The Chamber of Commerce regularly checks on the needs of businesses and makes recommendations to technical schools and colleges which continually update the programs and assures today's students are prepared to enter the labor force.

In addition to the Chamber of Commerce taking an interest in the school system, local businesses participate in a program called "Adopt-a-School" through Junior Achievement. This prepares and enriches students for active participation in the business world and teaches them the basics of the free enterprise system.

McMinn County is home to three public schools systems: McMinn County, Athens City and Etowah City, as well as private church-sponsored schools, Tennessee Wesleyan College and other schools of higher education.

The Athens City School System is operated by the city Board of Education and has an annual budget of about $14 million. The city allocates 45 percent of all sales taxes collected in the city to the school system and also pays for the school system’s bonded indebtedness. The schools include Athens Junior High School, which instructs grades seven, eight and nine. Ingleside Elementary School is the oldest of the city schools, although extensive renovations were made in the 1970s. The school has students in grades K-3. City Park Elementary School has students in grades K-3. North City Elementary School has students in grades 4-6. Westside Elementary School is the newest of the schools and has students in grades 4-6. All five schools are accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

The McMinn County School System has seven elementary schools located throughout the county, two high schools and a vocational school.

The Tennessee Technology Center at Athens located at 1635 Vo-Tech Drive is fully accredited and is governed by the Tennessee Board of Regents.  The TTC has been a member of the Athens community since 1965.   The TTC offers ten diploma programs in career technical fields. The Technology Center has an 89% placement rate and all programs are eligible for Federal Financial Aid and the Lottery scholarship

Cleveland State Community College is a fully-accredited public comprehensive two-year community college operating within the governance of the Tennessee Board of Regents and approved by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission. Cleveland State Community College has an Athens campus located on 2580 Ingleside Avenue.

Founded in 1857, Tennessee Wesleyan College is a private, four year, liberal arts institution affiliated with the Holston Conference of the United Methodist Church and accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the University Senate of the United Methodist Church. Tennessee Wesleyan has over 850 students and maintains a 12-to-1 student faculty ratio that ensures each student receives personal involvement from classroom instructors. TWC offers a demanding curriculum which emphasizes critical thought and scholarship beyond the narrow confines of the classroom. Tennessee Wesleyan believes its students value the friendly atmosphere, small classes and moderate costs.

McMinn County also has an Educaton Foundation (www.mcminncef.org) which has numerous programs to support our young people.  One of the those programs, Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, will help children learn how to read.  Every child from birth until their fifth birthday will receive a book in the mail each month.  To find out more, go to the website at www.imaginationlibrary.com.