Schools in Zip Code 37874

Zip code 37874 in Sweetwater, Tennessee is served by five schools enrolling 2,142 students across grades PK-12, split between Monroe County Schools and Sweetwater City Schools. The five schools are Sweetwater High School (grades 9-12), Sweetwater Elementary School (grades 3-4), Sweetwater Junior High School (grades 7-8), Brown Intermediate School (grades 5-6), and Sweetwater Primary School (PK-2).

Sweetwater Elementary School is the academic standout, ranking in the 66th percentile statewide with 3 stars and beating state averages in math (50.6% proficient vs. 43.0%), ELA (48.9% vs. 40.6%), and science (52.1% vs. 46.9%), with just 5.8% chronic absenteeism. Sweetwater Junior High School is the most improved, rising from the 26th to 42nd percentile in one year, with math proficiency jumping from 17.1% to 30.0%. Sweetwater High School graduates students at a 95.9% rate with a 2.7% dropout rate — both far better than state averages — despite mixed test scores and 21.3% chronic absenteeism.

Academic performance follows a clear pattern across the zip code: elementary and intermediate grades perform near or above state averages, while junior high and high school scores decline. The transition from Sweetwater City Schools to Monroe County Schools at 9th grade is a critical juncture. Chronic absenteeism spikes from roughly 6% in the lower grades to 21.3% at the high school. Sweetwater Junior High School exceeds the state in social studies (53.1% vs. 51.4%), and Sweetwater High School posted 86.7% proficiency in 9th-grade Biology I. Notably, the high school spends the most per student ($11,949) yet shows the lowest relative test performance.