Summary:
Zip code 37020, located in Bell Buckle, Tennessee, is served by a single high school: Cascade High School, a grades 9–12 institution with 539 students that is part of the Bedford County Schools district. Despite being the only high school in the area, Cascade is a standout performer, ranking 49th out of 400 Tennessee high schools for the 2025–2026 school year, placing it in the 88th percentile with a 4-star rating. This is a remarkable achievement given that its home district ranks in the bottom half of Tennessee districts, and Cascade has shown consistent improvement, climbing from a rank of 93rd in 2023–2024 to 55th in 2024–2025 and now 49th.
Academically, Cascade outpaces both its district and the state in every reported subject on the TNReady assessments. The gaps are especially large in US History, Geometry, and English I, where the school exceeds district proficiency rates by more than 20 percentage points. Cascade also improved in every subject year-over-year, with dramatic gains in Biology I (+11.9 points) and Geometry (+13.9 points). Perhaps the most striking data point is the 10th-grade Algebra II proficiency rate of 90.5%, far above the state average of 63.9% and the district's 77.2%, indicating an exceptionally strong group of advanced math students.
Beyond test scores, Cascade's non-academic indicators are equally impressive. The school's graduation rate is 96.6%, compared to 92.2% for the district and 90.5% for the state, while its dropout rate of 2.8% is less than half the state average. Chronic absenteeism sits at just 11.4%, well below the state's 18.3%, which likely contributes to the school's academic success. With per-student spending of $12,050, Cascade High School delivers strong results across academics, attendance, and graduation metrics, making it a clear asset to the Bell Buckle community and a standout institution within an otherwise middling district.
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