Knox County Schools is the school district that operates all public schools in Knox County, Tennessee.^[1]

History

Before the 1987–1988 school year, the city of Knoxville and Knox County operated separate school districts. In that year the two systems were consolidated into Knox County Schools.^[2]

List of Knox County School Superintendents (1869–Present)

M.C Wilcott 1869–1873

Thomas Conner Karns 1873–1875

H.M Brothers 1875–1876

H.G Hampstead 1877–1878

Frank Smith 1879–1880

William Gibbs 1881–1883

John Shipe 1883–1885

James Saylor 1886–1888

J.C Ford 1889–1896

D.P Duggan 1897–1900

Sam Hill 1901–1907

E.R Cate 1907–1910

Monroe Wilson 1911–1917

William Stooksbury 1917–1922

William Morris 1923–1934

Leonard Brickey 1934–1946

Mildred Doyle 1946–1976

Earl Hofmeister 1976–1992

Allen Morgan 1992–1998

Roy Mullins 1998–1999

Charles Lindsey 1999–2007

Roy Mullins 2007–2008

James McIntyre 2008–2016

Buzz Thomas 2016–2017 (interim)

Bob Thomas 2017–2022

Dr. Jon Rysewyk 2022–Present

• Mildred Doyle holds the record for longest time as superintendent (30 years).
• Mildred Doyle is also the only women to ever hold the office of superintendent of Knox County (county or city).

Lists of Knox County City School Superintendents (1871–1988)

Alenander Baird 1871–1875

Reverend H.T Morton 1875–1878

R.D.S Robertson 1877–1881

Albert Ruth 1881–1897

J.H. McCallie 1897–1901

Albert Ruth 1901–1907

Seymour Mynders 1907–1911

Walter Miller 1910–1924

Homer Shepherd 1926–1931

Harry Clark 1932–1941

Thomas Prince 1941–1949

Wilson New 1949–1954

Thomas Johnston 1954–1964

Olin Adams Jr. 1964–1971

Elmer Aslinger 1971–1973

Roy Wallace 1973–1975

James Newman 1975–1984

Fred Bedelle Jr. 1984–1987

Operations

Its current headquarters is in Knoxville.^[3]

It was formerly headquartered in the Andrew Johnson Building in downtown Knoxville.^[4]

Statistics

The district has 94 schools (including 51 elementary schools, 16 middle schools, 16 high schools, 11 special schools) with 8,339 employees serving approximately 60,500 students in the cities of Knoxville and Farragut as well as all other communities in the county. There are 3,927 classroom teachers, 85 principals, and 126 assistant principals. The system has another 549 certified personnel plus 3,652 support staff. All middle and high schools are accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and 96% of the elementary schools are accredited.

As of April 2012, there were 1,431 students enrolled in Pre-K, 27,168 K-5, 12,879 grades 6–8, 16,230 grades 9–12, and 104 in non-traditional schools. Of the student population, 76.6% are white, 5.3% Hispanic, 2.2% Asian/Pacific Island, and 13.9% African-American.^[5]

Schools

The district has a total of 88 schools within 9 districts.

Elementary schools

Knox County operates 50 elementary schools.

Middle schools

The district operates 16 middle schools, enrolling grades 6–8.

High schools

The district operates 15 high schools. These are:

Special schools

There are 10 Knox County schools offering special or non-traditional programs. Included are three vocational high school programs:

• Byington-Solway Career and Technical Education Center, located at Karns High School
• Lincoln Park Technology and Trade Center
• North Knox Career and Technical Education Center, located at Halls High School

The Knox County Adult High School offers day and evening high school classes for adult students (age 18 and older) desiring to complete a regular high school diploma. It is housed in the historic Knoxville High School building.

Knox County public preschools are:

• Fair Garden Preschool
• Sam E. Hill Family Community Center

Other special schools are:

• Fort Sanders Educational Development Center, offering special education services, primarily for children of preschool age
• The Knoxville Adaptive Education Center, a special school for students with mental health needs, including three elementary, three middle, and seven high school classrooms at the school, plus similar "satellite" classrooms in other county schools
• Richard Yoakley Alternative School
• Ridgedale Alternative School
• Dr. Paul L. Kelley Volunteer Academy

Governance

Knox County Schools is governed by a nine-member elected board of education^[6] and directed by an appointed Director of Schools (aka: superintendent). The following will serve on the Knox County Board of Education from 2022–2024:

• District 1: Rev. John Butler
• District 2: Jennifer Owen
• District 3: Daniel Watson
• District 4: Katherine Bike
• District 5: Susan Horn
• District 6: Betsy Henderson
• District 7: Steve Triplett
• District 8: Mike McMillan
• District 9: Kristi Kristy
• Dr. Jon Rysewyk currently serves as the Superintendent.^[6]