Summary:
The Paris Special School District in Paris, Tennessee, serves about 1,039 elementary students through two schools: W G Rhea Elementary School for grades PK–2 and Paris Elementary School for grades 3–5, with the district rated 4 stars and ranking in the 82nd percentile statewide. Parents looking at this district will find a clean grade-band split, meaning children transition schools after 2nd grade, and all academic accountability falls on Paris Elementary since it is the only tested school. Note that free/reduced lunch data and student-to-teacher ratios were not reported, so those comparisons are unavailable.
Paris Elementary School is the academic standout, with strong 2025–2026 TNReady results: 56.4% proficient in math versus 43.0% statewide, and 47.9% proficient in English language arts versus 40.6% statewide. Math is clearly the school’s strength, improving from 54.2% to 56.4% year over year, but ELA slipped from 50.1% to 47.9%. Science is the weak spot, overall at 46.2% versus the state’s 46.9%, with a concerning trend: 3rd grade is above average, but 4th and 5th grade science fall below state levels. The school has earned a stable 3-star ranking, hovering around the 66th percentile statewide. Chronic absenteeism is 16.4%, below the state average of 18.3% but slightly above the district’s 15.6%.
W G Rhea Elementary School has no test scores, but it stands out for attendance and spending. Its chronic absenteeism is 15.5%, the better of the two schools and below the state average. It also spends $14,790 per student, about 10% more than Paris Elementary’s $13,418, likely reflecting the costs of early-grade programming. Since the district’s grade-level test results are identical to Paris Elementary’s because it is the only school for grades 3–5, W G Rhea’s academic performance cannot be evaluated. Overall, this district performs well above Tennessee averages in math and ELA, but upper-elementary science is an area to watch for families considering these schools.
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