Education has always been a main concern for Rhea County, which offers three options for higher education, a state vocational training center, seven schools operated by county and city governments and five private schools. There are also numerous other colleges and universities within a 60-mile radius of the county.

COLLEGES

Bryan College, named after the famous statesman and Scopes Trial prosecutor William Jennings Bryan, is a private four-year Christian liberal arts college, occupying some 120 acres in Dayton. The only four-year institution in the county, Bryan College is accredited through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools-Commission on Colleges. The college offers 18 undergraduate majors with 40 options, and a Master’s degree in Business Administration to approximately 1100 students from 30 states and 6 countries. Eighty-two percent of the faculty holds doctoral degrees and the school boasts a student-to-faculty ratio of 14 to 1.

Many adults from the area opt for Bryan College’s Aspire program, a degree completion program developed to meet the needs of those who have already earned 48 credit hours and want to complete a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration. Students meet in seminar-format classes one evening a week during a fourteen-month program.

For additional information, contact Bryan College at 423-775-2041 or check out the school’s website at www.bryan.edu.

Chattanooga State Technical Community College North, the Rhea County extension of Chattanooga State Technical Community College, provides residents with the opportunity to choose between a two-year degree program or a two-year transfer program to a four-year college. CSTCC also offers a number of certification programs, such as commercial truck driving, welding, or paramedic training.

For additional information, contact CSTCC North at 423-365-5010 or visit the school’s website at www.chattanoogastate.edu.

Oxford Graduate School is a Category IV research institution committed to providing education for the social professions. The school was chartered in Rhea County in 1981 and maintains about 80 graduate students. Oxford Graduate School offers a Doctor of Philosophy program with a master’s option. In 2008, became nationally accredited with Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools, which is recognized by the U. S. Department of Education.

The academic objective of the school is the sociological integration of religion and society. Oxford Graduate School is accredited by the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and provides an educational environment that combines a European tutorial distinctive with processes drawn from American education models.

For more information, call 423-775-9596 or visit the school’s website at www.oxnetedu.org.

The University of Tennessee at Knoxville (the main campus of The University System) is the largest higher education system in the state. There are ten major schools at the university offering more than 300 degree programs. Knoxville is less than two hours’ drive from Rhea County.

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga offers 45 undergraduate programs and 13 graduate programs of study. Its schools specialize in business administration, engineering, education, arts and sciences, and health and human services. Chattanooga is less than an hour’s drive from Rhea County.

ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS

Rhea County has two public school systems, one of which is operated by the Rhea County Department of Education. A school superintendent, who leads a team of nine Board of Education members, supervises the growing Rhea County school system. School board members are elected to four-year terms.

The Rhea County school system consists of four elementary schools, one middle school, and one consolidated high school. Nearly 300 teachers and administrators provide instruction for more than 4,000 students.

The most recent additions to the school system, featuring state-of-the-art technology, are Spring City Middle School and Graysville Elementary School. Spring City, Graysville, and Frazier Elementary Schools provide K-5 education, with Spring City Middle School providing education for grades 6-8. Rhea Central Elementary School in Dayton is a comprehensive elementary school that provides K-8 education and features facilities for special education, physical education and inter-scholastic competition in football, basketball, music, and art education.

Rhea County High School in Evensville provides a complete college preparatory track, including Advanced Placement and college credit courses, a business education curriculum with business, computer and office courses, and a complete vocational program.

For more information, contact the Rhea County Department of Education at 423-775-7813 or visit the website at www.rheacounty.org.

The other public school system in Rhea County is the one school Dayton City School System. The Dayton City Council also serves as the Dayton City School Board, which appoints a school superintendent as well. Fifty-three teachers instruct over 700 students at Dayton City School. The school provides K-8 education and features state-of-the-art classroom equipment as well as inter-scholastic competition in football, basketball, and music.

To contact the school, call 423-775-8414 or visit the school’s website at www.daytoncity.net.

Four private, parochial schools also operate in the county: Calvary Baptist School, Rhea County Academy, Laurelbrook Academy and Laurelbrook Elementary School in Dayton (all K-8).

The Southeast Tennessee Career Center, Dayton office, offers local, state, and federal career programs in a single location as well as workshops and training for both employees and employers. For more information, please call 423-570-1107 or visit the website at www.secareercenter.org.