One of the biggest questions that is on the minds of any family getting ready to move is what schools are they zoned for, and what kind of learning environment do they promote? Today, we will be highlighting just a few of our many wonderful pre-k/elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools—all just a hop, skip, and a jump away from your new home in White Pine, TN.
White Pine School
White Pine School is located right here in White Pine, Tennessee and serves kids in grades Pre-K through 8th from the surrounding area. What we love about this school is how their principal, Angie Rogers, knows how tumultuous yet transformative these transitionary years between elementary and middle school can be for your child. This is why she believes in the importance of keeping these kids in the same school for that span of ten years between Pre-K and 8th grade. It can provide your child with a consistent group of friends and teachers during such a hectic time in their lives. And with a student body of 839, as well as a student-to-teacher ratio of 16:1, you can believe that White Pine School practices what they preach.
White Pine School strives for a level of deep integrity and transparency between teachers and students. This is why on their website, they have a detailed academic pacing guide for every year that they teach—broken up by subject. This school is also on target with where they need to be as far as academic proficiency is concerned. This can be seen in their percentages for Social Studies and Algebra I which are 41% and 48%, respectively.
Some of the groups that are highlighted on the White Pine School Website include Cyclone Service, The National Junior Honor Society, and WPTV. Cyclone Service is a volunteer group dedicated to providing community service to the White Pine area. At the end of the year, they reward their students for all their hard work by taking them on a special field trip. The National Junior Honor Society is an international organization dedicated to academic excellence. WPTV is a student-led journalism program that provides kids with broadcasting and written news experience. With opportunities like these and a stable academic environment that’s tailored to your child, you can bet that by the time they graduate from White Pine School, they will be ready for the next step in their academic career.
Maury Middle School
Maury Middle School (MMS) is in Jefferson County and runs from grades 6th-8th. It has a total enrollment of 619 students and a student-teacher ratio of 17:1, which means that your child will get to experience a healthy balance of being exposed to a larger, more diverse group of students with varying backgrounds, as well as a solid relationship amongst their teachers and fellow classmates. MMS believes these are valuable, teaching moments for students who are at an age where they are beginning to have their first taste at independence and freedom. Being exposed to a diverse, large group of students enriches their development of character which is further underscored in their mentorship with teachers.
In terms of academic performance at MMS, the students’ proficiency levels for both Algebra 1 and social studies are well above the average state percentages. These scores show that your child will be more than prepared to take their standardized tests come spring while they continue to build on that solid academic foundation that has been laid for them in elementary school.
MMS also provides their middle schoolers with a wide variety of clubs and sports teams to take part in—from the Junior Writer’s Club to the wrestling team. What’s equally as impressive is the middle school’s level of community outreach and involvement. This school does not strive to be a city on a hill but rather an active member among all the residents of Jefferson County. Whether it’s through their partnership with Challenger Baseball, providing meals for MMS’s lower-income families, or Engineer’s Day with University of Tennessee Knoxville’s Tickle College of Engineering, MMS is committed to providing their students with opportunities to engage in their community and make it a better place for everyone.
Lakeway Christian Academy
Lakeway Christian Academy is still a relatively new private school in the White Pine area. It was founded in 2018 and hosts 381 students in grades 6th – 12th. The school offers a wide variety of academic opportunities including honors courses, AP courses, and dual enrollment as well as several types of classes to choose from. These options range from world language and theology to career and technical education.
There is also an array of diverse clubs and other organizations for Lakeway students to participate in on campus. Each presents their own challenges and opportunities for success that give your child a chance to cultivate their own passion. Do they love sports? See if you can get them to try out for the women’s basketball team—they just won the TSSAA DII-A East Region Tournament Championship and the District I Tournament Championship. Or see if they want to try out for the wrestling team—they just sent six members of their team to the DII-A Tournament, and two of them won their division.
However, maybe your child is more interested in the fine arts. There’s an opportunity for them to pursue this as well. Lakeway has recently built a new 1200-seat performing arts center with a state-of-the-art lighting and surround sound system to be used for student band concerts, choir performances, plays, and musicals.
There are also three student organizations at Lakeway that recognize student academic excellence: The Career and Technological Education (CTE) Program, the Prefect Program, and the National Beta Club. CTE seeks to provide students with professional trade experiences ranging everywhere from robotics to culinary arts. The Prefect Program is a student-led organization that covers several different areas of leadership on campus such as spiritual life and admissions. Finally, the National Beta Club is a country-wide honors program that offers its members several leadership and scholarship opportunities throughout the year. Whatever your child ends up pursuing, you can trust that the environment they do it in will be an enriching, educational experience full of opportunity and growth, which is what Lakeway Christian Academy strives to provide for all their students in every aspect of their educational experience.
Jefferson County High School
Jefferson County High School (JCHS) has over two thousand students are enrolled in the school, and there is a 16:1 ratio between students and teachers. This ensures that your child will have the proper care and attention that they need to be ready to receive their diploma and start their career or pursue higher education at a college or university.
This is further backed up by their outstanding academic statistics. 28% of the students enrolled have taken at least one AP exam. 29% of the students are proficient in math, and 33% percent are proficient in reading. JCHS also boasts a 95% graduation rate, but they don’t plan on just stopping there. If you look on their website, JCHS lays out their 2020-21 goals for the year which they are set to achieve very soon. Such goals include boosting their ACT composite, their Academic Achievement rate, and their Ready Graduate rate.
JCHS also offers their students other opportunities to reach for success through their wonderful extracurricular activities This year, six students who were a part of the JCHS visual arts program won a BRAVO Art Award at the Rose Center for the Arts. Two ended up placing as finalists. Their boys’ basketball team also saw great success this year when they won the TSSAA DII-AAA championship.
Perhaps one of their most unique opportunities, though, is their Upward Bound Program. This is a collaborative program between JCHS and the University of Tennessee Knoxville’s (UTK) Math and Science Center that focuses on college preparation and mentorship for high school students. Students can meet with their Upward Bound Mentor to take visits of UTK, prepare for the ACT, or meet up and network with other students from participating high schools. The best part of all of this is that these students gain an enriching and educational experience that comes with no cost to them or their families. With opportunities like these at a school focused on striving ahead, it’s clear why JCHS is a great choice for your child’s new high school.
Learn More About White Pine and Our Schools
Have we piqued your interest? Perhaps, then, it’s time to take a closer look at these schools for yourself. But when you do, stop by your new home in White Pine, Tennessee. All the schools mentioned in this article are just a few minutes down the road—making for an easy commute on your way to and from work. In fact, you’ll find most aspects of life here in White Pine easy. In a world that’s busy bustling from one moment to the next without a moment’s rest, wouldn’t you want your home to be a place where you can take a sigh of relief? In a time when we are all going and going without stopping, make your home a place where you can press pause. Make your home White Pine. Visit our website today to learn more about the communities, businesses, and resources that your new town has to offer you.