Rutherford County Schools and 32 of its individual schools have attained Level 5 status for student performance during the 2024-2025 school year, according to information released today by the Tennessee Department of Education.
It is the sixth consecutive year of Level 5 recognition — the highest possible — for the district and the second straight year of having 32 schools accomplish the same. Rankings are based on student performance from TCAP assessments, which students take each spring.
Director of Schools Dr. Jimmy Sullivan credited principals and teachers for “simplifying the process of teaching” by focusing on students, the expected standards before them and building relationships with students and families to help them be successful academically and in life.
“We’ve become accustomed to being a Level 5 district, but people don’t understand how important it is and what it means. Year after year, our students are performing above and beyond expectations,” said Sullivan, who has served as Director of Schools since July 2022. Sullivan previously served as the head of the instruction department before becoming director of schools.
Districts and schools earn a ranking of one through five to measure annual student academic growth. A ranking of three, for example, signals a student experienced one year’s worth of growth academically, while a ranking of four or five shows a student grew by more than a year’s worth academically.
The number of schools receiving Level 5 designation has grown from 19 schools in 2021-2022, and 26 in 2022-2023, to 32 each of the last two years.
For the 2024–2025 school year, 42 of Rutherford’s 48 eligible schools earned a ranking of three or higher.
“We’re proud of that because it represents the opportunities students may not have had without outstanding leadership in our schools, effective teaching and partnerships with our parents,” Sullivan said. “We can’t control where (students) start their educational journey but we can ensure they grow every year they’re with us,” Sullivan added.