Williamson County Schools highlights top state performance, new Innovation Center programs
September 10, 2026 | Brentwood, Williamson County, Tennessee
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Dr. Lee Webb, speaking on behalf of Williamson County Schools, told the commission the district is focused on educating the whole child and said academic measures show sustained high performance.
"We teach children," Webb said, and added the district remains near the top of state rankings across tested subjects. Webb said the countywide average she cited was roughly 73 percent on several state measures compared with a state average near 43 percent, and that the district increased achievement in 16 of 23 tested subjects.
Webb described a newly opened Innovation Center (housed in a former county animal shelter) that bundles governor grant funding and private partnerships to offer five initial workforce-oriented programs, including advanced power machinery (a partnership with Thompson/Caterpillar), fire management (with the City of Franklin), hospitality and tourism, aviation (with Middle Tennessee State University), and cybersecurity/AI tracks. She told commissioners the governor's program offered $500,000 to each middle school and $1,000,000 to each high school as part of the statewide challenge that helped fund the center (figure provided by the speaker).
On enrollment, Webb said first-day district enrollment was about 40,500 students and that the district sits roughly 500 students below projection this point in the school year, with elementary grades seeing the largest declines. She said some neighborhoods (for example, Nolensville and Jordan clusters) are growing while other markets such as parts of Franklin are seeing declines, and staff will provide school- and grade-level enrollment tables to help the commission's 2040 planning process.
The presentation concluded after commissioners asked about diploma notation for industry certifications and student scheduling options; Webb said certifications are earned in addition to traditional diplomas and described study-hall and asynchronous options to enable students to access Innovation Center coursework.
What happens next: Webb offered to send detailed slides and school-by-grade enrollment counts to commissioners for follow-up.
"We teach children," Webb said, and added the district remains near the top of state rankings across tested subjects. Webb said the countywide average she cited was roughly 73 percent on several state measures compared with a state average near 43 percent, and that the district increased achievement in 16 of 23 tested subjects.
Webb described a newly opened Innovation Center (housed in a former county animal shelter) that bundles governor grant funding and private partnerships to offer five initial workforce-oriented programs, including advanced power machinery (a partnership with Thompson/Caterpillar), fire management (with the City of Franklin), hospitality and tourism, aviation (with Middle Tennessee State University), and cybersecurity/AI tracks. She told commissioners the governor's program offered $500,000 to each middle school and $1,000,000 to each high school as part of the statewide challenge that helped fund the center (figure provided by the speaker).
On enrollment, Webb said first-day district enrollment was about 40,500 students and that the district sits roughly 500 students below projection this point in the school year, with elementary grades seeing the largest declines. She said some neighborhoods (for example, Nolensville and Jordan clusters) are growing while other markets such as parts of Franklin are seeing declines, and staff will provide school- and grade-level enrollment tables to help the commission's 2040 planning process.
The presentation concluded after commissioners asked about diploma notation for industry certifications and student scheduling options; Webb said certifications are earned in addition to traditional diplomas and described study-hall and asynchronous options to enable students to access Innovation Center coursework.
What happens next: Webb offered to send detailed slides and school-by-grade enrollment counts to commissioners for follow-up.
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