Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 37683

ZIP code 37683 in Mountain City, Tennessee is served by three elementary schools—Mountain City Elementary School, Roan Creek Elementary School, and Doe Elementary School—all part of Johnson County Schools, serving grades PK through 6 in a rural Appalachian area. The district overall ranks in the bottom 4% of Tennessee, but these schools are relative bright spots, with each outperforming the district average in most subjects while still falling well below state proficiency levels.

The clear standout is Mountain City Elementary, which ranks 676th in the state (34th percentile, 2 stars) and posts the highest proficiency in every subject—33% in math, 34.5% in ELA, 41% in science, and 35.1% in social studies. It also has the lowest chronic absenteeism at 6.9% and the lowest per-student spending at $15,473, making it both the best-performing and most cost-efficient school in the area. Roan Creek Elementary sits in the middle with a ranking of 811th (20th percentile, 1 star), moderate scores, and the highest spending at $18,557 per student. Doe Elementary is the weakest overall, ranking 865th (15th percentile, 1 star) with the lowest proficiency in nearly every subject, including just 8.7% proficiency in 6th-grade math and ELA, despite spending $18,288 per student.

All three schools have declined significantly in state ranking over the past two years—Mountain City dropped from the 74th to 34th percentile, Roan Creek from 33rd to 20th, and Doe from 46th to 15th. A major weakness is 6th grade, where proficiency collapses across all schools, especially at Doe Elementary. Conversely, 4th grade is the strongest level, with Mountain City's 4th-grade math at 52.8% and ELA at 49.1%, both above state averages. Chronic absenteeism is comparatively low at all three schools, so attendance is not the primary driver of low performance. The most pressing takeaway is that Mountain City proves strong outcomes can be achieved at lower cost, while Doe Elementary urgently needs intervention—particularly in upper grades—to reverse its steep decline.