Tennessee may be known for country music and whiskey, but many other unique and attractive things about the state make it one of the best places to live. For example, this state is considered one of the best regarding education. As a whole, the state of Tennessee may not be ranked very high, but it still offers some of the best and most diverse schools in the nation.
Looking at the 7 largest school districts in Tennessee can shed some light on what these schools offer, especially regarding class sizes and rankings. It can also give families an idea of what schools are available based on where they live.
Shelby County Schools
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Shelby County Schools has 222 schools with around 105,000 students, making it one of the largest school districts in Tennessee. The schools in this district have a student-to-teacher ratio of 16:1. The school district is known for its athletics, ranking no. 5 amongst school districts in athletics in Tennessee.
Some of the more notable schools in this district include Shelby County High School, White Station High School, and Oak Mountain High School.
Here are the schools that make up the 222 schools in this district.
- 177 elementary and middle schools
- 45 high schools
Metro Nashville Public Schools
Metro Nashville Public Schools is next on the list of biggest school districts in Tennessee, with 162 schools and roughly 80,000 students. The average student-to-teacher ratio is 17:1. While this school district is ranked no. 1 for being the most diverse, it is considered lower among districts when comparing educational test scores.
These are how the 162 schools are divided in this district.
- 70 elementary and middle schools
- 29 middle schools
- 73 high schools
Knox County Schools
Knox County Schools ranks third in the biggest districts in Tennessee, with about 94 schools and 60,000 students. This school district has a small student-to-teacher ratio of 15:1. Of the 126 school districts in Tennessee, this district is ranked no 21. This particular school district is considered to be in the top 30% of schools. Schools like Sequoyah Elementary are rated in the top 20 of the best elementary schools in the state.
These are the schools that make up this large district in Tennessee.
- 50 elementary
- 16 middle schools
- 19 high schools
Rutherford County Schools
Rutherford County Schools has 51 schools and serves a little over 49,000 students. With a student-teacher ratio of 16:1, this school district is known for more than its small class sizes but also its high test scores. Some of the best elementary and high schools are in this school district, ranking in the top 10 schools. For example, Central Magnet Schools is a high school in this district, ranked no. 1 in Tennessee.
Regarding Rutherford County Schools, here is how the schools are broken up.
- 49 elementary schools and middle schools
- 12 high schools
Hamilton County School District
Hamilton County School District is another one of the largest school districts in Tennessee, with 79 schools and 45,000 students. This is another school district with schools considered above average when it comes to student test scores. It's also ranked no. 7 for most diverse states.
These are the schools that are included in this Hamilton County School District.
- 41 elementary and junior high schools
- 22 high schools
Williamson County Schools
Of the seven school districts in Tennessee, Williamson County Schools is one of the smallest and largest, with 51 schools with around 41,000 students. The student-to-teacher ratio is 16:1. Some of the best elementary schools in the nation reside in the district.
These are the schools that are part of Williamson County Schools.
- 40 elementary schools and middle schools
- 11 high schools
Clarksville-Montgomery County School System
Clarksville-Montgomery County School System may be the last on the list, yet it's still one of the largest school districts in Tennessee. It has 42 schools and 37,000 students. It has a student-to-teacher ratio of 18:1. One of the most notable things about this school district is the high graduation rate. The high school graduation rate in Tennessee is 89%. In this district, the high school graduation rate is 94%.
These are the schools that are part of this Clarksville-Montgomery County School System.
- 34 elementary schools
- 8 high schools
The Biggest School Districts Offer The Best Opportunities
Tennessee is one of the best places to live in the United States, as seen by its tremendous growth in the past ten years. While Tennessee is a robust city with a lot to offer in terms of culture and music scene, it's also one of the best states for a diverse and excellent education. These large school districts offer some of the best education because of the various options available. It gives more families more choices.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Diego Cervo/Shutterstock.com.