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University School

Public, Alternative Grades K-12
79th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 1,009 Tennessee Alternative Schools
Better than 92% of Tennessee alternative schools
Summary

Located in Johnson City, Tennessee, University School is an alternative public school serving 613 students in grades K-12. As part of the Washington County School District, which is ranked 41 out of 139 districts in the state, University School consistently outperforms the district and state averages in academic proficiency across subjects like Mathematics, English Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies.

University School's strong academic performance is particularly noteworthy, with proficiency rates reaching 69.8% in Mathematics and 67.5% in English Language Arts, significantly higher than the Washington County (48.7% and 44.9%) and Tennessee (42.2% and 38.9%) averages. The school also excels in subjects like Biology I (86.2% proficient), English II (93.7% proficient), and Geometry (83.1% proficient). Additionally, University School maintains consistently high four-year graduation rates, ranging from 86.5% to 98.7%, and relatively low dropout rates, between 1.3% and 8.1%.

While University School has experienced some fluctuations in chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 5.2% to 20.2%, its overall attendance levels are generally better than the state and district averages. The school's increased spending per student, from $10,703 in 2021-2022 to $13,545 in 2023-2024, suggests a strong commitment to investing in educational resources and programs. In comparison, nearby virtual schools like Tennessee Virtual Learning Academy and Carter County Online Academy have lower academic performance and spending per student, highlighting University School's exceptional educational outcomes.

635
Students ?
15.7
Student/teacher ratio ?
$13,961
Per pupil spending ?
8.5%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 68 Martha Culp AVE
       Johnson City, TN  37614

(423) 439-4333

District: Washington County

Racial breakdown:

White:
79.7%
African American:
6.8%
Hispanic:
5.4%
more
 See top rated Tennessee elementary schools

 Compare University School to nearby alternative schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Holding steady — 98th percentile in 2022 → 99th in 2025
Strengths
Test scores above the Tennessee average (75% vs 43% meeting standards)
Ranks in the top 8% of Tennessee alternative schools
99% graduate in 4 years — above the Tennessee average (86%)
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school75%
District avg48%
Tennessee avg43%
Elementary school
79th of 1,009
Tennessee public elementary schools ?
Top 8%▲ up 10 pts since 2015
From top 18% (2015) to top 8% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of Tennessee Elementary Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
Middle school
13th of 583
Tennessee public middle schools ?
Top 2%▲ up 1 pts since 2015
See the entire ranking list of Tennessee Middle Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
High school
3rd of 389
Tennessee public high schools ?
Top 1%▲ up 1 pts since 2015
See the entire ranking list of Tennessee High Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
1st of 2Alternative Schools in the Washington County
41st of 139Washington 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)
Elementary school ranking
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTennessee percentileRating
202591.479 of 100992.2%★★★★★
202494.356 of 101894.5%★★★★★
202390.690 of 102091.2%★★★★★
202295.053 of 100094.7%★★★★★
202190.486 of 98391.3%★★★★★
201993.464 of 98593.5%★★★★★
201890.768 of 99793.2%★★★★★
201577.6151 of 85582.3%★★★★☆
201487.546 of 85394.6%★★★★★
201383.995 of 84688.8%★★★★☆
201278.2163 of 82080.1%★★★★☆
201159.3353 of 81856.8%★★★☆☆
201086.893 of 80988.5%★★★★☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTennessee percentileRating
202589.184 of 98691.5%★★★★★
202494.541 of 99095.9%★★★★★
202388.1101 of 98989.8%★★★★☆
202289.381 of 97591.7%★★★★★
202189.482 of 94591.3%★★★★★
201993.449 of 92694.7%★★★★★

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTennessee percentileRating
202591.070 of 98492.9%★★★★★
202491.666 of 99193.3%★★★★★
202391.079 of 98792.0%★★★★★
202296.235 of 98096.4%★★★★★
202188.781 of 94191.4%★★★★★
201989.473 of 91692.0%★★★★★

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTennessee percentileRating
202584.1112 of 84086.7%★★★★☆
202489.880 of 84790.6%★★★★★
202387.694 of 85289.0%★★★★☆
202289.580 of 84490.5%★★★★★
202183.7114 of 84486.5%★★★★☆
201988.188 of 81289.2%★★★★☆
201886.090 of 84189.3%★★★★☆
Middle school ranking
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTennessee percentileRating
202597.113 of 58397.8%★★★★★
202497.813 of 58797.8%★★★★★
202398.27 of 59498.8%★★★★★
202298.19 of 56998.4%★★★★★
202194.919 of 57696.7%★★★★★
201993.526 of 57495.5%★★★★★
201894.018 of 56396.8%★★★★★
201589.817 of 49296.5%★★★★★
201492.46 of 48598.8%★★★★★
201397.24 of 47599.2%★★★★★
201295.715 of 46696.8%★★★★★
201187.338 of 46291.8%★★★★★
201097.78 of 43598.2%★★★★★

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTennessee percentileRating
202596.810 of 54698.2%★★★★★
202495.418 of 55496.8%★★★★★
202397.510 of 56098.2%★★★★★
202296.013 of 55297.6%★★★★★
202195.713 of 53897.6%★★★★★
201992.025 of 52995.3%★★★★★

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTennessee percentileRating
202596.116 of 55097.1%★★★★★
202497.610 of 56098.2%★★★★★
202397.68 of 55798.6%★★★★★
202298.28 of 54098.5%★★★★★
202193.419 of 52996.4%★★★★★
201995.914 of 52397.3%★★★★★

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTennessee percentileRating
202595.512 of 49297.6%★★★★★
202494.122 of 50495.6%★★★★★
202396.412 of 50397.6%★★★★★
202295.815 of 50097.0%★★★★★
202193.818 of 49696.4%★★★★★
201989.041 of 48491.5%★★★★★
201890.628 of 48194.2%★★★★★
High school ranking
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTennessee percentileRating
202596.23 of 38999.2%★★★★★
202494.36 of 39298.5%★★★★★
202388.513 of 38496.6%★★★★★
202291.18 of 35897.8%★★★★★
202184.817 of 34795.1%★★★★★
201996.47 of 34298.0%★★★★★
201897.15 of 34198.5%★★★★★
201699.33 of 35199.1%★★★★★
201591.66 of 30098.0%★★★★★
201491.85 of 29698.3%★★★★★
201388.98 of 28597.2%★★★★★
201199.31 of 27399.6%★★★★★

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTennessee percentileRating
202594.22 of 36599.5%★★★★★
202492.311 of 36597.0%★★★★★
202380.434 of 36690.7%★★★★★
202285.216 of 35095.4%★★★★★
202176.328 of 34091.8%★★★★★
201993.09 of 33797.3%★★★★★

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTennessee percentileRating
202594.46 of 36898.4%★★★★★
202495.15 of 36698.6%★★★★★
202391.310 of 35997.2%★★★★★
202292.67 of 34998.0%★★★★★
202190.86 of 33298.2%★★★★★
201999.03 of 32999.1%★★★★★

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTennessee percentileRating
202592.28 of 32397.5%★★★★★
202492.67 of 32697.9%★★★★★
202386.121 of 32593.5%★★★★★
202290.311 of 31296.5%★★★★★
202183.919 of 30693.8%★★★★★
201995.111 of 30196.3%★★★★★
201895.15 of 30798.4%★★★★★
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)
Elementary school
Male (2025)93rd percentile~ school
Female (2025)91st percentile~ school
White (2025)87th percentile-6 vs school
Middle school
Female (2025)98th percentile~ school
White (2025)98th percentile~ school
Male (2025)97th percentile~ school
High school
Female (2025)99th percentile~ school
Male (2025)98th percentile~ school
White (2025)98th percentile~ school
By subject vs Tennessee (2024-2025) ?
English II94%+39 vs state
Biology I86%+40 vs state
Social Studies84%+35 vs state
Geometry83%+46 vs state
English I80%+41 vs state
Science77%+31 vs state
US History72%+33 vs state
Mathematics70%+28 vs state
Algebra II68%+34 vs state
English Language Arts68%+29 vs state
Algebra I62%+32 vs state

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Frequently Asked Questions about University School

In the 2024-25 school year, 635 students attended University School.

Students at University School are 80% White, 7% African American, 5% Hispanic, 5% Asian, 3% Two or more races.

Yes. University School ranks in the top 7.8% of Tennessee alternative schools.


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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.





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