RUTHERFORD COUNTY, TN – The Rutherford County School District is making headlines not only for increased security measures at every county school but also for its continued growth and academic success. For the past decade, Rutherford County Schools have remained the fourth-largest school system in Tennessee. But more surprising are the national statistics...

Total student enrollment numbers for this year are not yet available, but there’s a reason for that... The Director of Schools explained that the last week of September is typically when enrollment numbers are finalized, as many new and relocating families enroll late. Dr. Jimmy Sullivan said the 2025–2026 enrollment count will likely fall between 52,000 and 53,000 students.

To meet this growth, the district recently expanded Riverdale, Smyrna, and Oakland High Schools and opened a brand-new school, Poplar Hill Elementary, in the Blackman area. Now, plans are moving forward for another new school near the campuses of Stewarts Creek Middle and High Schools...

As the student population grows, so does academic performance. Most recently, Rutherford County Schools received a Level 5 ranking... Districts and schools are scored from one through five to measure annual student academic growth. A ranking of three signals a student achieved one year’s worth of growth academically, while a ranking of four or five means students exceeded that benchmark.

For the 2024–2025 school year, Rutherford County Schools, along with 32 individual schools, earned the Level 5 designation — the highest possible rating. This marks the second consecutive year that 32 schools across the district reached this status, according to the Tennessee Department of Education. Rankings are based on student performance from the annual TCAP assessments.

• Read more about the RCS Level 5 Status HERE.

More on School District Size: The largest school district in the United States is the New York City School District, which is made-up by nearly 860-thousand students. Next is the Los Angeles Unified School District at number 2 in the U.S. with about 436-thousand students. Ranking as the 3rd largest is the City of Chicago School District #299, with approximately 330-thousand students.