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Upperman Middle School

Q: Is Upperman Middle School a good school?

Upperman Middle School ranks 320 th of 594 Tennessee middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Q: How many students attend Upperman Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 851 students attended Upperman Middle School.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Upperman Middle School?

Students at Upperman Middle School are 87% White, 8% Hispanic, 3% African American, 2% Two or more races.

Q: What high school do graduates of Upperman Middle School attend?

Students who attend Upperman Middle School usually go on to attend Putnam County Adult High School

Public Grades 5-8

320^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 594 Tennessee Middle Schools

Better than 46% of Tennessee middle schools

Summary

Upperman Middle School serves 851 students in grades 5–8 in Baxter, Tennessee, a community within the Putnam County Schools district, which ranks in the 60th percentile among Tennessee districts. The school currently ranks 320 out of 594 Tennessee middle schools (46th percentile, 2 stars), placing it in the middle-lower tier and making it the lowest-ranked of the four Putnam County middle schools in the comparison — well behind Algood Middle School (84th) and Prescott South Middle School (88th), and also trailing White County Middle School (89th) and Smith County Middle School (152nd).

Upperman's clearest academic strength is math, where 46.2% of students are proficient — above the state average of 43.0% — and advanced 8th graders taking Algebra I have posted proficiency rates above 90%. English language arts is the biggest weakness: only 31.2% of students are proficient, compared to 40.6% statewide, and the situation gets worse as students get older, with 8th grade ELA proficiency falling to just 22.8%. Chronic absenteeism is a defining issue, with 22.1% of students missing school chronically in 2024–2025 — far higher than the 13% rates at Algood and Prescott South, and above the state average of 18.3%. When absenteeism peaked at 28.7% in 2023–2024, test scores were at their lowest, suggesting attendance and achievement move together.

Special education students are an area of concern, ranking in the bottom 20% statewide for three consecutive years. Upperman also spends less per student ($11,592) than most nearby schools, including Algood ($13,248) and Jackson County Middle School ($12,741), despite serving the largest enrollment in the region. The school has been stuck at a 2-star rating since 2018–2019, and while it has shown modest improvement from the 31st percentile in 2021–2022 to its current 46th percentile, it remains in a holding pattern. For parents, the key takeaways are that Upperman offers strong math instruction and excellent outcomes for advanced students, but families should be aware of the attendance challenges, the slide in reading proficiency through the middle grades, and the need for stronger support for students with disabilities.

851

Students ?

15.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,592

Per pupil spending ?

54.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

6700 Nashville Highway
Baxter, TN 38544

(931) 858-6601

District: Putnam County Schools

Students who attend Upperman Middle School usually attend:

High:	Putnam County Adult High School
	Upperman High School

Feeder schools for Upperman Middle School:

Elementary:	Cane Creek Elementary School
	Cornerstone Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

87.3%

Hispanic:

7.6%

African American:

2.8%

See top rated Tennessee middle schools

Compare Upperman Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 56th percentile in 2013 → 46th in 2026

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 10 percentile points since 2013

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

!Near the bottom of Putnam County Schools's ranking

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school39%

District avg49%

Tennessee avg44%

320^th of 594

Tennessee public middle schools ?

Bottom 46%▲ up 8 pts since 2019

From bottom 38% (2019) to bottom 46% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Tennessee Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 4Middle Schools in the Putnam County Schools

56^th of 141Putnam 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	46.0	320 of 594	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	43.6	329 of 583	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	43.0	325 of 587	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.3	340 of 594	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.5	393 of 569	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	41.7	302 of 576	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.4	354 of 574	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2015	62.2	195 of 492	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2014	57.0	207 of 485	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2013	60.4	208 of 475	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2012	69.8	140 of 466	70.0%	★★★★☆
2011	71.0	122 of 462	73.6%	★★★★☆
2010	57.3	178 of 435	59.1%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	67.6	82 of 328	75.0%	★★★★☆
2025	28.7	221 of 312	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.5	206 of 318	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	51.8	124 of 316	60.8%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	46.4	296 of 546	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.9	311 of 554	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.6	333 of 560	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.7	386 of 552	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	42.3	295 of 538	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	37.2	357 of 529	32.5%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	58.0	105 of 302	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	53.7	117 of 286	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.2	138 of 285	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	32.1	196 of 285	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	21.2	238 of 275	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	30.2	177 of 261	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	23.1	193 of 228	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	11.7	31 of 31	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	50.9	210 of 478	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	49.7	226 of 490	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.6	227 of 510	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	37.6	307 of 514	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	23.0	418 of 495	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	36.8	290 of 483	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	32.6	352 of 490	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	38.6	348 of 550	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.5	324 of 560	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.9	315 of 557	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.6	363 of 540	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	39.9	290 of 529	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	40.3	301 of 523	42.4%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	25.6	290 of 349	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	23.5	276 of 332	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.6	261 of 299	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	40.5	127 of 288	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.1	61 of 260	76.5%	★★★★☆
2021	39.0	129 of 238	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	30.9	170 of 222	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	31.9	357 of 494	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	31.3	361 of 492	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.7	347 of 504	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.9	359 of 503	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.5	406 of 500	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	36.0	318 of 496	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	30.5	368 of 484	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

African American (2026)75th percentile+29 vs school

Hispanic (2026)65th percentile+19 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)56th percentile+10 vs school

Female (2025)46th percentile~ school

Male (2025)37th percentile-7 vs school

White (2026)28th percentile-18 vs school

Special Education (2026)17th percentile-29 vs school

Homeless (2025)<1st percentile-44 vs school

By subject vs Tennessee (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics46%+3 vs state

Social Studies42%-10 vs state

Science39%-8 vs state

English Language Arts31%-9 vs state

★

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Schools Near Upperman 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 English I (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 4th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 5th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 6th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 7th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 8th Grade	TNReady Mathematics All Grades	TNReady English Language Arts 4th Grade	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 English I 8th Grade	TNReady English I All Grades	TNReady Science 4th Grade	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
Upperman Middle School	Public	5-8	6700 Nashville Highway	Baxter	38544	Putnam County	Putnam County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 858-6601	847	54	15.8	54.2%	748 (88.3%)	21 (2.5%)	57 (6.7%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	16 (1.9%)	46	320^th of 594 public middle schools	46.1%		43.6	329^th of 583 public middle schools	43.6%	9		50.8	41.3	39.5	51.7	46.2		37.2	31.6	33.5	22.8	31.2	≥ 95%	≥ 95%				43.1	39.8	39.9	34.7	39.3	43.4	52.7	29.2	41.7	$11,592	$909	$10,038
Prescott South Middle School	Public	5-8	1859 S. Jefferson Street	Cookeville	38506	Putnam County	Putnam County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 528-3647	766	59	12.9	42.8%	635 (82.9%)	23 (3.0%)	79 (10.3%)	10 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	18 (2.3%)	78.4	88^th of 594 public middle schools	85.2%		76	99^th of 583 public middle schools	83.0%	11		68.9	62.8	57.7	62.2	63.4		51.9	51.9	48.0	48.0	50.1	≥ 95%	≥ 95%				54.9	47.7	56.1	53.8	52.9	51.4	67.6	53.8	57.0	$11,657	$764	$10,245
Avery Trace Middle School	Public	5-8	230 Raider Drive	Cookeville	38501	Putnam County	Putnam County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 520-2200	745	52	14.2	56.4%	421 (56.5%)	33 (4.4%)	256 (34.4%)	22 (3.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (1.6%)	54.3	259^th of 594 public middle schools	56.4%		51.9	257^th of 583 public middle schools	55.9%	2		55.8	43.1	39.1	49.4	46.6		39.5	34.1	32.9	33.0	34.6	≥ 95%	≥ 95%				43.4	36.5	42.5	42.6	41.1	49.1	62.5	41.5	50.7	$12,113	$694	$10,561
Algood Middle School	Public	5-8	540 Dry Valley Road	Cookeville	38506	Putnam County	Putnam County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 537-6141	730	51	14.4	46.8%	593 (81.2%)	10 (1.4%)	100 (13.7%)	11 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (2.2%)	78.9	84^th of 594 public middle schools	85.9%		79.2	86^th of 583 public middle schools	85.2%	2		54.4	62.2	53.3	66.7	59.4		36.3	50.0	41.6	46.6	43.7	94.3	94.3				45.0	58.5	48.0	55.9	52.0	69.5	57.2	56.4	60.8	$13,248	$852	$11,599
Jackson County Middle School	Public	4-8	170 Blue Devil Lane	Gainesboro	38562	Jackson County	Jackson County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 268-9779	434	30	14.3		406 (93.5%)	2 (0.5%)	13 (3.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.5%)	40.5	361^st of 594 public middle schools	39.2%		52.3	253^rd of 583 public middle schools	56.6%	108	44.4	23.1	24.1	19.3	38.3	30.3	44.4	26.2	35.4	27.3	22.5	31.6					42.2	35.4	49.4	27.3	53.1	41.4	45.6	29.5	53.1	42.3	$12,741	$1,123	$10,674
Smith County Middle School	Public	5-8	134 Smith County Middle School	Carthage	37030	Smith County	Smith County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(615) 735-8277	313	20	15.6	62.5%	257 (82.1%)	5 (1.6%)	25 (8.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (8.0%)	69.5	152^nd of 594 public middle schools	74.4%		49.2	284^th of 583 public middle schools	51.3%	132		40.4	58.2	54.1	56.5	51.4		34.8	35.8	54.1	26.1	37.1						57.3	52.2	54.1	40.6	51.4	55.2	75.0	48.5	59.0	$12,297	$1,022	$10,182
White County Middle School	Public	6-8	300 Turntable Road	Sparta	38583	White County	White County Schools	No	No	No	No	(931) 738-9238	835	56	14.8		755 (90.4%)	17 (2.0%)	25 (3.0%)	6 (0.7%)	5 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (3.2%)	78.2	89^th of 594 public middle schools	85.0%		75.3	106^th of 583 public middle schools	81.8%	17			52.4	48.2	57.3	52.6			42.0	50.2	36.0	42.8							64.8	62.7	47.9	58.6	63.2	76.0	56.7	65.4	$11,513	$557	$9,990
DeKalb Middle School	Public	6-8	1132 West Broad Street	Smithville	37166	DeKalb County	DeKalb County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(615) 597-7987	558	38	14.8		407 (72.9%)	11 (2.0%)	116 (20.8%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	19 (3.4%)	39.6	370^th of 594 public middle schools	37.7%		32.8	401^st of 583 public middle schools	31.2%	31			25.9	31.0	39.6	32.4			24.1	30.6	26.2	26.9							31.0	34.0	34.7	33.3	38.6	59.6	45.5	47.8	$12,342	$2,061	$9,313

Frequently Asked Questions about Upperman Middle School

How many students attend Upperman Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 851 students attended Upperman Middle School.

What high school do graduates of Upperman Middle School attend?

Students who attend Upperman Middle School usually go on to attend Putnam County Adult High School

What district is Upperman Middle School in?

Putnam County Schools

Is Upperman Middle School a good school?

Upperman Middle School ranks 320^th of 594 Tennessee middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Upperman Middle School?

Students at Upperman Middle School are 87% White, 8% Hispanic, 3% African American, 2% Two or more races.

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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.