The top reported proficiency rate is 46% in English language arts. The lowest is 6% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on White Oak Elementary
White Oak Elementary serves students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade in the unincorporated rural community of Duff, Tennessee, part of the Campbell County school district. The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and operates within a region historically tied to coal mining that now centers on agriculture and small businesses. Duff has no formal downtown, and residents travel to nearby towns like LaFollette or Caryville for shopping, services, and civic amenities. The setting is Appalachian, with rolling hills and woodlands, and the pace of life is slow.
The student body is small and homogenous. Every enrolled student is reported as white, and the school’s enrollment is about that size across the pre-K through eighth-grade span. Grade-level groups are consistently modest in size, giving the school the feel of a close, rural elementary and middle school where most families likely know each other. Data on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and on special education and English learner populations, was not available.
Academically, the school’s results on the Tennessee state assessments present a mixed picture, and this is where a parent will want to look carefully. In reading and English language arts, roughly half of students in grades three through eight scored at the proficient level or above, which is a solid foundation. In math, that figure drops noticeably, with just over a third of students meeting the proficient mark. Science proficiency falls further still, and social studies results are very low, with only a small fraction of students reaching proficiency. The school tested students in all four subjects, with high participation rates. The social studies result in particular is a soft spot that a parent may want to discuss with the school to understand what instruction and support look like in that subject.
Because White Oak does not serve high school grades, there is no graduation rate to report. The school’s academic comparison to other districts in Campbell County was not possible because it is the only district in that county-based comparison set; no relative position can be drawn.
The comparison fact-set was designed to place the school relative to districts in Campbell County, but since only one district exists in that county, the comparison was not applicable. No proficiency index, graduation rate, or chronic absenteeism rate could be benchmarked against neighbors. The school’s performance can be understood only against the state’s own standards, not against nearby districts.
The community housing market is relatively affordable. Home values in the area are lower than both the state and national benchmarks, and values have seen a modest recent decline. This may be relevant for a family considering a move to this rural part of Campbell County, where housing costs are moderate compared to much of Tennessee.
The district brief turned up no recent major changes or initiatives that would significantly shift a family’s understanding of the school. The district’s current strategic direction was not documented in available sources, so this account does not fill that gap with speculation.
In sum, White Oak Elementary is a small, rural school serving a unified community of families in an area with little population growth or development pressure. Academic proficiency in reading is reasonable, but math, science, and especially social studies results are lower. A parent considering this school should expect a close-knit environment with small classes and should inquire directly about how the school addresses its weaker subject-area outcomes, particularly in social studies, where the proficiency rate is very low.
See more original research from School Decision →