By JC Bowman
The Tennessee Department of Education has released its 2025-26 district-level TCAP results, which show continued academic progress across the state and provide educators, families, and policymakers with detailed performance data. This data focuses on districts’ academic proficiency statewide, following the release of our statewide progress report last month. These latest results reveal that students statewide are achieving significant academic improvements. This positive trend demonstrates the hard work of educators and students in our districts.
The online TCAP dashboard presents district- and state-level results in English language arts, mathematics, and social studies. Science results are not included this year because the assessment is undergoing standard setting. The dashboard allows users to filter results by district, grade level, subject, and student group.
District participation remained strong, with 141 districts achieving at least 97% participation and 125 exceeding 99%. Among the highlights:
- Eighty-six districts improved proficiency rates in all tested subjects over the previous year.
- One hundred eighteen districts improved proficiency across all subjects compared to two years ago.
- Thirty districts reported more than half of their students meeting or exceeding expectations in every tested subject.
- Williamson County Schools posted the state’s highest overall proficiency rate at 73.9%, while Dyersburg City Schools recorded the largest year-over-year gain.
“These district-level results highlight the commitment and hard work of Tennessee districts and educators in preparing students for success,” said Commissioner of Education Lizzette Reynolds in a press release. “By using this data to guide decisions and strategic investments, Tennessee is prepared for the work ahead as we continue to put our students first.”
JC Bowman, Executive Director of Professional Educators of Tennessee, stated that the results highlight the importance of using assessment data to enhance classroom instruction and acknowledge the efforts of Tennessee educators and students.
“State assessment data should be seen as a moment in time and a way to improve continuously, not just as a scorecard,” Bowman said. “These results show the hard work of Tennessee’s educators and give schools important information to celebrate progress, recognize challenges, and direct resources where they can help students the most. However, we need to keep finding ways to reduce testing whenever possible.”
Individual student TCAP reports will be available later this month through the TCAP Family Portal.
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JC Bowman is the Executive Director of Professional Educators of Tennessee,
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