November 21, 2025
By JAMES EVANS
Rutherford County Schools
In yet another indicator that Rutherford County Schools is among the elite performers in Tennessee, a record number of district schools have earned the distinction of “Reward School,” the Tennessee Department of Education announced today.
Schools are recognized as a Reward school when they demonstrate high levels of performance and/or improvement in performance by meeting their annual measurable objectives across performance indicators and student groups, and the Reward school distinction places significant emphasis on improvement from the prior school year, according to TDOE.
Last school year, 20 Rutherford schools earned the designation, and the previous record is 21 schools.
“I am ecstatic to see our schools, our administrators, our teachers, our staff, our students, and our parents recognized for their determination, dedication, and pursuit of high performance ,” Director of Schools Dr. Jimmy Sullivan said. “The key to our schools’ success is not a secret. We invest our efforts into meeting our students where they are and ensuring they grow academically each year. Our strategy is working, as evidenced by these designations today.”
The designations were approved today by the State Board of Education and then announced publicly by the Tennessee Department of Education.
Earlier this year, Rutherford County Schools was named a Level 5 school district for student growth, for the sixth consecutive year. In addition, 32 of the district’s schools also earned a Level 5, which is the highest designation offered by the state.
Following is the list of the 2024-2025 Reward Schools announced today:
Barfield Elementary School
Blackman Elementary School
Blackman Middle School
Buchanan Elementary School
Cedar Grove Elementary School
Central Magnet School School
Christiana Elementary School
Christiana Middle School
Eagleville School
Homer Pittard Campus School
Lascassas Elementary School
McFadden School of Excellence
Oakland High School
Oakland Middle School
Plainview Elementary School
Rockvale Elementary School
Rockvale Middle School
Rocky Fork Elementary School
Rocky Fork Middle School
Siegel Middle School
Smyrna Elementary School
Stewartsboro Elementary School
Stewarts Creek Elementary School
Stewarts Creek High School
Stewarts Creek Middle School
Thurman Francis Arts Academy
Whitworth-Buchanan Middle School
Wilson Elementary School