Summary:
Zip code 37341 in Harrison, TN is served by two public schools in Hamilton County Schools — Central High School (grades 9–12, 617 students) and Brown Middle School (grades 6–8, 296 students) — together enrolling 913 students, with no elementary or alternative schools in the area. The district itself ranks 81st out of 141 Tennessee districts, placing it in the lower-middle range statewide.
Both schools currently hold a 1-star rating and sit in the bottom quarter of Tennessee schools, but they show different trajectories. Central High School improved from the 18th percentile in 2024–2025 to the 25th percentile in 2025–2026, while Brown Middle School has hovered around the 20th–24th percentile for three years. Brown Middle spends about $1,634 more per student than Central High ($19,845 vs. $18,211), yet both remain low-performing. Chronic absenteeism is a serious shared issue: 25.0% at Central High and 27.7% at Brown Middle, both far above the district (17.1%) and state (18.3%) averages. Central High also has a concerning dropout rate of 9.1%, nearly double the district rate of 4.9%.
Academically, both schools trail district and state averages in nearly every subject. Math proficiency is critically low: Brown Middle posts just 13.2% proficiency in math versus 43.0% statewide, while Central High’s Algebra I and II proficiency rates are 13.7% and 12.9% respectively. Central High’s weakest subject is US History, with only 6.7% proficient compared to 42.4% statewide. Despite these challenges, there are bright spots: Brown Middle’s 8th graders exceed state averages in Science (48.9% vs. 44.3%) and Social Studies (56.7% vs. 47.6%), and Central High’s 12th-grade Algebra II proficiency tops both district and state rates. These pockets of success, combined with above-average per-student spending, suggest that targeted interventions in math, attendance, and engagement could help both schools improve outcomes.
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