Summary:
In Crossville, TN (ZIP 38555), there are 3 public schools serving a combined 1,756 students, all part of the Cumberland County Schools district, which ranks 65th out of 141 Tennessee districts. The educational landscape is unusual: there is no standalone middle school, as Glenn Martin Elementary School covers grades PK–8, while the two high schools serve grades 9–12.
The standout school is Cumberland County High School, the only 4-star school in the area, ranking 120th out of 400 Tennessee high schools (70th percentile). It outperforms the district and state with a 93.1% graduation rate, a 5.0% dropout rate, and leads in most subjects like Algebra I and English II. In contrast, Glenn Martin Elementary School earns only 2 stars and has slipped from the 59th to 48th percentile over three years, but it excels in attendance (12.6% chronic absenteeism, well below the state's 18.3%) and social studies, with 6th graders hitting 62.2% proficiency. The outlier is The Phoenix School, a small 72-student high school that spends a staggering $42,401 per pupil—3.4 times more than the other two schools—yet posts the lowest scores, a 49.2% chronic absenteeism rate, and just a 1-star rating.
The most concerning trends are attendance and early-grade performance. Nearly 1 in 2 students at The Phoenix School is chronically absent, likely driving its 5.3% Algebra I proficiency rate. Even at Cumberland County High, 18.9% chronic absenteeism slightly exceeds the state average. Glenn Martin's 3rd grade scores are far below state averages in math (24.6%), ELA (29.0%), and science (20.3%), yet 8th graders outperform the state in math and science. A district-wide red flag is US History, with just 10% proficiency. Ultimately, families in ZIP 38555 see a mid-tier district with one solid high school, an elementary school showing early-grade weaknesses but strong attendance, and a high-cost, low-performing alternative school.
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