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Donelson Elementary School

Q: Is Donelson Elementary School a good school?

Yes! Donelson Elementary School is one of the best elementary schools in the state. It ranks 9 th of 1019 Tennessee elementary schools.

Q: How many students attend Donelson Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 843 students attended Donelson Elementary School.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Donelson Elementary School?

Students at Donelson Elementary School are 68% White, 13% African American, 10% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

Q: What schools do graduates of Donelson Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Donelson Elementary School usually go on to attend: Middle : Arlington Middle School High : Arlington High School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

9^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,019 Tennessee Elementary Schools

Better than 99% of Tennessee elementary schools

Summary

Donelson Elementary School in Arlington, TN, serves 843 students in grades PK–5 and is part of Arlington Community Schools, a district ranked #2 out of 141 in Tennessee. Donelson itself is ranked #9 out of 1,019 elementary schools statewide for 2025–2026, placing it in the top 1%, and it has earned a 5-star rating in every recent year with available data. Proficiency rates are far above district and state averages: 87.7% in math, 82.6% in English language arts, and 84.5% in science — meaning Donelson students are roughly twice as likely as the average Tennessee student to be proficient in those subjects.

Donelson is the top-ranked school among all nearby elementary schools. For comparison, Arlington Elementary School (same district) ranks #43, Lakeland Elementary School ranks #54, and Bon Lin Elementary School ranks #90 — all 5-star schools, yet all below Donelson. The gap is even wider compared to schools in Memphis-Shelby County Schools: Oakland Elementary School, Chimneyrock Elementary School, and Cordova Elementary School all rank below #750 and have math proficiency rates between 16% and 25%, while Donelson's math proficiency is 87.7% — more than triple some of those schools.

What makes Donelson's success especially impressive is that it holds up across every grade, subject, and student group. The school ranks #1 in Tennessee for African American students, #5 for Hispanic students, #5 for White students, #2 for low socio-economic status students, and #6 for special education students. Attendance is also a standout: Donelson's chronic absenteeism rate is roughly 5–6%, compared to the state rate of about 19%, and several nearby schools report rates of 17% to 29%. The school has also shown steady improvement over time, with ELA proficiency rising from 72.1% in 2022–2023 to 82.6% in 2025–2026. In short, Donelson offers a rare combination of exceptional academics, strong results for all student groups, and excellent attendance — a model worth knowing about for any parent in the Arlington area.

843

Students ?

15.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,080

Per pupil spending ?

11.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

12140 Donelson Farms Parkway
Arlington, TN 38002

(901) 389-6973

District: Arlington Community Schools

Students who attend Donelson Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Arlington Middle School
High:	Arlington High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

67.9%

African American:

12.8%

Hispanic:

10.4%

See top rated Tennessee elementary schools

Compare Donelson Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 100th percentile in 2017 → 99th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Tennessee average (85% vs 43% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 1% of Tennessee elementary schools

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school85%

District avg71%

Tennessee avg43%

9^th of 1,019

Tennessee public elementary schools ?

Top 1%▬ steady since 2017

See the entire ranking list of Tennessee Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 2Elementary Schools in the Arlington Community Schools

2^nd of 141Arlington Community Schools among Tennessee districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	98.5	9 of 1019	99.1%	★★★★★
2025	97.5	24 of 1009	97.6%	★★★★★
2024	97.2	29 of 1018	97.2%	★★★★★
2023	96.0	43 of 1020	95.8%	★★★★★
2022	95.3	51 of 1000	94.9%	★★★★★
2021	97.0	34 of 983	96.5%	★★★★★
2019	97.3	33 of 985	96.6%	★★★★★
2018	96.8	36 of 997	96.4%	★★★★★
2017	98.0	3 of 646	99.5%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	99.5	1 of 498	99.8%	★★★★★
2025	98.6	6 of 498	98.8%	★★★★★
2024	99.4	4 of 498	99.2%	★★★★★
2023	98.8	6 of 500	98.8%	★★★★★
2022	95.9	9 of 483	98.1%	★★★★★
2021	98.3	3 of 411	99.3%	★★★★★
2019	99.2	1 of 404	99.8%	★★★★★
2018	94.5	11 of 450	97.6%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	96.3	25 of 986	97.5%	★★★★★
2024	96.9	19 of 990	98.1%	★★★★★
2023	97.0	24 of 989	97.6%	★★★★★
2022	94.6	46 of 975	95.3%	★★★★★
2021	96.0	28 of 945	97.0%	★★★★★
2019	95.9	33 of 926	96.4%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	99.2	5 of 458	98.9%	★★★★★
2025	99.4	5 of 424	98.8%	★★★★★
2024	99.3	5 of 415	98.8%	★★★★★
2023	98.4	7 of 387	98.2%	★★★★★
2022	96.1	13 of 363	96.4%	★★★★★
2021	95.4	15 of 324	95.4%	★★★★★
2019	97.9	4 of 250	98.4%	★★★★★
2018	96.5	9 of 319	97.2%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	98.9	2 of 843	99.8%	★★★★★
2024	99.0	4 of 853	99.5%	★★★★★
2023	94.0	18 of 865	97.9%	★★★★★
2022	87.2	36 of 858	95.8%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	97.3	22 of 984	97.8%	★★★★★
2024	95.8	33 of 991	96.7%	★★★★★
2023	91.8	74 of 987	92.5%	★★★★★
2022	92.6	66 of 980	93.3%	★★★★★
2021	96.0	36 of 941	96.2%	★★★★★
2019	96.9	34 of 916	96.3%	★★★★★

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2024	91.9	2 of 23	91.3%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	99.4	6 of 641	99.1%	★★★★★
2025	95.8	16 of 618	97.4%	★★★★★
2024	92.5	19 of 582	96.7%	★★★★★
2023	75.2	68 of 528	87.1%	★★★★☆
2022	77.0	56 of 447	87.5%	★★★★☆
2021	96.4	12 of 369	96.7%	★★★★★
2019	92.7	11 of 255	95.7%	★★★★★
2018	85.7	25 of 395	93.7%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	98.0	5 of 849	99.4%	★★★★★
2025	95.7	28 of 840	96.7%	★★★★★
2024	93.5	47 of 847	94.5%	★★★★★
2023	92.2	62 of 852	92.7%	★★★★★
2022	93.5	51 of 844	94.0%	★★★★★
2021	95.4	40 of 844	95.3%	★★★★★
2019	95.1	39 of 812	95.2%	★★★★★
2018	95.7	34 of 841	96.0%	★★★★★

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

African American (2026)100th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)100th percentile~ school

White (2026)99th percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)99th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)99th percentile~ school

Male (2025)98th percentile~ school

Female (2025)97th percentile~ school

Military Connected (2024)91st percentile-6 vs school

By subject vs Tennessee (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics88%+45 vs state

Science85%+38 vs state

English Language Arts83%+42 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Saturday, November 10, 2018

Great school and wonderful teachers ! Close Quote

Schools Near Donelson Elementary School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				TNReady Mathematics (2026)							TNReady English Language Arts (2026)							TNReady Science (2026)							TNReady Social Studies (2026)				Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2016)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	TNReady Mathematics 3rd Grade	TNReady Mathematics 4th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 5th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 6th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 7th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 8th Grade	TNReady Mathematics All Grades	TNReady English Language Arts 3rd Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 4th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 5th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 6th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 7th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 8th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts All Grades	TNReady Science 3rd Grade	TNReady Science 4th Grade	TNReady Science 5th Grade	TNReady Science 6th Grade	TNReady Science 7th Grade	TNReady Science 8th Grade	TNReady Science All Grades	TNReady Social Studies 6th Grade	TNReady Social Studies 7th Grade	TNReady Social Studies 8th Grade	TNReady Social Studies All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Donelson Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	12140 Donelson Farms Parkway	Arlington	38002	Shelby County	Arlington Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(901) 389-6973	852	57	15.0	17.2%	591 (69.4%)	109 (12.8%)	74 (8.7%)	18 (2.1%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	59 (6.9%)	98.5	9^th of 1019 public elementary schools	99.1%		97.5	24^th of 1009 public elementary schools	97.6%	15	87.7	88.6	87.0				87.7	80.4	85.1	82.6				82.6	82.6	84.2	86.3				84.5					$15,080	$1,560	$13,092
Arlington Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	11825 Douglas	Arlington	38002	Shelby County	Arlington Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(901) 867-6000	898	60	14.9	9.7%	674 (75.1%)	95 (10.6%)	46 (5.1%)	27 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (6.2%)	95.4	43^rd of 1019 public elementary schools	95.8%		97.2	29^th of 1009 public elementary schools	97.1%	14	81.0	82.6	73.6				79.1	79.0	81.4	81.1				80.5	68.1	71.4	78.0				72.5					$14,100	$832	$12,900
Lakeland Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	10050 Oak Seed Lane	Lakeland	38002	Shelby County	Lakeland School System	No	No	No	Yes	(901) 867-7071	1,034	72	14.4	15.3%	655 (63.3%)	118 (11.4%)	140 (13.5%)	74 (7.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	46 (4.4%)	94.2	54^th of 1019 public elementary schools	94.7%		97.5	23^rd of 1009 public elementary schools	97.7%	31	75.1	85.4					80.6	69.3	72.6					71.1	66.1	80.1					73.5					$12,780	$431	$11,916
Barret's Chapel Elementary/Middle School	Public	PK, KG-8	10280 Godwin Rd	Arlington	38002	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(901) 416-0325	311	33	9.5	63.7%	81 (26.0%)	183 (58.8%)	32 (10.3%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (4.2%)	44.5	573^rd of 1019 public elementary schools	43.8%		41.9	585^th of 1009 public elementary schools	42.0%	12	48.1	36.0	50.0	24.3	33.3	6.1	32.1	51.9	32.0	56.3	40.5	23.3	< 5%	34.2	33.3	40.0	46.9	29.7	33.3	15.2	32.6	32.4	36.7	18.2	29.0	$22,552	$2,027	$19,316
Bon Lin Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3940 N. Germantown Road	Bartlett	38133	Shelby County	Bartlett City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(901) 937-2344	750	46	16.4	21.8%	386 (51.5%)	173 (23.1%)	78 (10.4%)	57 (7.6%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	54 (7.2%)	89.6	90^th of 1019 public elementary schools	91.2%		92.7	65^th of 1009 public elementary schools	93.6%	25	57.4	75.2	73.6				69.1	59.1	75.2	65.3				66.9	60.0	79.7	71.1				70.7					$14,715	$807	$13,463
Macon-Hall Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	9800 Macon Road	Cordova	38016	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(901) 416-2625	1,166	62	18.9	52.1%	103 (8.8%)	876 (75.1%)	101 (8.7%)	32 (2.7%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	52 (4.5%)	22.3	831^st of 1019 public elementary schools	18.4%		30.2	734^th of 1009 public elementary schools	27.3%	97	27.6	28.0	14.0				23.6	35.9	34.8	28.7				33.3	27.2	34.1	28.7				30.0					$14,354	$1,527	$12,016
Oakland Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	14925 Hwy 194 North	Oakland	38060	Fayette County	Fayette County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(901) 465-3804	674	27	25.3	70.9%	246 (36.5%)	310 (46.0%)	86 (12.8%)	5 (0.7%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	23 (3.4%)	15	890^th of 1019 public elementary schools	12.7%		11.2	931^st of 1009 public elementary schools	7.7%	41	15.3	30.6	< 5%				16.3	24.7	41.1	10.3				25.7	23.3	27.4	8.6				20.1					$13,701	$1,389	$11,381
Chimneyrock Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	8601 Chimneyrock Blvd	Cordova	38016	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(901) 416-2067	931	49	19.0	67.3%	84 (9.0%)	615 (66.1%)	182 (19.5%)	8 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	41 (4.4%)	29.9	753^rd of 1019 public elementary schools	26.1%		41.3	591^st of 1009 public elementary schools	41.4%	162	25.8	55.2	17.0				33.6	30.6	46.0	24.5				34.3	22.5	43.7	26.4				31.3					$14,699	$1,628	$12,170
Kate Bond Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2727 Kate Bond Road	Bartlett	38133	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(901) 416-0020	787	53	14.8	86.0%	84 (10.7%)	342 (43.5%)	333 (42.3%)	9 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (2.4%)	23.5	818^th of 1019 public elementary schools	19.7%		27.9	756^th of 1009 public elementary schools	25.1%	62	21.5	20.9	29.6				23.9	35.9	20.7	22.9				27.1	40.3	34.5	34.3				36.6					$15,175	$1,785	$12,527
Riverwood Elementary School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	1330 Stern Ln	Cordova	38016	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(901) 416-2310	1,018	58	17.6	61.8%	116 (11.4%)	654 (64.2%)	156 (15.3%)	25 (2.5%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	66 (6.5%)	55	439^th of 1019 public elementary schools	56.9%		48.9	499^th of 1009 public elementary schools	50.5%	60	50.0	50.3	39.4				47.0	52.1	50.7	45.1				49.6	40.4	48.0	39.8				42.8					$13,968	$1,300	$11,900

Frequently Asked Questions about Donelson Elementary School

What district is Donelson Elementary School in?

Arlington Community Schools

What schools do graduates of Donelson Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Donelson Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Arlington Middle School
High : Arlington High School

How many students attend Donelson Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 843 students attended Donelson Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Donelson Elementary School?

Students at Donelson Elementary School are 68% White, 13% African American, 10% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

Is Donelson Elementary School a good school?

Yes! Donelson Elementary School is one of the best elementary schools in the state. It ranks 9^th of 1019 Tennessee elementary schools.

Rate Donelson Elementary School!

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Latest Tennessee data All new data »

2025–26 TNReady test scoresAug 25, 2026

2024–25 dropout ratesApr 2, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataFeb 27, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataDec 18, 2025

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Tennessee Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.