Summary:
Zip code 37748 (Harriman, TN) is home to six schools serving grades PK-12, all under Roane County Schools, a district ranked 64th out of 141 in Tennessee. The standout school is Harriman Middle School, the only school above the 50th percentile, with strong 6th grade math and science scores. Midtown Elementary School posts the lowest chronic absenteeism at 13.8% and competitive proficiency, while Harriman High School excels in English II and Biology I but struggles greatly in math.
Across traditional schools, Bowers Elementary School lags behind Midtown Elementary in every subject (math 38% vs. 43.4%, ELA 32.5% vs. 39.2%) and has seen its rank fall to the 30th percentile. Harriman Middle also shows a significant 7th grade slump in all subjects. The biggest red flag is high school math: Harriman High's Algebra I (16.9%), Algebra II (20.2%), and Geometry (17.2%) proficiency rates are roughly half the state averages. Chronic absenteeism rises sharply with school level—from 17.7% at Bowers up to 23.6% at Harriman High, and over 27% at both Roane County Virtual Academy and Midtown Educational Center.
Spending per student varies widely, from $16,360 at Midtown Elementary down to $3,374 at Roane County Virtual Academy, but does not clearly predict outcomes. Ranking trends are mixed: Harriman Middle is improving, while Bowers Elementary and Harriman High have declined. Alternative schools serve high-need populations with low proficiency and high absenteeism, making direct comparisons difficult. For parents, the clearest takeaways are the exceptional 6th grade performance at Harriman Middle, the mid-elementary grade-level dips at both elementaries, and the urgent need for math intervention at the high school level.
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