A mix of traditional and academic magnet schools across Tennessee topped the list in the newly released 2027 U.S. News and World Report statewide rankings for the best public elementary and middle schools.
Instead of a national ranking this year, U.S. News instead ranked the top elementary and middle schools in each state, along with the top charter elementary and middle schools. Charter schools are public, meaning they are taxpayer-funded and free to attend. They are also held to the same standards as public schools, like standardized testing. However, they are privately run by nonprofit governing bodies.
U.S. News, a digital media company, released the new rankings on Oct. 20 and ranked around 70,000 schools nationwide. The company evaluated
how students scored in mathematics and reading/language arts on state tests alongside student demographic data, according to its methodology site. In turn, that measures overall achievement and school effectiveness. Ties in overall scores were broken by student-teacher ratios.
"Half of the formula assessed the scores themselves ... and the other half incorporated the test results in the context of socioeconomic characteristics," the site stated. "In other words, the top-ranked schools are all high-achieving and have succeeded at educating all their students."
Experts have cautioned against relying too heavily on rankings like the ones that U.S. News assembles to determine what school is best for individual children. They encourage families to consider things like educational program opportunities, location, demographics, teacher quality and other factors when deciding on a school.
With all that in mind, here are the Tennessee public schools that made the top 10 in each statewide category this year.
U.S. News top 10 elementary schools in Tennessee
The top four public elementary schools are all academic magnets, meaning they have academic requirements to enroll. The remaining six are traditional neighborhood public schools. Here's a look at the top 10 and the grades they offer, along with their school types, cities and districts:
- No. 1: Merrol Hyde Magnet School (grades K-12, academic magnet, Hendersonville, Sumner County Schools)
- No. 2: McFadden School of Excellence (grades K-5, academic magnet, Murfreesboro, Rutherford County Schools)
- No. 3: Thurman Francis Arts Academy/Magnet School for the Arts (grades K-8, academic magnet, Smyrna, Rutherford County Schools)
- No. 4: Discovery School (grades PK-6, academic magnet, Murfreesboro, Murfreesboro City Schools)
- No. 5: Clovercroft Elementary School (grades K-5, traditional, Franklin, Williamson County Schools)
- No. 6: Farmington Elementary School (grades PK-5, traditional, Germantown, Germantown Municipal Schools)
- No. 7: Lipscomb Elementary (grades K-5, traditional, Brentwood, Williamson County Schools)
- No. 8: Crosswind Elementary School (grades K-5, traditional, Collierville, Collierville Schools)
- No. 9: Dogwood Elementary School (grades K-5, traditional, Germantown, Germantown Municipal Schools)
- No. 10: Nolan Elementary School (grades K-5, traditional, Signal Mountain, Hamilton County Schools)
U.S. News top 10 middle schools in Tennessee
Like the highest-ranked elementary schools in Tennessee, the top middle schools are all academic magnets. Here's a look at the top 10 and the grades they offer, along with their school types, cities and districts:
- No. 1: Central Magnet School (grades 6-12, academic magnet, Murfreesboro, Rutherford County Schools)
- No. 2: Merrol Hyde Magnet School (grades K-12, academic magnet, Hendersonville, Sumner County Schools)
- No. 3: Thurman Francis Arts Academy/Magnet School for the Arts (grades K-8, academic magnet, Smyrna, Rutherford County Schools)
- No. 4: Meigs Middle (grades 5-8, academic magnet, Nashville, Metro Nashville Public Schools)
- No. 5: Martin Luther King Junior School (grades 8-12*, academic magnet, Nashville, Metro Nashville Public Schools)
- No. 6: Brentwood Middle School (grades 6-8, traditional, Brentwood, Williamson County Schools)
- No. 7: Woodland Middle School (grades 6-8, traditional, Brentwood, Williamson County Schools)
- No. 8: Sunset Middle School (grades 6-8, traditional, Brentwood, Williamson County Schools)
- No. 9: T. W. Hunter Middle School (grades 6-8, traditional, Hendersonville, Sumner County Schools)
- No. 10: University School (grades K-12, laboratory school, Johnson City, Washington County)*
*Martin Luther King Junior School in Nashville previously offered grades 7-12 but is now phasing out its middle school grades. It narrowed to grades 8-12 in 2026-27 and will become grades 9-12 only starting in 2027-28. University School in Johnson City is a public school known as a laboratory school that runs in partnership with East Tennessee State University. Also known as training schools, the schools are typically high-performing, have smaller student bodies and focus on teacher training, along with innovative teaching and learning practices.
U.S. News top 10 charter elementary schools in Tennessee
All the state's top 10 charter elementary schools were either in Nashville or Memphis. While most are authorized by their district, two fall under the authority of the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission. Here's a look at the top 10 and the grades they offer, along with their school types, cities and districts:
- No. 1: East End Preparatory School (grades K-8, Nashville, Metro Nashville Public Schools)
- No. 2: Leadership Preparatory Charter School (grades K-8, Memphis, Memphis-Shelby County Schools)
- No. 3: Freedom Prep Elementary - Millbranch (grades K-5, Memphis, Memphis-Shelby County Schools)
- No. 4: Cornerstone Prep Denver Campus (grades K-5, Memphis, Tennessee Public Charter School Commission)
- No. 5: KIPP Memphis Collegiate Elementary (grades K-5, Memphis, Memphis-Shelby County Schools)
- No. 6: Southern Avenue Charter School of Academic Excellence Creative Arts (grades K-5, Memphis, Memphis-Shelby County Schools)
- No. 7: Promise Academy (grades PK-5, Memphis, Memphis-Shelby County Schools)
- No. 8: KIPP Kirkpatrick Elementary School (grades K-4, Nashville, Metro Nashville Public Schools)
- No. 9: Journey East Academy (grades K-8, Memphis, Memphis-Shelby County Schools)
- No. 10: KIPP Antioch College Prep Elementary (grades K-4, Nashville, Tennessee Public Charter School Commission)
U.S. News top 10 charter middle schools in Tennessee
While most of the top charter middle schools in the state were in Memphis or Nashville, one school in Chattanooga also made the list this year. Here's a look at the top 10 and the grades they offer, along with their school types, cities and districts:
- No. 1: Valor Voyager Academy (grades 5-8, Nashville, Metro Nashville Public Schools)
- No. 2: Valor Flagship Academy (grades 5-12, Nashville, Metro Nashville Public Schools)
- No. 3: Memphis Rise Academy (grades 6-12, Memphis, Memphis-Shelby County Schools)
- No. 4: Chattanooga Preparatory School (grades 6-12, Chattanooga, Hamilton County)
- No. 5: KIPP Antioch College Prep Middle (grades 5-8, Nashville, Tennessee Public Charter School Commission)
- No. 6: Liberty Collegiate Academy (grades 5-8, Nashville, Metro Nashville Public Schools)
- No. 7: Journey Coleman K-8 (grades K-8, Memphis, Memphis-Shelby County Schools)
- No. 8: KIPP Nashville College Prep (grades 5-8, Nashville, Metro Nashville Public Schools)
- No. 9: KIPP Memphis Collegiate Middle (grades 6-8, Memphis, Memphis-Shelby County Schools)
- No. 10: Memphis Grizzlies Preparatory Charter School (grades 5-8, Memphis, Memphis-Shelby County Schools)
Learn more
See all statewide rankings, including how schools ranked in their own districts, and learn more at USnews.com/education/k12.
Rachel Wegner covers education and children's issues for The Tennessean. Got a story you think she should hear? Reach her via email at RAwegner@tennessean.com. You can also find her on X or Bluesky under the handle RachelAnnWegner.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: U.S. News ranks Tennessee's top K-8 public schools
