Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Cartwright Elementary School

Q: Is Cartwright Elementary School a good school?

Cartwright Elementary School ranks 746 th of 1019 Tennessee elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

746^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,019 Tennessee Elementary Schools

Better than 27% of Tennessee elementary schools

Summary

Cartwright Elementary School serves 602 students in grades PK–5 in Shelbyville, TN, and is part of Bedford County Schools. The school ranks in the 27th percentile statewide, placing it in the lower third of Tennessee elementary schools, though it is not the lowest-performing in its immediate cluster—Learning Way Elementary School, Eakin Elementary School, and South Side Elementary School all rank lower.

Academically, Cartwright is below state averages in all three tested subjects. Math proficiency is 32.8% vs. 43.0% statewide, science is 33.3% vs. 46.9%, and English Language Arts is 36.0% vs. 40.6%. ELA is the relative bright spot—it slightly exceeds the district average and is the highest among the lower-performing nearby schools. The strongest grade level is 3rd grade, while 4th and 5th grade math and science show the largest gaps from state averages; 5th grade science trails the state by 18.5 points. Encouragingly, subgroup performance is stronger than the overall rank suggests—Cartwright performs near the statewide median for low-income, African American, Hispanic, and special education students.

Chronic absenteeism is 16.9%, slightly better than the district (17.9%) and state (18.3%) averages, though well above top area schools like Christiana Elementary School (6.5%) and Plainview Elementary School (10.6%). Notably, Cartwright spends $13,577 per student—roughly $1,700–$2,100 more than Thomas Magnet School, Cascade Elementary School, and Community Elementary School—yet those schools post dramatically higher proficiency rates. The main opportunities for improvement lie in upper-elementary math and science, while attendance and subgroup equity are relative strengths.

602

Students ?

n/a

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,577

Per pupil spending ?

1753 Fairfield PIKE
Shelbyville, TN 37160

(931) 684-3284

District: Bedford County Schools

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

44.7%

White:

37.7%

African American:

8.5%

See top rated Tennessee elementary schools

Compare Cartwright Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Tennessee average (34% vs 43% meeting standards)

!Science scores 14 pts below the Tennessee average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school34%

District avg38%

Tennessee avg43%

746^th of 1,019

Tennessee public elementary schools ?

Bottom 27%

See the entire ranking list of Tennessee Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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

88^th of 141Bedford County Schools among Tennessee districts

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)49th percentile+22 vs school

African American (2026)48th percentile+21 vs school

Hispanic (2026)42nd percentile+15 vs school

Special Education (2026)39th percentile+12 vs school

White (2026)22nd percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs Tennessee (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts36%-5 vs state

Science33%-14 vs state

Mathematics33%-10 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Cartwright Elementary School and help other families decide.

Rate Cartwright Elementary School

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Cartwright Elementary School

Load more schools when map is moved

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 Algebra I (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 Algebra I 8th Grade	TNReady Algebra I 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
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
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
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	≥ 95%	88.6	≥ 95%	88.9	78.0	85.0	75.9	73.3	84.7	≥ 95%	≥ 95%	90.0	90.7	86.4	85.0	82.8	≥ 95%	88.9	92.5	86.2	76.7	85.9	$11,423	$1,061	$9,390
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
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
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
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
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
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
Plainview Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	7182 Otter Pond Way	Christiana	37037	Rutherford County	Rutherford County Schools	No	No	No	No	(615) 904-6790	661	43	15.3		439 (66.4%)	65 (9.8%)	90 (13.6%)	9 (1.4%)	4 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	53 (8.0%)	77.5	173^rd of 1019 public elementary schools	83.0%		82.5	138^th of 1009 public elementary schools	86.3%	35	59.6	60.7	71.7				63.6	52.6	60.7	67.0				59.8			46.5	57.4	62.6				55.2					$12,899	$297	$11,993

Frequently Asked Questions about Cartwright Elementary School

What district is Cartwright Elementary School in?

Bedford County Schools

How many students attend Cartwright Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 602 students attended Cartwright Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Cartwright Elementary School?

Students at Cartwright Elementary School are 45% Hispanic, 38% White, 8% African American, 7% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

Is Cartwright Elementary School a good school?

Cartwright Elementary School ranks 746^th of 1019 Tennessee elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Rate Cartwright Elementary School!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

TNTennessee Elementary School Rankings

TNTennessee District Rankings

Schools in Shelbyville, TN

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Cartwright Elementary School!

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.