Poplar Hill Middle School opens as a nearly $60 million response to overcrowding, but district leaders said challenges remain as enrollment continues to climb.
Rutherford County Schools is one of the fastest-growing districts in Tennessee, and the pressure is showing in crowded classrooms and shifting bus routes.
By the time orientation begins Aug. 7, the district will be operating at the scale of a small city.
"By August 7 we will be operating like a large city of 50,000-plus kids. 6,000 employees and 30,000 kids riding the bus," Director of Schools Jimmy Sullivan said.
That growth has pushed some schools to enrollment levels Sullivan describes as unsustainable.
“Blackman Middle was the largest middle school in the state—one or two, compared—and Rockville Middle was right alongside, with 1,800 and 1,600 kids. And that’s way too many kids in any middle school,” Sullivan said.
Poplar Hill Middle School opens this fall as the district's newest campus — a nearly $60 million investment built to address overcrowding near the Interstate 24 and Interstate 840 corridors. Sullivan said the new school will help, but it won't solve the problem entirely.
“Blackman Middle is still going to be 1,400 to 1,500; Rockville Middle, still 1,300 to 1,400; and Poplar Hill, about 1,000,” Sullivan said.
To stay ahead of continued growth, the district has already purchased additional land for future construction — in some cases acquiring property from longtime owners who chose to sell to the school district rather than developers.
"We've had generational owners who have sold land to us. Instead of doing another housing complex or another tax incentive for businesses, they can sell their land to us," Sullivan explained.
Sullivan said the district is also bucking a national trend when it comes to teacher recruitment and retention, though some positions remain difficult to fill.
"Here special education openings are going to be tough to fill... but we've been against the nationwide trend of having teacher openings," Sullivan said.
Sullivan's goal is to preserve the community feel families expect, even as the district continues to expand.
“Whether that be affordable housing or the number of students moving here, we have middle and high schools that continue to explode in population,” Sullivan said.
Orientation begins Aug. 7. The first day of classes is Aug. 10.
With Poplar Hill Middle School opening, bus routes have been rerouted. Parents should check transportation information before the first day of school.
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