Summary:
Zip code 37861 in Rutledge, Tennessee is home to six schools in the Grainger County Schools district, serving roughly 2,051 students in grades PK-12, and while the district overall ranks in the 37th percentile statewide, several individual schools are outperforming that average. Joppa Elementary School is the clear academic standout, earning a 4-star rating and ranking in the 71st percentile of Tennessee elementary schools, with proficiency rates above state averages in math (48.8%), ELA (52.1%), and science (52.8%). Rutledge Middle School has also earned 4 stars and jumped from the 41st to the 70th percentile, powered by a standout 64.0% social studies proficiency rate, well above the 51.4% state average.
Grainger High School tells a more complicated story: it graduates students at a strong 95.9% rate with a dropout rate of just 1.5%, but its math proficiency is strikingly low, with only 17.8% proficient in Algebra I, 17.7% in Algebra II, and 21.7% in Geometry, roughly 20 points below state averages. This suggests students may be earning diplomas without strong math skills. Rutledge Elementary School sits in the middle, ranking in the 58th percentile with math scores near the state average.
Attendance varies widely across the area. Rutledge Primary School has the highest chronic absenteeism at 23.8%, which is concerning for a PK-1 school since early attendance habits matter for future success. The tiny Grainger Academy, with just 6 students, spends $45,825 per student, more than triple any other school in the zip code, though its small size makes conclusions difficult. On a positive note, test scores improved across the district from 2024-2025 to 2025-2026, suggesting recent academic efforts may be taking hold.
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