Summary
Roane County Virtual Academy is a small alternative school in Harriman, Tennessee, serving 78 students in grades 4–12 through an online learning model operated by Roane County Schools. The school is designed for students who may need a nontraditional setting, credit recovery, or extra academic and behavioral support. While the district as a whole performs near the middle of Tennessee districts, the academy’s own results trail district and state averages by wide margins in nearly every subject.
Test proficiency at the school is very low. In the most recent year, just 5.6% of students were proficient in math, compared with 47.1% across the district and 43% statewide. English language arts proficiency was 16.7%, versus about 40% both districtwide and statewide. Biology, science, and English II were relative bright spots but still well below district averages. Nearby alternative schools perform noticeably better. The iLearn Institute at Lenoir City, another virtual academy with a similar enrollment, posted 18.5% proficiency in math and 51.9% in English language arts. Coalfield School and Oakdale School, both alternative schools in a lower-rated district, also outperform it in most subject areas.
Engagement and completion are also major concerns. Chronic absenteeism jumped from roughly 9.5% in the two prior years to 27.5% in 2024–2025, about five times the rate at iLearn. The dropout rate in 2023–2024 was 17.6%, compared with 3.3% for the district, and the graduation rate was 82.4%. Per-pupil spending is about $3,374, a fraction of the $10,198 spent at iLearn and the roughly $12,700–$13,300 spent at Coalfield and Oakdale. Despite a favorable student-to-teacher ratio of about 4 to 1, the combination of low funding, high absenteeism, and very low test scores means families should carefully consider whether this program can provide the support their child needs.
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