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

New rankings! SchoolDigger recently updated its Tennessee rankings with newly released test scores for the 2025-26 school year.

Be the first to know when we post new rankings!

Northside Elementary School

Q: Is Northside Elementary School a good school?

Northside Elementary School ranks 616 th of 1019 Tennessee elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 2-5

616^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,019 Tennessee Elementary Schools

Better than 40% of Tennessee elementary schools

Summary

Northside Elementary School serves 544 students in grades 2–5 in Smithville, Tennessee, as part of DeKalb County Schools, a district that holds a 2-star rating. The school itself has been on a clear upward trajectory, climbing from the 20th percentile statewide in 2018-19 to the 40th percentile in 2025-26. It sits only about a mile from Smithville Elementary School, which serves PK–2 students, meaning the two buildings function as one educational pipeline for much of Smithville's student population.

English language arts is Northside's strongest subject. With 44.4% of students proficient in 2025-26, the school outperforms both the district (37.1%) and the state (40.6%), and it also beats several nearby schools, including DeKalb West Elementary School (41.9%), Forks River Elementary School (41.7%), and Dibrell Elementary School (29.9%). Math is a relative weakness: only 35.4% of students are proficient, which trails the state by more than seven points and lags far behind higher-performing neighbors like Cassville Elementary School (75.0%) and Cornerstone Elementary School (67.6%). Science has improved dramatically, from 26.1% proficiency in 2022-23 to 39.5% in 2025-26, though it still sits below the state average.

Attendance is a genuine bright spot. Northside's chronic absenteeism rate of 12.8% in 2024-25 is well below the state average of 18.3%. Subgroup results are mixed: African American, Hispanic, and English Learner students have posted strong gains relative to statewide comparisons, but special education outcomes are a serious concern, with proficiency in the single-digit percentile range and a 0-star rating in 2025-26. Northside spends $13,388 per student, more than several higher-performing neighbors like Cassville ($13,011) and Northfield Elementary School ($12,391), which suggests targeted academic strategies — especially in math and special education — may matter more than additional funding going forward. Overall, Northside is a school moving in the right direction, with real strengths in literacy and attendance, but meaningful work remains in math, science, and supporting its most vulnerable students.

544

Students ?

12.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,388

Per pupil spending ?

76.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

400 North Congress Boulevard
Smithville, TN 37166

(615) 597-1575

District: DeKalb County Schools

Students who attend Northside Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	DeKalb Middle School
High:	De Kalb County Adult High School
	De Kalb County High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

75.0%

Hispanic:

20.0%

Two or more races:

2.8%

See top rated Tennessee elementary schools

Compare Northside Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 32nd percentile in 2014 → 40th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 8 percentile points since 2014

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school40%

District avg36%

Tennessee avg43%

616^th of 1,019

Tennessee public elementary schools ?

Bottom 40%▲ up 8 pts since 2018

From bottom 31% (2018) to bottom 40% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Tennessee Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 2Elementary Schools in the DeKalb County Schools

96^th of 141DeKalb 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	41.8	616 of 1019	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	39.4	614 of 1009	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.8	701 of 1018	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.4	735 of 1020	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.6	766 of 1000	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	25.5	735 of 983	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.4	784 of 985	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.8	687 of 997	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2015	47.8	508 of 855	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2014	39.3	583 of 853	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2013	43.7	618 of 846	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	32.2	623 of 820	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	46.4	480 of 818	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2010	42.3	499 of 809	38.3%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2024	59.0	169 of 498	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.9	151 of 500	69.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.6	161 of 483	66.7%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	52.3	72 of 211	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	32.4	131 of 178	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.6	142 of 164	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.5	164 of 165	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	18.2	101 of 101	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	29.8	79 of 95	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	37.0	631 of 986	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.6	674 of 990	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.2	685 of 989	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	25.7	728 of 975	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	28.9	671 of 945	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.0	777 of 926	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	53.1	184 of 458	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	46.1	215 of 424	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.5	285 of 415	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.1	226 of 387	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	25.2	305 of 363	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	31.5	227 of 324	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	14.0	244 of 250	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	21.0	295 of 319	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	47.2	437 of 823	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	44.5	490 of 843	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.7	464 of 853	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.8	517 of 865	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	23.9	722 of 858	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.9	679 of 823	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.2	685 of 821	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.4	648 of 877	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	41.4	581 of 984	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.8	706 of 991	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.2	732 of 987	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.1	771 of 980	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.0	755 of 941	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.7	677 of 916	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	17.4	613 of 641	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	28.4	464 of 618	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.0	553 of 582	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.4	527 of 528	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	17.2	435 of 447	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	17.3	360 of 369	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	21.7	359 of 395	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	28.2	650 of 849	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	27.7	648 of 840	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.4	705 of 847	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.1	755 of 852	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.4	764 of 844	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	18.2	758 of 844	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	19.9	716 of 812	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.6	678 of 841	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆

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 (2024)66th percentile+35 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)66th percentile+27 vs school

Hispanic (2026)60th percentile+20 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)47th percentile+7 vs school

Male (2025)41st percentile~ school

Female (2025)36th percentile-3 vs school

White (2026)23rd percentile-16 vs school

Special Education (2026)4th percentile-35 vs school

By subject vs Tennessee (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts44%+4 vs state

Science40%-7 vs state

Mathematics35%-8 vs state

★

No ratings yet

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

Rate Northside 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 Northside 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 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
Northside Elementary School	Public	2-5	400 North Congress Boulevard	Smithville	37166	DeKalb County	DeKalb County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(615) 597-1575	582	46	12.6	76.2%	446 (76.6%)	9 (1.5%)	106 (18.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (3.4%)	41.8	616^th of 1019 public elementary schools	39.5%		39.4	614^th of 1009 public elementary schools	39.1%	2	28.2	40.5	37.0				35.4	48.3	43.2	42.4				44.4	36.6	41.2	40.2				39.5					$13,388	$2,019	$10,459
Smithville Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-2	221 E Bryant Street	Smithville	37166	DeKalb County	DeKalb County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(615) 597-4415	553	44	12.4	78.0%	435 (78.7%)	6 (1.1%)	97 (17.5%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (2.4%)								(n/a)																										$15,257	$2,515	$11,644
Dibrell Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	1759 Mike Muncey Road	McMinnville	37110	Warren County	Warren County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 259-4588	351	30	11.8	70.9%	239 (68.1%)	6 (1.7%)	95 (27.1%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.9%)	5 (1.4%)	28.9	766^th of 1019 public elementary schools	24.8%		17.8	862^nd of 1009 public elementary schools	14.6%	96	50.0	24.4	19.0	21.2	30.2	28.3	29.5	47.8	24.4	21.4	36.4	30.2	19.6	29.9	52.2	22.0	21.4	24.2	44.2	41.3	35.1	12.1	44.2	30.4	30.3	$13,048	$1,197	$10,786
DeKalb West Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	101 Bulldog Lane	Liberty	37059	DeKalb County	DeKalb County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(615) 536-5332	456	30	15.4	65.4%	409 (89.7%)	12 (2.6%)	22 (4.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.6%)	41.7	619^th of 1019 public elementary schools	39.3%		55.3	416^th of 1009 public elementary schools	58.8%	203	13.2	34.6	50.9	48.1	40.9	45.5	38.6	35.8	32.7	39.6	59.6	45.5	38.6	41.9	28.3	42.3	34.0	42.3	47.7	45.5	39.6	40.4	61.4	45.5	48.6	$12,438	$1,926	$9,428
Cassville Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	261 Will Thompson Road	Sparta	38583	White County	White County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 761-2277	231	16	14.2	81.7%	214 (92.6%)	3 (1.3%)	5 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.5%)	72.9	217^th of 1019 public elementary schools	78.7%		72.3	218^th of 1009 public elementary schools	78.4%	1	69.4	75.7	82.6				75.0	58.3	51.4	78.3				60.4	38.9	37.8	65.2				44.8					$13,011	$1,150	$10,721
Cornerstone Elementary School	Public	2-4	371 First Avenue South	Baxter	38544	Putnam County	Putnam County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 858-9190	367	26	14.3	66.5%	339 (92.4%)	5 (1.4%)	14 (3.8%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	7 (1.9%)	77.1	179^th of 1019 public elementary schools	82.4%		57.2	392^nd of 1009 public elementary schools	61.1%	213	65.7	70.0					67.6	56.7	53.6					55.3	56.4	53.6					55.1					$13,480	$998	$11,709
Baxter Primary School	Public	PK, KG-1	125 Elmore Town Road	Baxter	38544	Putnam County	Putnam County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 858-3110	352	22	16.3		317 (90.1%)	11 (3.1%)	15 (4.3%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	5 (1.4%)								(n/a)																										$16,234	$756	$14,058
Gordonsville Elementary School	Public	3-6	104 Main Street East	Gordonsville	38563	Smith County	Smith County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(615) 683-8252	312	18	17.3	55.9%	281 (90.1%)	3 (1.0%)	15 (4.8%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	10 (3.2%)	75.4	194^th of 1019 public elementary schools	81.0%		74.7	196^th of 1009 public elementary schools	80.6%	2	53.3	64.3	68.3	42.1			54.8	58.7	67.1	45.0	36.4			50.3	60.0	75.7	55.0	57.9			61.9	66.4			66.4	$11,865	$691	$10,249
Northfield Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	570 S Bunker Hill Road	Sparta	38583	White County	White County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 761-7979	300	21	14.1	77.5%	287 (95.7%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.7%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.3%)	64	318^th of 1019 public elementary schools	68.8%		76.7	180^th of 1009 public elementary schools	82.2%	138	61.7	52.4	58.8				57.9	53.2	42.9	41.2				45.7	44.7	54.8	51.0				50.0					$12,391	$777	$10,551
Forks River Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	611 Cookeville Highway	Elmwood	38560	Smith County	Smith County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(615) 897-2676	220	16	13.9	51.1%	205 (93.2%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.6%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.7%)	39.8	635^th of 1019 public elementary schools	37.7%		54.6	423^rd of 1009 public elementary schools	58.1%	212	22.7	31.8	38.1	43.8	62.1	70.6	44.9	40.9	36.4	33.3	43.8	65.5	17.6	41.7	54.5	45.5	47.6	25.0	62.1	52.9	49.6	6.3	82.8	58.8	56.5	$12,818	$880	$10,841

Frequently Asked Questions about Northside Elementary School

What district is Northside Elementary School in?

DeKalb County Schools

Is Northside Elementary School a good school?

Northside Elementary School ranks 616^th of 1019 Tennessee elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Northside Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 544 students attended Northside Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Northside Elementary School?

Students at Northside Elementary School are 75% White, 20% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races, 1% African American.

What schools do graduates of Northside Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : DeKalb Middle School
High : De Kalb County Adult High School
High : De Kalb County High School

Rate Northside Elementary School!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

TNTennessee Elementary School Rankings

TNTennessee District Rankings

Schools in Smithville, TN

Sign up for updates!

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

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.