In accordance with Tennessee's accountability system, as well as federal and state law, the Tennessee Department of Education names schools that are excelling.

Schools serving K-8 students are evaluated on four indicators, including achievement on the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) assessments, TCAP assessment growth over time, rates at which students are Chronically Out of School, and performance on the English Language Proficiency Assessment (ELPA). 

Schools are recognized as a Reward School when they demonstrate high levels of performance and/or improvement in performance by meeting their annual measurable objectives across performance indicators and student groups.

Schools receiving this designation typically demonstrate high levels of performance and/or growth across all indicators.