Top Rankings
Putnam County School District ranks among the top 20% of public school district in Tennessee for:
Category
Attribute
Community Size
Largest student body (number of students) (Top 1%)
For the 2025 school year, there are 7 public middle schools serving 3,836 students in Putnam County School District. This district's average middle testing ranking is 6/10, which is in the top 50% of public middle schools in Tennessee.
Public Middle Schools in Putnam County School District have an average math proficiency score of 32% (versus the Tennessee public middle school average of 33%), and reading proficiency score of 32% (versus the 34% statewide average).
Minority enrollment is 24% of the student body (majority Hispanic), which is less than the Tennessee public middle school average of 39% (majority Black).
Overview
This School District
This State (TN)
# Schools
22 Schools
672 Schools
# Students
11,762 Students
315,543 Students
# Teachers
815 Teachers
21,238 Teachers
Student : Teacher Ratio
14:1
14:1
Student By Grade
District Rank
Putnam County School District, which is ranked within the top 50% of all 147 school districts in Tennessee (based off of combined math and reading proficiency testing data) for the 2021-2022 school year.
The school district's graduation rate of 91% has decreased from 92% over five school years.
Overall District Rank
#56 out of 147 school districts
(Top 50%)
(Top 50%)
Math Test Scores (% Proficient)
33%
31%
Reading/Language Arts Test Scores (% Proficient)
37%
37%
Science Test Scores (% Proficient)
39%
40%
Graduation Rate
91%
90%
Students by Ethnicity:
Diversity Score
0.39
0.58
% American Indian
n/a
n/a
% Asian
1%
2%
% Hispanic
18%
14%
% Black
3%
19%
% White
76%
61%
% Hawaiian
n/a
n/a
% Two or more races
2%
4%
All Ethnic Groups
District Revenue and Spending
The revenue/student of $10,350 in this school district is less than the state median of $11,979. The school district revenue/student has stayed relatively flat over four school years.
The school district's spending/student of $10,304 is less than the state median of $11,478. The school district spending/student has stayed relatively flat over four school years.
Total Revenue
$122 MM
$12,104 MM
Spending
$121 MM
$11,597 MM
Revenue / Student
$10,350
$11,979
Spending / Student
$10,304
$11,478
Best Putnam County School District Public Middle Schools (2025)
School
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
Location
Grades
Students
Rank: #11.
Algood Middle School
(Math: 41% | Reading: 37%)
Rank:
Rank:
7/
Top 50%10
540 Dry Valley Rd
Cookeville, TN 38506
(931) 537-6141
Cookeville, TN 38506
(931) 537-6141
Grades: 5-8
| 730 students
Rank: #22.
Prescott South Middle School
(Math: 38% | Reading: 37%)
Rank:
Rank:
7/
Top 50%10
1859 S. Jefferson St
Cookeville, TN 38506
(931) 528-3647
Cookeville, TN 38506
(931) 528-3647
Grades: 5-8
| 766 students
Rank: #33.
Avery Trace Middle School
(Math: 37% | Reading: 36%)
Rank:
Rank:
7/
Top 50%10
230 Raider Dr
Cookeville, TN 38501
(931) 520-2200
Cookeville, TN 38501
(931) 520-2200
Grades: 5-8
| 745 students
Rank: #44.
Upperman Middle School
(Math: 29% | Reading: 26%)
Rank:
Rank:
4/
Bottom 50%10
6700 Nashville Hwy
Baxter, TN 38544
(931) 858-6601
Baxter, TN 38544
(931) 858-6601
Grades: 5-8
| 847 students
Rank: #55.
Monterey High School
(Math: 17% | Reading: 28%)
Rank:
Rank:
4/
Bottom 50%10
710 East Commercial Ave
Monterey, TN 38574
(931) 839-2970
Monterey, TN 38574
(931) 839-2970
Grades: 7-12
| 544 students
Rank: #66.
Putnam County Vital
(Math: 15% | Reading: 25%)
Rank:
Rank:
3/
Bottom 50%10
1400 E. Spring St
Cookeville, TN 38506
(931) 372-2368
Cookeville, TN 38506
(931) 372-2368
Grades: PK-12
| 106 students
Rank: #77.
White Plains Academy
Alternative School
(Math: ≤5% | Reading: 6-9%)
Rank:
Rank:
1/
Bottom 50%10
288 E. Main St
Cookeville, TN 38506
(931) 528-1847
Cookeville, TN 38506
(931) 528-1847
Grades: K-12
| 98 students
Recent Articles

Parents’ Guide to Special Education
Special education law is not easy to decipher, with several regulations that govern special education services for disabled students. In this article, learn about the core components of the laws, rights, and individual education plans that can help create the best public school environment for your child.

Surveillance Cameras: Violation of Rights or Improved Security?
A school district in Virginia has given the green light to schools that want to install surveillance cameras in common areas like cafeterias and hallways. We’ll look at whether this is a violation of student privacy or the best way to keep order in schools.

Teachers in 19 States Allowed to Physically Punish Students
As of 2014, nineteen states still allow corporal punishment – spanking and paddling the most common choices – in their public schools. However, some argue that not only are these punishments physically harmful, they also are disproportionately administered to students of color. As a result, House democrats have taken up the issue in a new bill that would ban all forms of corporal punishment nationwide.