Knox County Schools presents annual report: graduation up, literacy and math gains
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Summary
Superintendent John Ryswick and assistant superintendent Cory Lautner presented the district's annual report, noting graduation rates up to 93% and modest gains in ELA and math proficiency; the report highlights preschool expansion, the 865 academies and a focus on teacher compensation funded in last year's budget.
Dr. John Ryswick, superintendent of Knox County Schools, and Cory Lautner, assistant superintendent for strategy, presented the district's annual report to the commission on Jan. 27, outlining student outcomes, strategic priorities and budget choices.
Ryswick described the report as a "yearbook" of district accomplishments and thanked the commission for continued investment. Lautner walked commissioners through the district's four strategic priorities—excellence and foundational skills, great educators, career empowerment and success for every student—and highlighted operational results.
Key figures cited by Lautner included a rise in graduation rates from about 89.7% in 2022 to about 93% in the most recent year, and districtwide gains of roughly 3% in math and 3.7% in ELA proficiency for historically underserved subgroups. The district credited targeted curriculum investments and an initiative to bring staff salaries to market value as contributing factors.
Commissioners praised transparency and the report's intent to identify unmet objectives and areas for improvement. Commissioner Hill singled out an expansion in preschool classrooms and the district's strategy of early literacy diagnostics as potentially high-impact investments.
Next steps: The school district said budget documents and additional materials are available online and staff stand ready to answer follow-up questions from commissioners as the county's budget process proceeds.
