What happensafter graduation?
Flight Scores combine four state-published readiness metrics into a single 0 to 100 score, so you can see at a glance how a Tennessee high school prepares its students for life after graduation.
Four official metrics, one composite score.
The Flight Score is a Tennessee Firefly composite that combines four state-published readiness metrics into a single number from 0 to 100. The four underlying components are official; the composite is ours. Read it as a quick-look signal, then drill into the components on the dashboards for each metric.
How the score is built
Each of the four components is normalized to a 0 to 25 scale, then summed. Equal weighting across the four pieces. No special-case bonuses, no tier adjustments before the sum.
- 25% weight
Graduation Rate
The four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate. Measures the percentage of students who earn a regular diploma within four years of entering high school.
- 25% weight
College-Going Rate
The percentage of graduates who enrolled in a postsecondary institution during the summer or fall after graduation, matched through National Student Clearinghouse.
- 25% weight
ACT Performance
The average ACT composite plus the percentage of students meeting the 21-point college-ready benchmark. Reflects the universal-testing population, not self-selected test-takers.
- 25% weight
Ready Graduate Rate
The percentage of graduates earning Ready Graduate status through ACT, EPSOs, industry certifications, or military enlistment. The state’s primary readiness measure.
The five-tier scale
Every Tennessee high school lands in one of five tiers. The thresholds are fixed; the distribution shifts slightly each year as outcomes statewide move.
- 90-100Top tier
Elite
Excelling across every post-graduation outcome measure. Roughly the top five percent of Tennessee high schools by Flight Score.
- 75-89High performing
Strong
Strong college and career readiness outcomes across the board. Above-average in every component, exceptional in at least one.
- 60-74Statewide median
Ready
Meeting state expectations for post-graduation preparation. The state median Flight Score sits in this band.
- 45-59Making progress
Building
Below the state median, with measurable progress toward readiness benchmarks. Often schools serving high-needs populations.
- 0-44Significant gap
Growing
Significant room for improvement across outcome measures. Often the same schools showing up in the lowest bands of grad rate, ACT, and readiness.
Look up Flight Scores for any Tennessee high school.
Filter by school, district, or county. Each row shows the composite score, the tier, and the four component scores so you can see what is driving the result.
Biggest Ready Graduate Climbers, Multi-Year
These schools posted the largest Ready Graduate gains across the multi-year window. Momentum shows up in the Flight Score with a +5/+3 bonus.
Flight Score Distribution
Tennessee high schools across the five Flight Score tiers.
Central Magnet School
Rutherford County · Rutherford County
Brentwood High School
Williamson County · Williamson County
Fred J Page High School
Williamson County · Williamson County
Ravenwood High School
Williamson County · Williamson County
Houston High School
Shelby County · Germantown
Merrol Hyde Magnet School
Sumner County · Sumner County
Chattanooga High School Center for Creative Arts
Hamilton County · Hamilton County
Van Buren Co High School
Van Buren County · Van Buren County
Summertown High School
Lawrence County · Lawrence County
Dyer County High School
Dyer County · Dyer County
Culleoka Unit School
Maury County · Maury County
L N STEM Academy
Knox County · Knox County
Questions readers keep asking
What is a Flight Score?
A Flight Score is a composite metric developed by Tennessee Firefly that measures how well a high school prepares students for post-secondary success. It combines graduation rate, college-going rate, ACT performance, and Ready Graduate certification into a single 0 to 100 score.
How is the Flight Score calculated?
Each of the four components (graduation rate, college-going rate, ACT performance, Ready Graduate rate) is normalized to a 0 to 25 scale and then summed. The result is a composite score from 0 to 100 that places each school in a performance tier from Growing to Elite.
What is a good Flight Score?
Schools scoring 75 or above are classified as Strong. Scores of 90 or above earn the Elite tier. The state median hovers around 62, placing most schools in the Ready tier. A score below 45 indicates significant room for growth across multiple outcome measures.
Is the Flight Score an official Tennessee Department of Education metric?
No. The Flight Score is a Tennessee Firefly composite that combines four official state metrics into one number. The four underlying metrics are official; the composite is ours. Read it as a quick-summary signal, not a replacement for any single state-published indicator.
The four component metrics come from the Tennessee Department of Education Report Card and the National Student Clearinghouse. The composite score is calculated by Tennessee Firefly using the published equal-weight methodology.
Schools missing one or more component metrics (small-enrollment, no graduating cohort, etc.) cannot produce a Flight Score and appear as Not Available. The composite is a quick-look signal, not a replacement for any individual state metric.
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Subscribe to The SignalDrill into the components.
Open Graduation Rates, College-Going, ACT, or Ready Graduate to see the individual metrics that feed each Flight Score.
Browse all dashboards