Polk Innovative Learning Academy
Benton · TN · Polk County · Public · K-12 combined
📋 At a glance
- 🎓 AP rigor: Bottom 14% of US high schools
- 📝 SAT/ACT participation: Bottom 14% by test-taker volume
Composed from federal CRDC offerings, EDFacts ACGR, and other public data. Full breakdowns below.
How Polk Innovative Learning Academy compares for families
What families should know about Polk Innovative Learning Academy.
- ▸ LocallyTN sits right at the US average on NAEP 8th-grade math — local school quality will set your kid apart.
- ▸ vs Similar SchoolsThe closest comparables nearby: PIE Innovation Center, Chattanooga Charter School of Excellence High, Hamilton County Collegiate High at Chattanooga State and 5 more. See the sidebar to compare side-by-side.
For Parents
Follow Polk Innovative Learning Academy
Get an email when Polk Innovative Learning Academy's numbers change — new admissions results, enrollment shifts, test scores. A few updates a year, no spam.
SAT / ACT participation
CRDC federal data · 2020-21Bottom 14% by test-taker volume
Source: federal Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC 2020-21). Volume — not score — is what's reported here. A higher count means more students at this school are entering the college admissions pipeline. Note: 2020-21 was COVID-disrupted; some districts (especially those that stayed remote longer) report unusually low or zero takers.
🏛️ Your state's public flagship
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville
The in-state tuition gap is the flagship's biggest draw — most in-state families pay far less than the out-of-state sticker. Average net price after aid runs about $18,976/yr. Admission odds depend on your student's GPA and test scores, not which high school they attend.
Source: IPEDS admissions, tuition & enrollment + College Scorecard net price. Flagship = the state's primary public research university.
💰 Pay for college in Tennessee
Tennessee's public scholarships
Tennessee pairs a lottery-funded merit award (HOPE) with the well-known TN Promise, which makes community and technical college essentially free for any graduate.
Lottery-funded merit award — qualify with EITHER a 3.0 weighted GPA OR ACT 21 / SAT 1060. No income limit. (Qualify by either path; enroll within 16 months of graduating.)
Official program details ↗Tuition-free community or technical college for any TN grad — no GPA, test, or income requirement. (Apply senior year; FAFSA, mentor meeting, 8 hrs community service/term.)
Official program details ↗Eligibility rules change yearly — confirm with the official program before relying on it. Amounts are recent published figures; awards cover tuition/fees, not housing or books unless noted. Verified 2026-06-14.
Chronic absenteeism
Why this matters to enrollment: Chronic absence is the strongest early indicator of dropout, transfer-out, and family disengagement. A school's absenteeism trend forecasts its enrollment trend 1-3 years out. For school leaders: an Enrollment Trend Audit traces this dynamic forward →
Source: U.S. Department of Education, Civil Rights Data Collection 2020–2021. Rate = students chronically absent ÷ 2024 total enrollment.
Enrollment trend & projection
Total enrollment + grade 12, NCES Common Core of Data (2021–2024).
If the recent trend holds…
At its recent rate of +23.0%/year, projecting from 2024's 147 students:
An extrapolation of the recent trajectory, not a forecast of the school's plans; ignores one-off shocks.
Most similar nearby high schools
The schools most like this one — same type, blended on distance and size — and where their enrollment is heading. These are the schools families here weigh against each other.
| School | Type | Miles | HS enrollment | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PIE Innovation Center Cleveland |
Public | 11.9 | — | — |
| Chattanooga Charter School of Excellence High Chattanooga |
Public · charter | 38.7 | 113 | — |
| Hamilton County Collegiate High at Chattanooga State Chattanooga |
Public | 33.2 | 141 | -13.0% |
| Oakdale School Oakdale |
Public | 55.7 | 133 | -14.2% |
| Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy Chattanooga |
Public · charter | 36.6 | 154 | -13.0% |
| Sequoyah High School Soddy Daisy |
Public | 29.1 | 235 | +11.4% |
| Coalfield School Coalfield |
Public | 60.1 | 175 | +15.1% |
| Greenback School Greenback |
Public | 42.5 | 194 | -11.4% |