Orchard Knob Middle School, 500 N. Highland Park Ave.: grades 6-8, 264 students in 2024-25, state letter grade F.
Last checked Oct. 18, 2026. Sources: Orchard Knob Middle, Hamilton County Schools, the Tennessee Department of Education’s State Report Card and 2024-25 and 2026 data files and the federal NCES school directory.
Orchard Knob Middle School is a Hamilton County Schools middle school on North Highland Park Avenue.
- Address: 500 N. Highland Park Ave., Chattanooga, TN 37404
- Main office: 423-493-7793
- Grades: 6 to 8
- School hours: 7:15 a.m. to 2:15 p.m.
- Website: okms.hcde.org
Who to call
- Front office: 423-493-7793
- Enrolling a new student: the district’s registration page, or the Family Connection Center, 423-843-4799, at 3074 Claude Ramsey Parkway
- Checking a zone: the School Zone Finder or the county’s school zone lookup map
- Buses: the district’s transportation hotline, 423-498-5555, and its Bus Stop Finder
Principal
Principal Dr. Aleisha McCallie, according to the school’s website. The assistant principal is Dr. Genise Evans-Fletcher.
Enrollment
The federal NCES directory counted 281 students in the 2023-24 school year, with 28 full-time-equivalent teachers, about 10 students per teacher. The Tennessee Department of Education’s 2024-25 school profile file has a newer count of 264 students.
State report card
Tennessee grades every public school A to F. The department says School Letter Grades give “a snapshot of how each school in the state is performing, including student achievement and academic growth measures for all schools, as well as a measure of college and career readiness just for high schools.”
From the state’s 2024-25 letter grade file:
| Measure | Orchard Knob Middle |
|---|---|
| Overall letter grade, 2024-25 | F (score 1.3 of 5) |
| Achievement grade | F |
| Academic growth grade | F |
| Growth of the lowest-scoring 25% of students | B |
| Overall success rate on state tests, 2024-25 | 7.8% |
The state’s spring 2026 test file has the share of Orchard Knob Middle students who met or exceeded expectations on each test. On the TCAP achievement tests for grades 3 to 8, social studies 20.2%, science 12.4%, math 5.6% and English language arts under 5%. The 2025-26 letter grades have not been published yet.
The State Report Card page for Orchard Knob Middle holds the full detail: results by subject and grade, chronic absenteeism and results for each group of students.
Attendance zone and feeder schools
Hamilton County Schools zones by address, and zones do not follow city limits. Check an address in the School Zone Finder or the county’s school zone lookup map of the 2026-27 zones; printable maps are on the district’s School Zones page.
Comparing the district’s 2026-27 zone maps with Census Bureau city limits, the Orchard Knob Middle zone lies inside Chattanooga city limits.
The elementary zones of Brown Academy, Battle Academy, Orchard Knob Elementary, Calvin Donaldson Elementary, Hardy Elementary and East Side Elementary fall wholly or partly inside the Orchard Knob Middle zone, according to the 2026-27 zone maps. The zone sits mostly inside The Howard School and Brainerd High high school zones, so students go on to The Howard School and Brainerd High.
Families zoned elsewhere can apply for an open enrollment seat: the district’s School Choice page lists Orchard Knob Middle among its open enrollment schools and says the list can vary from year to year. The district says the School Choice application period runs each year from Nov. 16 through Jan. 29, with a lottery when there are more applicants than seats.
We found no rezoning approved by the Hamilton County Board of Education that changes this school’s zone for 2026-27.
Calendar and school hours
Hamilton County Schools’ 2026-27 school calendar (PDF, linked from the district’s calendar page, board-approved May 8, 2025) has these dates next:
- Monday, Oct. 19: second quarter begins
- Friday, Oct. 23: first-quarter report cards
- Nov. 25-27: Thanksgiving break
- Friday, Dec. 18: second quarter ends
- Dec. 21 to Jan. 1: winter break
- Jan. 4-5, 2027: professional development days, no school for students
- Monday, Jan. 18: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- Monday, Feb. 15: Presidents Day
- March 22-25: spring break, followed by the Good Friday holiday on Friday, March 26
- Wednesday, May 19, 2027: fourth quarter ends; last day for students
School hours are 7:15 a.m. to 2:15 p.m., according to the district’s 2026-27 bell schedule, which lists early dismissal at 10:45 a.m. on half days.
More
- The school’s own site: okms.hcde.org, listed on the district’s School Websites page
- Every public school in town: Chattanooga public schools
- Calendars, enrollment and the school board: our Chattanooga schools guide
Frequently asked questions
What grades does Orchard Knob Middle serve?
Sixth through eighth grade. The main office number is 423-493-7793.
What is Orchard Knob Middle’s state report card grade?
Orchard Knob Middle received an F overall in Tennessee’s 2024-25 School Letter Grades, according to the Tennessee Department of Education.
Which high school does Orchard Knob Middle feed into?
The Howard School and Brainerd High, according to the district’s 2026-27 zone maps. Check a specific address in the district’s School Zone Finder.
What time does Orchard Knob Middle start?
School runs from 7:15 a.m. to 2:15 p.m., according to the district’s 2026-27 bell schedule.
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