The books closed, the technology off as the Putnam County Schools wrapped up the school year Friday.
Communications and Marketing Supervisor Buddy Pearson said the district earned more reward school designations and higher school letter grades during the 2025-2026 term than in previous years. Pearson said the school year ended with issues the system wish could have been avoided.
“There’s always going to be challenges and and I think uh one of the things, one of the big challenges that we faced at the end of the school year was all the hoaxes of bomb threats and intruders and those kind of things,” Pearson said, “But fortunately, we have a plan in place. We work very well with our local authorities.”
Pearson said overall academic excellence across the school system leaves it ranked among the top 14 districts in the state.
Pearson said administrators worked alongside the Cookeville Police Department and the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department to ensure education continued despite those distractions.
“Even though, you know, it weighed some on the the teachers and administrators and the students, man, the parents, everybody has rallied around to make sure that we finish the school year strong,” Pearson said. “And that’s exactly what we did.”
Pearson said the district is seeing positive trends in enrollment and student performance, including rising ACT, math, and reading scores. Pearson said nearly 1,000 students graduated this spring with preparation for both college and technical careers.
“I mean, who doesn’t want their kids to be able to come and learn because we have great educators, great administrators,” Pearson said. “There’s just so many great things going on in the school system that I think it makes it probably one of the most attractive districts in the state of Tennessee.”
Pearson said the district remains focused on evolving its curriculum and behavior management strategies rather than remaining stagnant. Pearson said officials are specifically looking at how to implement and adapt to artificial intelligence technology in the classroom.
“We’re always evolving with how we can educate better, what can we what tools can we use to help our students and our administrators,” Pearson said. “So I think those are the things, those are lessons that we continually learn and adapt to as society changes, as technology changes.”
Pearson said the school system functions like a family, a sentiment highlighted during a recent employee picnic at Cookeville High School. Pearson said the success of the district is rooted in the adaptability of educators and their care for student well-being.
“The one thing we see over and over again is that they love their students,” Pearson said. “They care about their students. And when you care about something, you want to make sure that they’re learning, that they’re healthy, everything is happening the way it should.”
Pearson said the district benefits from a collaborative relationship with the County Commission regarding the budget and the Sheriff’s Department for school resource officers. Pearson said Director of Schools Corby King and the school board maintain a unified focus on safety and education.
“Everybody gets along so well and everybody has that same goal in mind,” Pearson said. “Everybody puts aside their differences to make sure that we are educating and keeping our students safe. And that’s always going to be at the at the forefront.”
Pearson said school officials will spend June and July planning and training for the 2026-2027 school year.