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South Side Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

849^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,019 Tennessee Elementary Schools

Better than 17% of Tennessee elementary schools

Summary

South Side Elementary School is a small PK–5 elementary school in Shelbyville, TN, serving 352 students as part of Bedford County Schools. Despite meaningful improvement since its 2022–2023 low point, the school remains one of the lowest-performing elementary schools in the state, ranking in the 17th percentile with a 1-star rating for 2025–2026. On the most recent TNReady assessments, only 20.6% of students scored proficient in math, 29.0% in English language arts, and 29.7% in science—all well below district and state averages. Among nearby schools, South Side Elementary School outperforms only Learning Way Elementary School and sits in the same low-performing tier as Eakin Elementary School, while Cascade Elementary School and Community Elementary School post proficiency rates that are often 30 to 40 points higher.

Perhaps the most striking pattern is a dramatic academic drop-off between 3rd and 4th grade. While 34% of the school's 3rd graders scored proficient in math, only 11.7% of 4th graders did—a gap of more than 30 points below district and state averages. A similar dip appears in reading and science, suggesting that early-grade instruction is a relative strength not being sustained as students move through the school. Attendance is not the main issue: the school's chronic absenteeism rate of 15.5% is better than the district's 17.9% and the state's 18.3%. Per-pupil spending of $13,076 is comparable to—or higher than—several higher-performing neighbors, including Thomas Magnet School, which spends less yet ranks 5th in the state.

There are also encouraging signs of progress. The school's state percentile has climbed from the 6th percentile in 2022–2023 to the 17th percentile in 2025–2026, with math proficiency nearly doubling and reading proficiency more than doubling over that period. The school also shows subgroup-specific bright spots, including a significant improvement for low-income students, whose statewide ranking jumped from the 9th percentile in 2024–2025 to the 32nd percentile in 2025–2026. The bottom line is that the school is making gradual progress, but the data point to two clear priorities: addressing the 4th-grade math collapse and finding ways to carry the school's early-grade strengths into the upper elementary years.

352

Students ?

13.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,076

Per pupil spending ?

81.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

903 Cannon Boulevard
Shelbyville, TN 37160

(931) 684-7545

District: Bedford County Schools

Students who attend South Side Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Harris Middle School
High:	Shelbyville Central High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

49.4%

White:

33.5%

African American:

8.2%

See top rated Tennessee elementary schools

Compare South Side Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 6th percentile in 2023 → 17th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 17th (2026) from a 6th-percentile low (2023)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Tennessee average (26% vs 43% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (17th percentile)

!Mathematics scores 22 pts below the Tennessee average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school26%

District avg38%

Tennessee avg43%

849^th of 1,019

Tennessee public elementary schools ?

Bottom 17%▼ down 1 pts since 2017

See the entire ranking list of Tennessee Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^th of 9Elementary Schools in the Bedford County Schools

88^th of 141Bedford County 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	20.5	849 of 1019	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	15.2	883 of 1009	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.3	860 of 1018	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	9.6	959 of 1020	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	18.2	844 of 1000	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	25.1	736 of 983	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.0	856 of 985	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.7	856 of 997	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	28.6	530 of 646	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	42.0	579 of 855	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2014	39.6	578 of 853	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2013	47.8	568 of 846	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2012	28.0	665 of 820	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	75.5	180 of 818	78.0%	★★★★☆
2010	40.4	511 of 809	36.8%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	36.9	308 of 498	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.5	341 of 498	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	13.0	485 of 500	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	40.9	214 of 404	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	54.6	159 of 450	64.7%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2024	36.0	115 of 178	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	27.1	145 of 165	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	43.5	49 of 101	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	31.7	49 of 66	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	44.6	46 of 95	51.6%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	15.9	863 of 986	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.3	807 of 990	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.3	857 of 989	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.2	767 of 975	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	29.5	658 of 945	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	17.9	807 of 926	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	29.9	342 of 458	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	25.4	345 of 424	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.1	313 of 415	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.6	366 of 387	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	30.4	272 of 363	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	51.8	130 of 324	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	23.7	216 of 250	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.9	282 of 319	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	36.9	559 of 823	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	17.5	769 of 843	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	34.8	580 of 853	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	17.7	783 of 865	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	19.8	771 of 858	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	29.1	609 of 823	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.2	701 of 821	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.0	691 of 877	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	17.4	853 of 984	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.5	841 of 991	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	6.0	970 of 987	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	16.8	851 of 980	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	24.8	717 of 941	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.8	797 of 916	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	20.7	572 of 641	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	24.0	526 of 618	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	15.5	783 of 849	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	12.0	808 of 840	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.8	804 of 847	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.6	849 of 852	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.4	796 of 844	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	15.9	788 of 844	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	15.2	763 of 812	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	14.9	800 of 841	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

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 (2025)38th percentile+26 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)35th percentile+20 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)32nd percentile+15 vs school

Hispanic (2026)25th percentile+9 vs school

Male (2025)13th percentile~ school

Female (2025)12th percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)11th percentile-6 vs school

White (2026)8th percentile-9 vs school

By subject vs Tennessee (2025-2026) ?

Science30%-17 vs state

English Language Arts29%-12 vs state

Mathematics21%-22 vs state

★

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Schools Near South Side 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
South Side Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	903 Cannon Boulevard	Shelbyville	37160	Bedford County	Bedford County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 684-7545	383	29	13.4	81.6%	139 (36.3%)	32 (8.4%)	179 (46.7%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (7.8%)	20.5	849^th of 1019 public elementary schools	16.7%		15.2	883^rd of 1009 public elementary schools	12.5%	34	34.0	11.7	17.8				20.6	34.0	21.7	33.3				29.0	38.0	28.3	22.2				29.7					$13,076	$1,403	$10,594
East Side Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	421 Elliott Street	Shelbyville	37160	Bedford County	Bedford County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 684-7112	444	36	12.2	93.0%	164 (36.9%)	46 (10.4%)	188 (42.3%)	4 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	40 (9.0%)	37.8	664^th of 1019 public elementary schools	34.8%		30.5	729^th of 1009 public elementary schools	27.8%	65	37.7	58.5	36.8				44.2	34.0	41.5	22.8				32.5	34.0	47.2	31.6				37.4					$14,612	$1,866	$11,720
Thomas Magnet School	Public, Magnet	K-8	515 Tate Avenue	Shelbyville	37160	Bedford County	Bedford County Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(931) 684-6818	475	29	16.3	37.6%	308 (64.8%)	20 (4.2%)	110 (23.2%)	6 (1.3%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (5.7%)	99	5^th of 1019 public elementary schools	99.5%		97.9	15^th of 1009 public elementary schools	98.5%	10	92.2	94.4	86.4	82.5	79.3		88.6		88.9	78.0	85.0	75.9	73.3	84.7	90.0	90.7	86.4	85.0	82.8		88.9	92.5	86.2	76.7	85.9	$11,423	$1,061	$9,390
Eakin Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1100 Glenoaks Road	Shelbyville	37160	Bedford County	Bedford County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 684-7852	623	52	12.0	88.8%	186 (29.9%)	75 (12.0%)	291 (46.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	70 (11.2%)	15	891^st of 1019 public elementary schools	12.6%		20.4	840^th of 1009 public elementary schools	16.7%	51	5.5	38.2	20.0				22.5	27.3	29.4	24.0				27.2	14.5	26.5	18.0				20.2					$14,844	$1,793	$11,619
Learning Way Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	200 Learning Way Drive	Shelbyville	37160	Bedford County	Bedford County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 684-6165	671	53	12.6	91.3%	266 (39.6%)	62 (9.2%)	276 (41.1%)	7 (1.0%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	57 (8.5%)	10	937^th of 1019 public elementary schools	8.0%		14.1	899^th of 1009 public elementary schools	10.9%	38	21.0	11.6	19.7				17.0	27.2	14.7	12.7				18.2	19.8	27.4	16.9				21.9					$13,161	$1,713	$10,585
Liberty Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	500 Snell Road	Shelbyville	37160	Bedford County	Bedford County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 684-7809	685	45	15.2	63.5%	522 (76.2%)	11 (1.6%)	104 (15.2%)	8 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.6%)	36 (5.3%)	45.5	559^th of 1019 public elementary schools	45.1%		38.9	619^th of 1009 public elementary schools	38.7%	60	48.6	44.8	41.3	52.5	44.4	30.2	43.7	38.0	52.2	31.7	25.4	14.3	25.4	31.6	38.0	41.8	36.5	45.8	29.5	29.0	36.8	35.6	46.0	30.2	37.3	$11,786	$1,145	$9,804
Cartwright Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1753 Fairfield PIKE	Shelbyville	37160	Bedford County	Bedford County Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(931) 684-3284	0											30.8	746^th of 1019 public elementary schools	26.8%					(n/a)	34.9	28.1	36.0				32.8	42.5	30.3	35.1				36.0	38.8	32.6	28.0				33.3					$13,577	$1,523	$10,886
Cascade Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2998 Fairfield Pike	Wartrace	37183	Bedford County	Bedford County Schools	No	No	No	No	(931) 389-0031	663	44	14.9	53.7%	541 (81.6%)	18 (2.7%)	60 (9.0%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (6.2%)	77.1	175^th of 1019 public elementary schools	82.8%		77.9	170^th of 1009 public elementary schools	83.2%	5	58.3	65.7	56.0				59.8	58.3	62.9	49.1				56.5	56.5	62.9	54.3				57.7					$11,852	$1,284	$9,730
Community Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3480 Highway 41a	Unionville	37180	Bedford County	Bedford County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 685-1417	662	39	17.0	63.8%	531 (80.2%)	4 (0.6%)	115 (17.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (1.8%)	63.1	326^th of 1019 public elementary schools	68.0%		58.4	372^nd of 1009 public elementary schools	63.1%	46	57.6	57.7	61.5				58.9	53.5	53.6	41.7				49.7	44.4	49.5	38.5				44.2					$11,637	$992	$9,584
Lynchburg Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	276 Mechanic Street North	Lynchburg	37352	Moore County	Moore County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 759-7388	487	37	13.3	53.9%	454 (93.2%)	8 (1.6%)	7 (1.4%)	7 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	10 (2.1%)	41.4	625^th of 1019 public elementary schools	38.7%		55.5	413^th of 1009 public elementary schools	59.1%	212	35.7	38.9	33.9	34.2			35.7	42.9	47.2	35.5	36.8			40.6	41.1	47.2	41.9	34.2			41.0	34.2			34.2	$13,743	$814	$12,204

Frequently Asked Questions about South Side Elementary School

What district is South Side Elementary School in?

Bedford County Schools

What schools do graduates of South Side Elementary School attend?

Students who attend South Side Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Harris Middle School
High : Shelbyville Central High School

How many students attend South Side Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 352 students attended South Side Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of South Side Elementary School?

Students at South Side Elementary School are 49% Hispanic, 34% White, 8% African American, 8% Two or more races.

Is South Side Elementary School a good school?

South Side Elementary School ranks in the bottom 16.7% of Tennessee elementary schools.

Rate South Side Elementary School!

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Latest Tennessee data All new data »

2025–26 TNReady test scoresNewAug 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.