Principals report test-score gains and program growth at Knox County schools

Principals from two district schools presented updates to the Knox County Board of Education on Feb. 27 highlighting academic growth, curriculum work and extracurricular achievements.

Lindcamp Elementary principal Emily Hamline reported current enrollment of 501 students and described four years of measurable assessment gains: reading proficiency rose from roughly 25% to over 46% meeting benchmarks, and math proficiency increased from about 19% to 43%. Hamline said the school is implementing new curricula (CKLA and Eureka), running weekly professional learning communities and expanding tiered PBIS interventions and targeted coaching to support early-career teachers.

Jeff Frost, principal of Knox Central High School (introduced by the agenda), told the board Knox Central’s enrollment is about 711. He cited improvements for 10th-grade students (math proficiency up to roughly 35% and reading to about 48%), and said the school is focusing on outcomes for students with IEPs. Frost highlighted growth in postsecondary readiness and dual-credit participation (an increase in the metric he cited from about 13.9% to 37%), and described extracurricular successes including athletics and DECA qualifiers advancing to state competitions.

Both principals emphasized implementation supports — coaching for teachers, PLCs, and targeted re-teaching and diagnostic assessments — as the foundation for continued gains. The reports were presented as informational items; the board acknowledged the work with brief praise but did not take additional action on those presentations during the meeting.