Tennessee Students Make Significant Academic Gains in 2024–25 TCAP Results
The Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) released the 2024–25 Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) results Tuesday afternoon, revealing year-over-year improvements in student proficiency across every tested subject and grade level. The department says these gains signal positive momentum in Tennessee’s efforts to accelerate student achievement through targeted investments in instruction, educator support, and family engagement.
Statewide data shows an increase in proficiency in English language arts (ELA), math, science, and social studies, with math demonstrating particularly strong growth. Tennessee Education Commissioner Lizzette Reynolds emphasized the significance of the results in a news release sent to the Tennessee Firefly.
“We are encouraged to see improvements across all subject areas. This year’s TCAP results reflect Tennessee’s strong commitment to investing in our students’ futures and the steady progress we’re making statewide,” said Reynolds. “These gains reflect the unwavering dedication of our teachers, schools, and districts. Together, we are paving the way for lasting student success.”
A Call to Double Down
Education advocacy organizations Tennesseans for Student Success and the State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) echoed the optimism from state leaders, underscoring the importance of the data and the assessment system itself in guiding educational policy.
Later this summer, lawmakers will convene an advisory committee to study the possibility of altering the number of tests students take.
“This year’s TCAP results provide invaluable evidence of the effort students, parents, teachers, and lawmakers all made together to produce improvements in all subject areas,” said TSS President and CEO Lana Skelo. “We know Tennessee’s investments in school funding and commitment to preserving high academic standards are working because our students have continued to demonstrate improvements year after year. We encourage lawmakers to ignore calls to weaken the state’s assessment system that’s keeping learning on track and ensuring transparency into schools.”
The Tennessee Firefly is a product of and supported by Tennesseans for Student Success.
SCORE released a detailed analysis of the testing data, highlighting the gains in math and the decrease in the percentage of students scoring in the lowest performance category—a milestone not seen since before the pandemic.
President and CEO David Mansouri linked these improvements to “strong policies and student-focused practices.”
“Most notably, math proficiency has increased in every grade level, reaching a record high of 4.2 percent, which represents roughly 11,000 additional students gaining proficiency compared to last year. In sixth-grade math, proficiency was particularly impressive, with an increase of more than 5 percentage points year-over-year,” said Mansouri. “This across-the-board growth in math is evidence that Tennessee’s high-impact strategies are taking hold.”
Metro Nashville Public Schools: Record-Setting Growth and State-Leading Gains
Among Tennessee’s major districts, Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) stands out for what district leaders are calling the strongest TCAP performance in its history. The 2025 results reflect across-the-board improvement, from grades 3 through 12, with MNPS outpacing statewide growth in key subject areas, according to a news release sent to the Tennessee Firefly.
“These results are the product of unwavering focus, hard work, and belief — in our students, in our teachers, and in what’s possible,” said Dr. Adrienne Battle, Director of Metro Schools. “This year’s TCAP gains show that our strategic investments and academic supports are paying off — and that our students are rising to meet and exceed the moment.”
Highlights from MNPS’s 2025 TCAP results:
Highest ELA, Math, and Social Studies scores since TNReady standards were implemented in 2016–17.
Top science scores since revised standards were introduced in 2018–19.
Best-ever End-of-Course (EOC) performance across English I & II, Integrated Math I–III, U.S. History, and Biology I.
Broad growth in grades 3–8, with 19 out of 21 tested categories showing gains.
Stronger gains than the state average in TNReady ELA, Math, Social Studies, and EOC subjects.
Double-digit proficiency increases since 2021: +19.2 in Math, +12.8 in ELA, +13.2 in Science, and +17.5 in Social Studies.
Fewer students scoring below grade level, and more students exceeding expectations in all tested subjects.
The district attributes its success to high-impact instructional strategies, targeted academic interventions, and teacher development initiatives that have helped accelerate student learning recovery and growth.
Memphis-Shelby County Schools: A District on the Rise
In a parallel announcement, Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) reported its fourth consecutive year of academic progress, driven by a focused investment in instructional quality and strategic use of data to guide interventions.
The district’s performance saw gains in every subject area, with math showing the most notable improvements across all grade bands.
“Growth is not optional; it’s our mandate. At MSCS, we’re not waiting on greatness; we’re growing it,” said Interim Superintendent Dr. Roderick Richmond.
MSCS 2025 TCAP Highlights:
Math:
Grades 3–5: Up 2.6 points (from 24.3 percent to 26.9 percent)
Grades 6–8: Up 2.4 points (from 16.5 percent to 18.9 percent)
Grades 9–12: Up 2.5 points (from 14.8 percent to 17.3 percent)
Algebra I & II: Gains of 2.7 and 4.5 points, respectively
ELA:
Grades 3–5: Up 2.3 points (from 26.8 percent to 29.1 percent)
Grades 6–8: Slight increase of 0.3 points
Grades 9–12: Modest decline of 0.6 points
Science: Proficiency rose districtwide by one point, with the largest gain among middle school students (+1.6).
Social Studies: Middle school scores climbed by 2.1 points, offsetting a slight dip in high school, resulting in an overall gain of 1.8 points.
MSCS credits the growth to initiatives like eighth-grade algebra readiness, summer Bridge Camps, professional development, and high-quality instructional materials. Looking ahead, the district plans to deepen vertical alignment, expand math interventions, and roll out a refined Academic Plan to strengthen literacy outcomes.
Testing Transparency
Parents who want to see how their student did on the test will be able to access individual student scores via the TCAP Family Portal later this month. TDOE says families will be able to use the portal to better understand the next steps for supporting their students’ academic progress.
In years past, the department has additionally made TCAP data for each school and district easily accessible to the public in December through the online Report Card.
