11 (3.1%)	15 (4.3%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	5 (1.4%)								(n/a)										$16,234	$756	$14,058

Frequently Asked Questions about Jere Whitson Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Jere Whitson Elementary?

Students at Jere Whitson Elementary are 66% Hispanic, 29% White, 3% African American, 2% Asian.

What district is Jere Whitson Elementary in?

Putnam County

How many students attend Jere Whitson Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 339 students attended Jere Whitson Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Jere Whitson Elementary attend?

Students who attend Jere Whitson Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Avery Trace Middle School
High : Cookeville High School
High : Putnam County Adult High School

Is Jere Whitson Elementary a good school?

Jere Whitson Elementary ranks 671^st of 1009 Tennessee elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Jere Whitson Elementary!

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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.