schoolsbycounty

Macon County Schools & Education

School Score

24/100

Percentile-style score

Score Band

Lower Signal

Graduation Rate

88.0%

National avg 87.5%

Education Statistics

Graduation Rate

88.0%

National avg 87.5%

State avg 93.3%

Per-Pupil Spending

$5,692

National avg $13,239

State avg $6,215

School Score

24/100

Percentile-style score

State avg 47/100

State Score Position

#93

of 95 counties by score

Education Data Brief: Macon County

Measured School Summary

Macon County faces educational challenges with a school score of 24/100 and a graduation rate of 88.0%, falling below typical benchmarks.

Funding Context

At $5,692 per pupil, Macon County operates with limited funding, which may constrain staffing, materials, and extracurricular offerings.

Neighbor Context

Its school score is 50% below the Tennessee average, and its graduation rate trails the state average by 5.3 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 8% lower than the state norm.

School Data Brief

How to read Macon County before comparing districts

County-level education data is best used as a screening layer. It summarizes the local school environment, then points you toward the district and school records that matter for local review.

Local context that changes the interpretation

8 public schools and 1 district are represented below. Use those school and district records to confirm whether the county-level context fits the neighborhoods you are actually considering.

Overall screen

24/100

Lower measured signal. Ranks #93 of 95 Tennessee counties with school score data.

Completion

88.0%

5.3 pts below the state average

Funding context

$5,692

$523 below the state average

School coverage

8

1 district represented in the county school list.

Start with measured county context

The county-level signal is lower, so review individual schools and local records before interpreting the score. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.

Check the local school mix

Macon County has 8 public schools across 1 district, so school-level fit can vary inside the county.

Verify local rules

Use this page as county-level context, then confirm attendance zones, transportation, special programs, and current school boundaries with local districts.

Parent decision brief

What Macon County school data means before you move

County averages are useful for screening, but parents choose addresses, grade pathways, and district rules. This brief turns the public data into the checks that matter before you sign a lease or mortgage.

Small-system county

Macon County has a compact public-school footprint. A single school change, boundary rule, or district update can move the lived experience more than the county score suggests.

State position

#93

of 95 Tennessee counties with school score data. The county score is 23 points below the state average.

Data confidence

Usable

3 of 5 county signals are present, and 100% of listed schools report enrollment. Compare schools, then verify missing fields locally.

K-12 continuity check

These are the largest visible district slices in the county data. They show whether elementary, middle, and high school records appear together or whether a family needs to investigate transition points.

Macon County

Elementary to high school visible

4,231 students

Elementary 5Middle 1High 2Other 0

8 listed schools in this county slice.

District reality check

Macon County is the largest listed district slice, with 8 schools. County pages do not prove address assignment, so verify boundaries with local district tools.

What the data cannot tell you

NCES records do not confirm current attendance zones, private-school options, transfer approvals, program capacity, transportation, or whether a listed school is available to a specific address.

Questions to ask before choosing an address

Which district actually serves the addresses we are considering in Macon County?

Which attendance zones, transfer rules, and transportation policies apply inside the local district?

What changes at the elementary-to-middle and middle-to-high transitions in the district pathway we would likely use?

If we need a program not visible in the NCES flags, which district office can confirm current offerings?

Are the largest listed schools the ones our address can actually attend, or are they only county-level context?

Data Story

Macon County Composite School Score Trails State Averages

Education data brief for Macon County, Tennessee.

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorPublished Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor
Lead metric:School score

Macon County's public education system holds a composite school score of 23.6, which is lower than the Tennessee state average of 47.5 and the national median of 50.0. This score is recorded alongside a per-pupil expenditure of $5,692, a figure below the state average of $6,215 and the national average of $13,000. The county operates eight public schools serving 4,231 students through a single district. The schools are largely rural, with five rural and three town locations, and Macon County High School is the largest campus with 967 students. The graduation rate is 88.0%, which exceeds the national average of 87.0% but is lower than the state average of 93.3%. No charter schools are present in the county's directory. Review the NCES Common Core of Data for detailed school-level financial and performance records.

Sources

School Overview

Total Schools

8

in Macon County

Reported Enrollment

4,231

8 schools reporting

School Districts

1

district

Charter Schools

0

0% of total

School Level Breakdown

Elementary5
Middle1
High2
Other0

1 School District in Macon County

Macon County

Guide
8 schools
4,231 students enrolled
Open district guide

8 Public Schools in Macon County

Sorted by reported enrollment. Dedicated profile pages are available for 1 high-enrollment school; every NCES public school remains listed here.

NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data

Level

Showing 8 of 8 matching schools

Macon County High School

Macon County

Lafayette, 37083 / Rural: Fringe

Profile9–12High967 students

Macon County Junior High School

Macon County

Lafayette, 37083 / Rural: Fringe

Record6–8Middle771 students

Fairlane Elementary

Macon County

Lafayette, 37083 / Town: Distant

RecordPK–1Primary532 students

Central Elementary

Macon County

Lafayette, 37083 / Town: Distant

Record2–3Primary450 students

Lafayette Elementary School

Macon County

Lafayette, 37083 / Town: Distant

Record4–5Primary422 students

Westside Elementary

Macon County

Westmoreland, 37186 / Rural: Distant

RecordPK–5Primary405 students

Red Boiling Springs Elementary

Macon County

Red Boiling Springs, 37150 / Rural: Distant

RecordPK–6Primary350 students

Red Boiling Springs School

Macon County

Red Boiling Springs, 37150 / Rural: Distant

Record6–12High334 students

Education Funding Detail

Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure

$5,692

State avg $6,215

Compare Nearby Counties

Review Macon County against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.

Open Compare

Browse Public Schools

See school-level enrollment, grade ranges, school type, and district affiliation.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which Tennessee counties have the highest graduation rates?
Morgan County (99.0%), Henry County (98.0%), and Benton County (97.0%) currently lead Tennessee among counties with available NCES four-year adjusted cohort graduation-rate data. This answer is generated from the same dataset used in the county table and can change when federal data refreshes.
What is per-pupil spending like in Tennessee?
Across Tennessee counties with available NCES district-finance data, average per-pupil spending is $6,215. The highest current county values are Davidson County ($7,324), Williamson County ($7,061), and Benton County ($7,058). Compare counties in the table before treating the statewide average as representative of a local district.
How should I read the school score in Macon County?
Macon County has a school score of 24/100, which is a lower measured signal in this county-level index. This score is calculated from available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance data, with school-level records shown separately below.
What is the graduation rate in Macon County?
The high school graduation rate in Macon County is 88.0%, which is above the national average of 87.5%. This figure is based on NCES district-level data for public high schools in the county.
How much does Macon County spend per student?
Macon County spends $5,692 per pupil annually on public education, based on NCES district finance data. Current operating spending per fall enrollment, including instruction, support services, administration, transportation, and operations. It excludes capital outlays and debt service in the SchoolsByCounty methodology.

Counties with Similar School Profile

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

Data Sources

Education data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data and School District Finance Survey. School scores are derived composite metrics based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance signals.

Data is informational only. Coverage varies by county and reporting year. Not for use as the sole basis for educational decisions.