Central Magnet, 701 E. Main St.: Rutherford County Schools, grades 6-12, 1,222 students (2024-25), state grade A.
Last checked Oct. 19, 2026. Sources: central.rcschools.net, Rutherford County Schools, Tennessee Department of Education data files, the NCES school directory and the TSSAA.
Central Magnet School is a Rutherford County Schools (RCS) academic magnet school for grades 6 to 12 on East Main Street, east of the Murfreesboro square. It has no attendance zone: students from anywhere in Rutherford County apply, and RCS fills open seats by random lottery. It is listed by the TSSAA as Murfreesboro Central Magnet School.
Who to call
- Front office: 615-904-6789, 701 E. Main St., Murfreesboro, TN 37130
- School website: central.rcschools.net
- Enrolling: the RCS registration page; district office 615-893-5812, 2240 Southpark Drive
- Zone questions: RCS Transportation, 615-893-5815, ext. 22100; buses 615-895-8656
| Address | 701 E. Main St., Murfreesboro, TN 37130 |
| Phone | 615-904-6789 |
| Grades | 6 to 12 |
| District | Rutherford County Schools |
| State letter grade, 2024-25 | A |
Principal
Principal Clark Blair, according to the school’s website staff directory.
How to get in
Central Magnet fills its seats through the RCS choice program. Applications for 2026-27 open seats were taken Dec. 1, 2025, through Jan. 31, 2026, and the district uses a random lottery, as state law and School Board policy require, according to the Rutherford Choice page. Parents must live in Rutherford County when they apply. The next application window has not been posted.
Enrollment and teachers
- Federal count: 1,212 students in the 2023-24 school year, with 71 full-time-equivalent teachers, according to the NCES directory. That works out to about 17 students per teacher.
- State count: 1,222 students in the 2024-25 school year, in the Tennessee Department of Education’s school profile file.
State report card
Tennessee gives every public school an A-F letter grade each year, explained on the Department of Education’s school letter grades page. The grade combines indicators each scored from 1 to 5: student achievement, academic growth and growth of the highest-need students, plus college and career readiness for high schools.
Central Magnet earned an A for 2024-25, the latest grades published, with an overall score of 4.9 out of 5 in the state’s letter grade file.
| Indicator | Score (1 to 5) |
|---|---|
| Achievement | 5 |
| Growth | 5 |
| Growth of highest-need students | 4 |
| College and career readiness | 5 |
| Overall success rate, all students, 2024-25 tests | More than 95% |
Spring 2026 TCAP tests (share of students who met or exceeded expectations, from the state’s 2026 school assessment file):
| Subject | Met or exceeded | Valid tests |
|---|---|---|
| English language arts (grades 6 to 8) | More than 95% | 419 |
| Math (grades 6 to 8) | More than 95% | 214 |
| Science (grades 6 to 8) | More than 95% | 419 |
| Social studies (grades 6 to 8) | More than 95% | 419 |
| Algebra I | More than 95% | 164 |
| Algebra II | More than 95% | 222 |
| Biology | More than 95% | 204 |
| English I | More than 95% | 202 |
| English II | More than 95% | 198 |
| Geometry | More than 95% | 222 |
| U.S. history | More than 95% | 74 |
- Graduation rate, class of 2025: More than 99% of a cohort of 193 students, in the state’s graduation rate file.
- ACT, 2024-25: average composite score 31.4; more than 95% of test takers scored 21 or higher, per the state ACT file.
The full report, with chronic absence, subgroup results and more, is on the Tennessee State Report Card.
Attendance zone and feeder schools
Central Magnet takes students by application, not by attendance zone. For your zoned school, use the RCS zone map or call RCS Transportation at 615-893-5815, ext. 22100.
Calendar and bell times
From the RCS 2026-27 academic calendar (revised June 3, 2026):
- Tuesday: parent-teacher conferences
- Tuesday, Nov. 3: Election Day, no school for students
- Nov. 23-27: Thanksgiving break
- Friday, Dec. 18: two-hour day, end of the second nine weeks
- Dec. 21 to Jan. 1: winter break; Jan. 4 is an in-service day, and students return Tuesday, Jan. 5
- March 29 to April 2, 2027: spring break, after Good Friday, March 26
- Friday, May 28, 2027: last day, a two-hour day
The school’s website does not show a 2026-27 bell schedule; call the front office for start and end times.
Sports and activities
Central Magnet does not appear in the TSSAA’s 2026-27 football alignments. In basketball it is in Class 3A, District 8, with DeKalb County, Macon County and Watertown, according to the TSSAA’s current alignments.
The school’s athletic teams page lists archery, baseball, basketball, bowling, cheer, cross country, dance, flag football, golf, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track and volleyball for high school students, with a separate middle school program.
Scores and previews: our Friday night football page and the high school scoreboard.
More on Murfreesboro schools
- The school’s website and the Rutherford County Schools website
- Every public school in Murfreesboro, with zones and state grades
- Our Murfreesboro schools guide for calendars, enrollment and school board meetings
Frequently asked questions
What grades does Central Magnet School serve?
Central Magnet serves grades 6 through 12. It is part of Rutherford County Schools and sits at 701 E. Main St., Murfreesboro.
What is Central Magnet School’s state letter grade?
Central Magnet earned an A in Tennessee’s 2024-25 school letter grades, with an overall score of 4.9 out of 5. Its class of 2025 graduation rate was more than 99%.
How do you get into Central Magnet?
Central Magnet fills its seats through the RCS choice program. Applications for 2026-27 open seats were taken Dec. 1, 2025, through Jan. 31, 2026, and the district uses a random lottery, as state law and School Board policy require, according to the Rutherford Choice page.
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