Union County, TN - District Data

Original Research by School Decision on Union County

Union County Schools serves the entirety of Union County, Tennessee, a rural district that covers a string of small communities from Maynardville, the county seat, to Luttrell, Sharps Chapel, and the Knox County border. The district runs a dozen schools, including a traditional high school, an alternative center, several elementary and middle schools, and two virtual programs—the Tennessee Virtual Academy and Tennessee Virtual Junior High School. That means families have choices that range from a brick-and-mortar setting to a fully online option, and the district’s PK-through-12 span covers the full public school arc.

The student body is predominantly white, with a notable Black enrollment and smaller Hispanic and multiracial shares. The district serves about that size for a rural Tennessee county, with enrollment spread fairly evenly across the elementary grades and a noticeable drop in high school upperclassmen, which may reflect families moving or shifting to other options. Civil-rights data, free-and-reduced-price lunch counts, and special education and English learner figures were not available, so a parent who wants to understand the district’s poverty level or the share of students with IEPs would need to ask the central office directly.

On state testing, the picture is direct. Tennessee administers the TNReady assessment in grades three through eight, and the results show that in math, about one in five students scored at the proficient or advanced level. In English language arts, roughly one in four met that bar. Science came in higher, approaching three in ten, while social studies was similar to ELA. Participation rates were very high, so the results reflect nearly all eligible students. For a parent, what matters is that these proficiency rates place the district well below state averages across subjects; a family whose priority is strong test performance in the elementary and middle grades will want to weigh this carefully and may wish to investigate what supports are available for students who are behind.

No high school data was included in the available set, so we cannot speak to ACT scores, graduation rates, or college-and-career readiness metrics for Union County High School. That is a significant gap for anyone considering the upper end of the district. The graduation rate is simply not reported in what we have.

Housing in Union County covers a wide range. Home values in the district average well below the national median, but there is considerable variation: Sharps Chapel and the Andersonville area near the Norris Lake corridor run significantly higher, while communities like Speedwell and Powder Springs are more affordable. Rents are sparse in the data, with only two ZIP codes contributing any listings, suggesting a limited rental market. The district’s affordability ratio is reasonable relative to national incomes, and the estimated monthly mortgage payment comes in under the national typical rent, which may make homeownership more attainable here than in many parts of the state. The county’s unemployment rate is roughly on par with the national figure, and real median household income has been rising gradually.

The district’s own strategic priorities and recent changes were searched but yielded little publicly reported material, so we do not have a sense of where the administration is focusing its energy or what new programs are coming. The schools themselves include a mix of small rural elementaries, a middle school, and a high school that likely serves as the center of community life. For a parent weighing this district, the central trade-off is between a lower-cost housing market and a rural setting on one hand and below-average middle-grades state test scores with missing high school outcome data on the other. A direct conversation with the district office or school principals would be essential to fill in what the numbers do not say.

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District Context

Officially reported figures, 2024-25.

Enrollment

5,704

Grades

PK–12

Schools

Student body

Hispanic 5%

Black 15%

White 74%

Asian 1%

Two+ 5%

Am. Indian / AK Native 0%

Hawaiian / Pac. Isl. 0%

By economic status

Percent proficient by grade, as reported

Economically disadvantaged

Not disadvantaged

ELA

Gr 3

16%

31%

Gr 4

17%

38%

Gr 5

11%

31%

Gr 6

19%

29%

Gr 7

18%

28%

Gr 8

14%

22%

Gr 38

16%

29%

Math

Gr 3

11%

25%

Gr 4

13%

29%

Gr 5

12%

26%

Gr 6

11%

23%

Gr 7

12%

24%

Gr 8

17%

Gr 38

11%

24%

Science

Gr 3

17%

35%

Gr 4

26%

42%

Gr 5

15%

32%

Gr 6

18%

31%

Gr 7

21%

41%

Gr 8

16%

28%

Gr 38

19%

35%

Social studies

Gr 6

25%

Gr 7

19%

41%

Gr 8

15%

28%

Gr 38

14%

31%

Schools in this District

11 schools are officially reported under this district.

Union County High School

Union County Alternative Center

Big Ridge Elementary

H Maynard Middle School

Luttrell Elementary

Maynardville Elementary

Sharps Chapel Elementary

Elementary Middle Alternative

Paulette Elementary School

Tennessee Virtual Academy

Tennessee Virtual Junior High School

Academic Performance

Percent of students meeting or exceeding state standards, by grade.

Mathematics

1 grade reported

19%

Grades 3-8

English Language Arts

1 grade reported

25%

Grades 3-8

Science

1 grade reported

29%

Grades 3-8

Social Studies

1 grade reported

25%

Grades 3-8

Housing & Real Estate

Data as of April 2026 | District-weighted from constituent ZIP codes

Home Values

Typical home value$315,615

Year-over-year change+3.6%

Range across 11 ZIP codes$232K to $422K

vs. state typical0.94x

vs. national typical0.86x

Home value trend (12 months)

ZIP code home values (11 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Value	YoY	Weight
37807	Maynardville	$291K	+3.4%	38.1%
37866	Sharps Chapel	$399K	+2.9%	26.5%
37779	Luttrell	$237K	+3.2%	15.9%
37705	Andersonville	$422K	+6.6%	6.6%
37870	Speedwell	$232K	+4.6%	4.1%
37888	New Tazewell	$235K	+4.2%	2.5%
37721	Corryton	$330K	+3.0%	2.4%
37825	New Tazewell	$242K	+5.6%	2.2%
37848	Powder Springs	$234K	+2.0%	1.0%
37754	Heiskell	$327K	+3.5%	0.8%
37938	Knoxville	$390K	+1.2%	0.1%

Rental Market

Typical monthly rent$1,929/mo

Range across 2 ZIP codes$1,923 to $2,100/mo

ZIP code rents (2 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Rent/mo	YoY	Weight
37721	Corryton	$1,923	—	2.4%
37938	Knoxville	$2,100	—	0.1%

Affordability

Est. monthly mortgage (20% down at 6.48%)$1,593/mo

Home price / national median income3.8x

Annual rent / national median income27.6%

Rent exceeds est. mortgage by$337/mo

Comparison

State typical home value$334,075 (+0.3% YoY)

National typical home value$368,198 (+0.6% YoY)

State ZHVI trend (12 months)

National ZHVI trend (12 months)

Economic Context

30-year fixed mortgage rate6.48%

National unemployment rate4.3%

National median household income$83,730

CPI: Rent of shelter (index)447.05

30-year fixed mortgage rate (12 months)

National unemployment rate (12 months)

National median household income (12 months)

CPI: Rent of shelter (index) (12 months)

Sources: Zillow Home Value Index and Zillow Observed Rent Index (Zillow Group), Realtor.com via Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED)

Data Currently Unavailable

Civil Rights Data (CRDC)

This profile is derived exclusively from publicly available federal and state datasets. It may not reflect the most current information available. We encourage parents and families to supplement this data with information published directly on the school’s website, which may include more recent figures, additional programs, or updated enrollment data.