Best High Schools in Zip Code 37920

Zip code 37920 in Knoxville, Tennessee, contains two high schools serving grades 9-12: South Doyle High School (925 students), a traditional public school in Knox County Schools, and Tennessee School for the Deaf High School (45 students), a specialized state school in Tennessee Schools for the Deaf. These schools serve very different populations, yet both grapple with chronic absenteeism at roughly double the state rate.

South Doyle accounts for most of the academic accountability data in this zip code. Its state ranking slipped from 203rd in 2024-2025 to 263rd out of 400 in 2025-2026 (2 stars). The school's graduation rate of 84.5% trails both the state average (90.5%) and the deaf school's 91.7% graduation rate. Academically, South Doyle outperforms the state in Biology I (54.3% proficient vs. 49.8%) and U.S. History (45.5% vs. 42.4%), but falls well behind in English and especially math: just 14.4% in Algebra II and 17.3% in Geometry, versus roughly 37-42% statewide. A striking grade-level split shows 10th-grade Biology proficiency at 92.9% while 10th-grade Geometry stands at only 9.9%.

Tennessee School for the Deaf has no recent test scores or state ranking, so direct academic comparison is not possible, but its graduation rate is a clear highlight. The biggest shared concern is chronic absenteeism: 33.7% at South Doyle and 34.1% at the deaf school, versus 18.3% statewide even as Knox County Schools sits at 19.4%. South Doyle also spends $14,965 per student, yet math proficiency remains far below state norms, raising questions about curriculum and support. With missing data on free/reduced-price lunch, student-teacher ratios, and deaf-school spending, families face limits in comparing equity and resources, but the takeaway is clear: both schools struggle with attendance, while South Doyle has notable strengths in science and history and the deaf school excels at graduating its students.