December 5, 2025
Rutherford County Schools
Rutherford County Schools is celebrating a major sweep in U.S. News & World Report’s latest rankings, taking top honors among Tennessee’s best elementary, middle and high schools.
Thurman Francis Arts Academy finished first for elementary schools, with McFadden School of Excellence second. At the middle school level, Central Magnet ranked first and Thurman Francis was second.
Additionally, Central Magnet ranked first in Tennessee and third nationwide when high school rankings were released earlier this year.
Rankings for elementary and middle schools were determined by the percentage of students who scored as proficient or above proficient in mathematics and reading/language arts on state assessments and how those results relate to a school’s socioeconomic demographics.
For high schools, U.S. News & World Report used a combination of data from state assessments, the U.S. Department of Education, Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exam data. Learn more at https://www.usnews.com/education/k12.
Central, McFadden and Thurman Francis are considered academic magnet schools by RCS and fall under the district’s School Choice offerings, which are open to applications from family in Rutherford County. Details about School Choice are available at www.rcschools.net/choice.