Jefferson County Public Schools (Tennessee)
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Jefferson County Schools is the public school district within Jefferson County, Tennessee, governed by the Jefferson County Board of Education.
The district has one high school, Jefferson County High School. There are two K–8 schools in the district, Rush Strong School and White Pine School. The district also has six K–5 schools (Dandridge Elementary, Jefferson Elementary, Mount Horeb Elementary, New Market Elementary, Piedmont Elementary, and Talbott Elementary) and two middle schools (Jefferson Middle and Maury Middle School).
Jefferson County High School opened in August 1975 as a result of the reorganization of all elementary schools and the consolidation of the existing high schools. Students from White Pine, Rush Strong, Maury, and Jefferson High Schools combined to form a student body of nearly 2300+ in grades 9–12. In its first year of operation, the high school was recognized by the Tennessee School Board Association as the "School of the Year" in Tennessee.[citation needed] The academic, athletic, and activity programs have continued to excel since its opening. Jefferson County High School is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The Jefferson County School District has also received District SACS accreditation.[1]
The High School is located in the geographic center of Jefferson County. The location is approximately fifteen miles from the most distant commuting student in the county. The campus consists of 60 acres (240,000 m2) including a stadium, gymnasium, playing fields, tennis courts, and the academic complex. The enrollment is approximately 1800 students.
In 2007 Jefferson County Schools embarked on a $65 million building program intended to provide additional classroom space in the elementary schools and renovations to the high school.
In 2013, they made an addition to the high school called Patriot Academy for the incoming freshmen. The enrollment is approximately 600.
The main campus of the high school has repairs started after rain in 2013 caused roofing to collapse. Prior to these repairs none had taken place since the building of the school in 1974. Repairs were completed in December of 2015, including refurbished classrooms, a new fine arts wing, and a auditorium with a capacity of around 600.
The collapse of the roof that ultimately led to further construction was due to the build up of water on the roof of the school's CTE building. The water wasn't able to drain effectively and caused the roof to cave in under all the weight..
The Patriot Academy, a division of the school catering to freshmen, located down the road from the high school, was opened in 2013. Students from the 2013-2014 school year have reported leaks during the first year of that building's use. Some students expressed fear that their school was as dangerous as the main campus. Since then maintenance crews have stopped further leaking and fixed the problems with the roof.
Teachers around the high school have shown great excitement for the repairs to be completed. A problem reported from teachers as of the start of the 2014-2015 school year has been the fact that the school has supplied them with one book shelf and one cabinet.
In spite of all the construction, the high school still received numerous awards celebrating their academic and athletic excellence. The school has been named a Tennessee state "reward school" on numerous occasions and is recognized as having one of the premier athletic departments in the state.