Central Elementary, Johnson City TN

Original Research by School Decision on Central Elementary

Central Elementary, located within the city limits of Johnson City, Tennessee, is a regular public school in the Carter County school system. It serves students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, which means a child can spend an entire decade in the same building, moving from the earliest school years up through the end of middle school. The school’s enrollment is on the smaller side for a PK-8 campus, and the student body is predominantly white, with a modest share of Hispanic students and a very small number of multiracial and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students. Data on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals, receive special education services, or are English learners was not available in the records we reviewed, leaving a gap that a parent may want to explore directly with the school.

On Tennessee’s state assessments, TNReady, the school’s results paint a mixed picture. In math, roughly three out of ten students scored at the proficient level or above. In English language arts, that figure was slightly lower, just above one in four. Performance was stronger in science, where about four in ten students reached proficiency. In social studies, the proficiency rate fell to about one in five students. Taken together, these scores place the school below the medians for the two districts that make up Carter County. A parent considering Central Elementary will want to ask how the school supports students who are still developing foundational skills and whether there are targeted interventions or enrichment programs in place.

As a PK-8 school, Central Elementary does not have a graduation rate to report; the question of high school completion applies to the district’s high schools, not to this campus. No data on chronic absenteeism was available either, nor were there records on discipline, staffing ratios, or course access at the school level.

Johnson City is a mid-sized city that serves as an economic anchor for the Tri-Cities region. It is home to East Tennessee State University and a strong medical corridor anchored by several hospitals and health-sciences colleges. Manufacturing, healthcare, and education are the dominant employers. The city has a historic downtown and a mix of older residential neighborhoods and newer subdivisions. Housing values in the school’s ZIP code area run somewhat below national levels, and rents make up a moderate share of local income. The school sits on the south side of the city, near the edge of the built-up area.

For families weighing their options, Central Elementary offers a long, stable run of schooling in a single site, from kindergarten readiness through the end of middle school. The academic proficiency numbers are below those of the county’s other district, and parents may want to understand the school’s approach to raising achievement. What the data does not provide – such as free lunch rates, special education supports, and disciplinary climate – would be worth a direct conversation with the school to get a fuller picture of daily life there.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grades 3-830%

School 30% · District 37% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

English language arts

Grades 3-827%

School 27% · District 34% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Science

Grades 3-841%

School 41% · District 43% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Social studies

Grades 3-823%

School 23% · District 49% · ▼ 26 pts below district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 25 pts below county median

This schoolCarter County, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income40%Higher-income43%3 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income25%Higher-income47%22 pp gap

Grades 3-8Lower-income23%Higher-income29%6 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income30%Higher-income57%27 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income25%Higher-income32%7 pp gap

Grades 3-8Lower-income21%Higher-income35%14 pp gap