Best Schools in Kingsport, Tennessee

Kingsport's public school system gives parents a solid starting point. The city has 18 ranked public schools carrying an average score of 7.7 out of 10 — a consistent baseline that holds across most of the district. More telling: 13 of those 18 schools, or 72%, score 7 or higher. That ratio means most families land in a performing school without needing to seek alternatives or special enrollment options.

The elementary tier is where Kingsport's system earns its highest marks. Sullivan Gardens Elementary leads the city at 9.3 out of 10 — the top score among all 18 ranked schools. Thomas Jefferson Elementary follows at 9.1, with Rock Springs Elementary at 8.9, Miller Perry Elementary at 8.8, and John Adams Elementary at 8.7 rounding out the top five. Five elementary schools scoring between 8.7 and 9.3 signals broad excellence at the foundational level, not a single outlier propping up the average.

That top-end concentration has a practical implication: zoning matters. Families near Sullivan Gardens or Thomas Jefferson can expect a meaningfully different experience than those assigned to schools near the 7.7 district mean. The gap between a 9.3 and a mid-range school is real. Parents relocating to Kingsport should map target neighborhoods against school attendance boundaries before committing to a zip code — the address determines the school in most cases, and the difference is not trivial.

For most families, Kingsport represents a low-risk market. The 72% share of schools scoring 7 or better keeps the floor high enough that most zones deliver solid results. The elementary pipeline stands out in particular, and parents who land near the top five schools have access to a genuinely high-performing cluster. With 18 schools total, the district is small enough to research thoroughly — parents can look at every ranked option without getting lost in a sprawling system.