Best Schools for Low-income Students in Tennessee (2026)

These are the Tennessee public schools where low-income students scored highest on the state reading and math tests, ranked by the average of the two proficiency rates. Only schools with at least 20 tested low-income students are included. The list reflects how students in this group perform at each school; it is not a ranking of schools by their demographic makeup.

Other lists: Asian · Black · Hispanic · White

Elementary schools

#	School	Reading	Math	Tested	Overall Repit grade
1	Wallace A. Smith Elementary School Ooltewah	65%	65%	39	A
2	Westview Elementary School Chattanooga	55%	55%	32	A+
3	Michigan Avenue Elementary School Cleveland	45%	65%	44	B
4	Apison Elementary School Apison	55%	50%	32	A+
5	Foothills Elementary Maryville	50%	50%	27	A+
6	Parsons Elementary Parsons	45%	55%	48	A+
7	Capshaw Elementary Cookeville	50%	50%	28	A+
8	Frazier Elementary Dayton	45%	55%	40	B+
9	Jack Anderson Elementary Hendersonville	50%	50%	30	A+
10	Station Camp Elementary Gallatin	50%	50%	28	B+
11	Atoka Elementary School Atoka	35%	65%	50	C+
12	Springdale Elementary School Mt. Juliet	50%	50%	22	A+
13	Decaturville Elementary Decaturville	50%	50%	24	A+
14	Russellville Elementary Russellville	45%	45%	57	C+
15	Highland Park Elementary Lenoir City	45%	45%	44	A+
16	Rossview Elementary Clarksville	45%	45%	48	B
17	Glenwood Elementary Oak Ridge	35%	55%	40	A+
18	J W Wiseman Elementary Portland	35%	55%	50	C+
19	Union Elementary School Gallatin	35%	55%	31	B+
20	W A Wright Elementary Mt Juliet	35%	55%	36	B+
21	Rutland Elementary Mt Juliet	35%	55%	54	A+
22	Kingston Springs Elementary Kingston Springs	50%	30%	27	A+
23	Gadsden Elementary Gadsden	30%	50%	22	A
24	The Discovery School Dickson	30%	50%	22	A
25	Sam Houston Elementary Maryville	30%	50%	25	A+

Middle schools

#	School	Reading	Math	Tested	Overall Repit grade
1	Thurman Francis Arts Academy/Magnet School for the Arts Smyrna	90%	90%	25	A+
2	Thomas Magnet School Shelbyville	70%	70%	29	A
3	Overall Creek Elementary Murfreesboro	45%	45%	44	B
4	South Clinton Elementary Clinton	45%	45%	44	A
5	Meigs Middle Nashville	47%	37%	72	A+
6	Pine View Elementary Rockwood	35%	45%	36	C+
7	Riverdale Elementary School Germantown	45%	35%	49	A
8	Sharon School Sharon	35%	45%	52	D
9	South Side Elementary Reagan	35%	42%	53	A+
10	Montgomery Ridge Intermediate School Maryville	32%	42%	111	A+
11	Scotts Hill Elementary Scotts Hill	37%	37%	85	C+
12	Maxine Smith STEAM Academy Memphis	55%	15%	41	A+
13	J. P. Freeman Elementary/Middle Memphis	42%	27%	201	A+
14	Arlington Middle Arlington	25%	45%	35	B
15	Grassy Fork Elementary Hartford	35%	35%	39	A
16	South Gibson County Middle School Medina	25%	45%	35	A
17	Dorothy And Noble Harrelson School Puryear	27%	42%	187	A+
18	Mountain City Elementary Mountain City	37%	32%	97	C+
19	Spring Station Middle School Spring Hill	35%	35%	32	A
20	Alamo Elementary Alamo	32%	32%	93	B+
21	Decatur County Middle School Parsons	22%	42%	159	B+
22	Bradford Elementary Bradford	27%	37%	80	C+
23	East Hamilton Middle School Apison	27%	37%	84	C+
24	Highland Rim School Fayetteville	27%	37%	183	B
25	Coulter Grove Intermediate School Maryville	32%	32%	144	A+

High schools

#	School	Reading	Math	Tested	Overall Repit grade
1	Seymour High School Seymour	50%	—	24	A+
2	Martin Luther King Jr School Nashville	55%	35%	37	A+
3	Eagleville School Eagleville	35%	45%	33	A+
4	Soddy Daisy High School Soddy Daisy	55%	15%	36	B+
5	East High Memphis	55%	15%	36	B+
6	Henry Co High School Paris	32%	—	111	A
7	Gatlinburg Pittman High Gatlinburg	30%	—	20	A
8	STEM School Chattanooga Chattanooga	30%	—	21	A+
9	Nashville School Of The Arts Nashville	50%	10%	29	B
10	Greenfield School Greenfield	32%	27%	88	A+
11	Clarksburg School Clarksburg	35%	25%	42	A+
12	Chattanooga High School Center for Creative Arts Chattanooga	35%	25%	43	A+
13	Gibson County High School Dyer	30%	25%	28	A
14	Dresden High School Dresden	30%	25%	21	A
15	White Station High Memphis	42%	12%	115	A
16	Tennessee High School Bristol	35%	15%	42	A
17	Stone Memorial High School Crossville	35%	15%	42	A
18	Scotts Hill High School Reagan	35%	15%	34	A+
19	Lewis Co High School Hohenwald	35%	15%	35	A
20	Stewarts Creek High School Smyrna	42%	8%	62	A
21	Hendersonville High School Hendersonville	35%	15%	32	A+
22	Dyer County High School Newbern	37%	12%	96	A+
23	Greeneville High School Greeneville	25%	—	46	A+
24	Sale Creek Middle / High School Sale Creek	25%	25%	45	A
25	Science Hill High School Johnson City	32%	17%	96	A+

Source: U.S. Department of Education EDFacts (state assessment results by student group) via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal. Small schools report results as ranges; we use the midpoint. Methodology

Best Schools for Low-income Students in Tennessee (2026)

Elementary schools

Middle schools

High schools

Get the ZIP-level rental data BiggerPockets doesn’t show

What best describes you?

When are you looking to take action?

What interests you most?

You're in.