White County Schools is celebrating a major win this week as the Tennessee Department of Education officially designated the district as a “High-Performing Local Educational Agency.”  This distinction was accompanied by a state award of over $607,000.  Tennessee has approximately 150 school districts, and White County School District was one of only 22 to earn the honor.

To earn this recognition, at least half of the district’s schools must earn an "A" letter grade on state accountability reports.  Schools are assigned a letter grade based on their performance in achievement, growth, growth for high needs students, and (for high schools) college and career readiness. While all schools helped bolster the district to a Level 5, the highest metric of growth, it was Cassville Elementary, Findlay Elementary, White County Middle School, and White County High School who earned an “A” on the State Report Card to solidify this high-performing honor for our district. 

The award of $607,142.86 carries no restrictions in how it may be used.  The White County School Board will be considering its purpose in the upcoming months.

Receiving this high-performance distinction and the $607,000 award is a testament to the hard work happening in every one of our classrooms. This honor belongs to our incredible teachers who go above and beyond daily, our students who rose to the challenge to meet these high standards, and our community whose unwavering support makes this success possible. Achieving 'A' grade status at 50% of our schools shows that White County is setting a standard for excellence in Tennessee, and we are eager to reinvest these funds back into our mission of serving students.

-Kurt Dronebarger, Director of Schools