Summary:
Zip code 38080, covering Ridgely and Tiptonville in Lake County, Tennessee, is served by just two schools in the Lake County Schools district: Lara Kendall Elementary School, which is actually a middle school serving grades 3–8 with 326 students, and Lake County High School, serving grades 9–12 with 209 students. The district ranks 138 out of 141 in Tennessee with a 0-star rating, placing it near the very bottom of the state.
Lake County High School is the relative standout, improving from the 6th to the 25th percentile in state rankings over one year. Its English II proficiency rate of 59.1% actually matches the state average, and its dropout rate of 4.3% is better than the state’s 6.7%. However, Algebra I proficiency is just 5.4%, and English I is only 10.2%, revealing major gaps. Meanwhile, Lara Kendall Elementary School remains persistently low, with math proficiency at 17.6%, ELA at 19.3%, science at 15.3%, and social studies at 37.3% — all well below state averages. Its ranking has hovered near the bottom quarter for three straight years, and it has shown little improvement.
Chronic absenteeism tells an interesting story: Lara Kendall’s rate is just 10.8%, far below the district’s 15.6% and the state’s 18.3%, while Lake County High’s rate is 21.7%, above both. Per-student spending is higher at the high school ($15,190) than at the middle school ($12,367). Graduation at the high school is 84.8%, slightly below the state’s 90.5%, but the low dropout rate is a positive. For parents, the key takeaways are that the high school is showing real improvement and has a notable strength in English II, while the middle school needs significant support, especially in math and science. The district’s low overall rating underscores the challenges facing both schools.
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