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White Plains Academy

Public, Alternative Grades K-12
362nd
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 400 Tennessee Alternative Schools
Better than 10% of Tennessee alternative schools
Summary

White Plains Academy is a small alternative school in Cookeville, TN, serving about 76 students in grades K-12 within Putnam County Schools, a district ranked in the 60th percentile of Tennessee districts. As an alternative school, it is designed to support students who may need additional behavioral, academic, or social-emotional help, which provides important context for interpreting its data. Three characteristics stand out: very high chronic absenteeism, academic proficiency well below district and state averages, and per-pupil spending that is dramatically higher than the district's other alternative school.

Perhaps the most concerning number is attendance. In 2024-2025, 39.7% of students at White Plains Academy were chronically absent, compared to just 10.7% at Putnam County VITAL School, the district's other alternative campus, and 17.3% across the district. Attendance has been an issue for five straight years, though it has improved from a peak of 47.4% in 2021-2022. Academically, only 13.6% of students scored proficient in math and 14.3% in English Language Arts, far below district averages of 56.8% and 44.3%. At the same time, White Plains Academy spends about $28,685 per student—more than three times VITAL's $8,856—yet outcomes are generally lower, raising questions about how effectively those resources are being used.

There are a few signs of progress. English Language Arts proficiency has climbed from 5.7% in 2023-2024 to 14.3% in 2025-2026, and math proficiency has also risen to its highest level in recent years. Because the school enrolls only about 76 students, each percentage point represents a very small number of children, so scores can swing noticeably from year to year. Still, the pattern of low performance across subjects and years is consistent. For parents, the clearest takeaway is that chronic absenteeism is likely the biggest barrier to student success at White Plains Academy, and continued efforts to improve attendance will be essential to any meaningful academic recovery.

76
Students ?
5.6
Student/teacher ratio ?
$28,685
Per pupil spending ?
65.1%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 288 E. Main Street
       Cookeville, TN  38506

(931) 528-1847

District: Putnam County Schools

Racial breakdown:

White:
64.5%
Hispanic:
26.3%
African American:
5.3%
more
 See top rated Tennessee elementary schools

 Compare White Plains Academy to nearby alternative schools!
At a glance
▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 4th percentile in 2022 → 10th in 2026
Strengths
✓Ranking is trending up — up 6 percentile points since 2022
✓Small classes — about 6 students per teacher
Worth a look
!Test scores below the Tennessee average (13% vs 44% meeting standards)
!In the lower quartile statewide (10th percentile)
!High chronic absenteeism (40% vs 18% Tennessee)
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school13%
District avg49%
Tennessee avg44%
362nd of 400
Tennessee public high schools ?
Bottom 10%▲ up 5 pts since 2022
From bottom 4% (2022) to bottom 10% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of Tennessee High Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
1st of 2Alternative Schools in the Putnam County Schools
56th 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)
Middle school ranking
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTennessee percentileRating
202513.8509 of 58312.7%★☆☆☆☆
202410.3542 of 5877.7%☆☆☆☆☆
202311.1539 of 5949.3%☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTennessee percentileRating
202410.3498 of 5102.4%☆☆☆☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTennessee percentileRating
20245.5554 of 5601.1%☆☆☆☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTennessee percentileRating
202510.5472 of 4924.1%☆☆☆☆☆
20242.5503 of 5040.2%☆☆☆☆☆
High school ranking
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTennessee percentileRating
202612.5362 of 4009.5%☆☆☆☆☆
202511.2361 of 3897.2%☆☆☆☆☆
20249.1374 of 3924.6%☆☆☆☆☆
202310.2355 of 3847.6%☆☆☆☆☆
20227.4342 of 3584.5%☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTennessee percentileRating
202611.7300 of 3082.6%☆☆☆☆☆
202515.1309 of 3244.6%☆☆☆☆☆
202414.2312 of 3377.4%☆☆☆☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTennessee percentileRating
202513.0336 of 3688.7%☆☆☆☆☆
202411.3342 of 3666.6%☆☆☆☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTennessee percentileRating
20265.4323 of 3302.1%☆☆☆☆☆
20256.1320 of 3230.9%☆☆☆☆☆
20246.5322 of 3261.2%☆☆☆☆☆
20224.9308 of 3121.3%☆☆☆☆☆
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)
Middle school
White (2025)4th percentile-9 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2024)2nd percentile-5 vs school
Male (2024)1st percentile-7 vs school
High school
Male (2025)9th percentile~ school
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)3rd percentile-7 vs school
White (2026)2nd percentile-7 vs school
By subject vs Tennessee (2025-2026) ?
English II15%-43 vs state
Social Studies15%-36 vs state
English Language Arts14%-26 vs state
Mathematics14%-29 vs state
Science14%-33 vs state
English I8%-30 vs state

5.0
2 ratings · 2 written reviews
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What people are saying
by a parent
Thursday, April 6, 2017

Open Quote great teachers that help teach kids things, other than academics! Close Quote


by a citizen
Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Open Quote Principal and faculty seem dedicated toward getting the very best out of their students
through a loving touch toward all. Close Quote




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Frequently Asked Questions about White Plains Academy

In the 2024-25 school year, 76 students attended White Plains Academy.

Students at White Plains Academy are 64% White, 26% Hispanic, 5% African American, 4% Two or more races.

White Plains Academy ranks in the bottom 9.5% of Tennessee alternative schools.

Rate White Plains Academy!



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Schools in Cookeville, TN

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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.

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