Rutherford County Schools consistently ranks among the best school districts in Tennessee and has outpaced national rankings on a number of measures. Rutherford County is one of the fastest growing school districts in Tennessee and the fourth largest behind those in Memphis, Nashville and Knoxville. Since the 2002-2003 school year, Rutherford County Schools has added more than 20,000 students for a total enrollment of more than 51,000 students. Despite the county's tremendous growth rate and the accompanying challenges, Rutherford County Schools has served as a model for many other districts in the areas of academics, planning and safety measures. The district was recently named “Exemplary” by the Tennessee Department of Education, the highest designation available for schools in Tennessee. Rutherford County Schools is known for its robust Career and Technical Education programs and has been used as a model for other districts across Tennessee and beyond for its workforce development partnership with the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce. The district is also home to Central Magnet School, which was ranked the best public high school in Tennessee by U.S. News and World Report.