Welcome to Mountain City Elementary School which is located in the extreme northeastern corner of Tennessee.  Our school sits on twelve acres in the middle of the county seat of Mountain City.

With fifty-seven years of commitment to education excellence, Mountain City Elementary School is proud of its heritage and tradition and we are dedicated to the total development of every Pre-K/Head Start through sixth grade student.  The staff is empowered and invested; parents and community are valued and informed; and most importantly students feel supported throughout their learning process.  Our mission, values, and beliefs provide focus and direction to staff, students, parents as well as all stakeholders throughout the community.  Therefore, it is of utmost importance that our vision is for our school to be a place of high expectations leading to higher achievement for all.  We are dedicated to our mission of providing resources, a positive environment, and support for student learning that facilitates high levels of achievement for all students as well as excellence in instruction by teachers.

As a Pre-K through sixth grade school, staff, parents, and the community are able to watch as students develop and progress from a foundation that we build together.  Our 450 students are welcomed to our school from across the county with 31 % of our students attending Mountain City Elementary as a school of choice.   The school houses three Pre-K/Head Start classrooms, which includes three year olds.  In addition, students in grades kindergarten though four are distributed into individual self-contained classrooms.  Fifth and sixth grades are departmentalized to capitalize on the expert strengths of teachers.   We are a Title I school with an economically disadvantaged rate of sixty-eight percent.  However, although our population has a large number of economically disadvantaged students, parents at MCE value education for their children and this is reflected in the attendance rate of 96.3%.

Mountain City Elementary is a data driven school with an ongoing comprehensive assessment system in place to identify, target, monitor, and improve student performance as well as curriculum and instruction.

A developmentally appropriate curriculum addresses all core domains on a daily basis.  Reading/ Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies instruction is provided by a highly qualified staff and is aligned with the state of Tennessee’s standards.  These standards are naturally integrated in everyday school life.  Each content area has a strong emphasis on reading and writing as literacy skills are considered to be the foundation upon which children are prepared for full participation in today’s society, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, disability, or socioeconomic status. 

Specialists in the area of reading, music, media, and physical education collaborate with general education teachers and integrate Student Performance Indicator in their instruction.  Technology integration is also instrumental and instruction is enriched through SMART Boards, COWS (computers on wheels), United Streaming, and numerous websites.  Various research based programs are included in the instructional plan which include Building Blocks (Kindergarten), Four Blocks (Grades 1-3), Lindamood-Bell, and Six Traits of Effective Writing (K-6).  Direct vocabulary instruction is provided through The Tennessee Academic Vocabulary.

Diversity in learning styles is addressed in the planning of individual teachers.  Teachers modify assignments, provide tutoring, and allow time for one-on-one and small group instruction to accommodate the needs of identified students.  Inclusion is provided in grades 1-6 for qualifying students.   After school intervention and enrichment opportunities are provided through Extended Learning.  Teachers use a RTI (Response to Intervention), tiered lesson planning and a variety of instructional aids to address learning styles and levels and to accommodate gender differences.  A pull out enrichment class is provided to high achievers.  Summer day camps and an Enrichment camp are offered each June.  The methodology for our reading curriculum is based on research based programs and interventions. 

Parent and community engagement is of utmost importance to Mountain City Elementary School. 

Partnerships with parents, students, staff, and community are valued and we welcome parental participation and the opportunity for families and communities to be involved in educating our children. Goals are set and met through a team effort and we are blessed to have a dedicated school family that supports our quest to educate all children.

At Mountain City Elementary we work hard, we play hard, and we celebrate!  We are proud and appreciative that families entrust us with the opportunity to educate the children of our district.  We are committed to excellence in education and we are focused on having another great year!

Gay Triplett,

Principal