TN Dept of Ed Names the Best Tennessee School Districts

Press release, Nov. 21, 2024- Nashville, TN— Today, the Tennessee Department of Education announced school and district designations for the 2023-24 school year, including Reward Schools, Exemplary Districts, and In Need of Improvement districts. These designations are based on various performance indicators, including student achievement and growth. 

Across the state, 377 schools, spanning 97 districts, received the Reward School designation; 10 districts received the Exemplary District designation; and 10 districts received the In Need of Improvement designation. The complete list of district and school designations is available on the department‘s accountability webpage.

“I am thrilled to highlight the 2023-24 Reward Schools and Exemplary Districts for their dedication to fostering student learning and growth in their classrooms across the state,” said Lizzette Reynolds, Commissioner of Education. “This annual recognition is the result of our teachers, along with school and district leaders, who are committed to student success every day, and I commend each of you for your valiant efforts in supporting achievement for our Tennessee students.”

Each year, schools and districts are eligible for designations based on their overall performance across indicators that are essential to student success, including how they prepared students to be proficient (achievement), accelerated student learning (growth), encouraged students to attend school regularly (chronically out of school), prepared students for postsecondary success (graduation rate and Ready Graduate), and supported English learners acquiring language skills.

Schools are recognized as a Reward School when they demonstrate high levels of performance and/or improvement in performance by meeting objectives across performance indicators and student groups, and the Reward School distinction places significant emphasis on performance and improvement across all indicators from the prior school year. 

Districts are recognized as an Exemplary District when they receive an overall district performance score of 3.1 or higher on a 4.0-point scale across all performance indicators as referenced above. The following are the 10 designated Exemplary Districts:

Alcoa City Schools

Arlington Community Schools

Bells City Schools

Clinton City Schools

Collierville Schools

Dayton City School

Jackson County Schools

Lebanon Special School District

Milan Special School District

Van Buren County Schools

Reward Schools, Exemplary Districts, and In Need of Improvement districts were presented to the State Board of Education on November 22nd and approved. All designations can be found on the department’s accountability page.

For Tennessee Department of Education media inquiries, contact Edu.MediaInquiries@tn.gov. 

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