The first public school in Tazewell County was started in 1873, in a log building located at the site of the present high school. The first frame school was built where the public library now stands, and when it was torn down, a brick building was erected on the same site. This building housed both the elementary school in what now is the Tazewell County Administration building. In September, 1964 the elementary school was moved to the new building adjoining the grounds of Tazewell High School.

Due to an increase in the number of programs, notably kindergarten and special education, nine portable buildings were added to the grounds of the school. However, during 1990 twelve new classrooms were added to the existing structure causing the portables to be abandoned and destroyed. A gymnasium was completed in September 1990, thus completing the renovation and new building process.

Tazewell Primary School is located on the east side of Tazewell; approximately 3.0 miles from the county courthouse and can be reached by turning off Routes 460 and 19. The school serves an area of sixty square miles, which stretches fifteen miles east of the Bland County line, eight miles west of the Maxwell and Cliffield area. The section most distant from the school is Tannersville. Large portions of the children come from the Town of Tazewell, which covers an area of five square miles and has a population of approximately 5,000.

The Thompson Valley and Cove Elementary Schools were closed at the end of the 1990-91 school term. As a result of these closings, the enrollment at Tazewell Elementary School increased. The inclusion of these schools practically doubled the size of the attendance areas, extending the service zone to the Symth County line.

In 2019, Tazewell Elementary became Tazewell Primary. Tazewell Elementary's 3rd-5th grade students moved to Tazewell Intermediate. Tazewell Primary is now the home to all of the Tazewell area's Pre-K, Kindergarten, 1st grade, and 2nd grade classes.