Under No Child Left Behind (NCLB), schools and school districts are measured on whether the students meet performance benchmarks in math, reading and attendance for grades 3-8 and math, English and graduation rate for high schools. Schools that do not meet the achievement standards for two years are deemed high priority.

AYP status is also calculated each year for the following student subgroups: White, Hispanic, African American, Native American, Asian/Pacific Islander, Economically Disadvantaged, Students with Disabilities and English Language Learners.

NCLB identifies schools that have missed a federal benchmark in the same category for two consecutive years. Tennessee elects to alert schools and districts that are at-risk of becoming a high priority school under NCLB. These schools receive additional support and assistance from the state in order to avoid the NCLB high priority list. Schools that have missed one or more benchmarks for one year are considered target schools.