Rutherford County Schools Rank Well on State Report Card

MURFREESBORO, TN — Rutherford County high school students posted higher-than-average results in the latest education report card, but high schools in Smyrna and La Vergne lagged their counterparts countywide.

Based on the TNReady test, administered for the first time in the 2015-16 school year, 33.6 percent of Nashville high school students are on track or have mastered reading at their grade level and 25.6 percent are on track or mastered their grade level in math. The state-wide results, released in November, showed 30 percent of Tennessee students on pace in English and 21 percent in math.

The average ACT composite score in Rutherford County was 20.8, nearly a point above the state's 19.9 average. The county's graduation rate was 95.2 percent.

“I am proud of our administrators, teachers, students and parents for working together and further improving both our graduation rate and our ACT scores,” Director of Schools Don Odom said in a release. “Our graduation rate places us in the upper level of all school districts in Tennessee, and our ACT scores are nearly a full point above Rutherford County’s average from last year and the current state average. Those scores reflect a significant increase, and our schools should be commended for a job well done.”

The state Department of Education released the district and school-level results Tuesday and launched a new website designed to be more user-friendly for parents.

La Vergne High School had a graduation rate of 91.8 percent, English proficiency of 24.9 percent, math proficients of 15.2 percent and an average ACT composite score of 18.1. Smyrna High had a graduation rate of 95.4 percent, English proficiency of 21.4 percent, math proficiency of 19.8 percent and an average ACT composite score of 19.6. Stewarts Creek High had a graduation rate of 96.3 percent, English proficiency of 30.8 percent, math proficiency of 25.1 percent and an average ACT composite score of 20.5.

“This new report card is easier to use and has better information about whether our students are academically on track, both of which will help parents, educators, district leaders, and advocates support our students’ success," Education Commissioner Candice McQueen said in a statement.

The TNReady test was designed to be more rigorous than the old TCAP test, so an overall dip statewide was expected, but the results did line up with the results from the ACT.

TNReady is a set of tests aiming to measure academic progress. Students are tested in grades 3-8 and also in high school as part of year-end tests.

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