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Bess T Shepherd Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

846^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,019 Tennessee Elementary Schools

Better than 17% of Tennessee elementary schools

Summary

Bess T Shepherd Elementary School serves 546 students in grades PK-5 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, as part of Hamilton County Schools, and it currently holds a 1-star rating with a statewide rank of 846th out of 1,019 elementary schools (17th percentile) — a level it has hovered near for the past decade, though the school has climbed out of the very bottom of state rankings where it sat in 2013–2015.

Parents comparing options will find some genuinely encouraging signs alongside the low overall test scores. The school's strongest subject is English language arts, where 35.3% of students scored proficient — just 3 points below the district average and nearly identical to nearby East Brainerd Elementary School's 35.6%. By contrast, math proficiency (25.5%) trails East Brainerd by more than 11 points, and science (22.5%) trails by 17 points. Bess T Shepherd also stands out for attendance: its chronic absenteeism rate of 13.2% is better than the Hamilton County Schools average (17.1%) and the state average (18.3%), and attendance has improved sharply over the past two years. Subgroup data adds another bright spot — the school ranks in the 63rd percentile statewide for English language learner achievement, up from the 30th percentile just a year earlier, and it performs above its overall ranking for Hispanic and African American students as well.

The clearest challenges are in science, math, and the transition to 5th grade. Science proficiency (22.5%) trails the state by 24 points — the school's largest gap — and math lags the district by nearly 15 points. Grade-level data shows a striking slump in every subject between 4th and 5th grade, a pattern not seen at the district or state level. The good news is that Bess T Shepherd appears to be building momentum: reading proficiency has nearly doubled since 2022–2023, chronic absenteeism has fallen steadily, and ELL achievement has jumped dramatically. If the school can bring the same success it has found in literacy and English learner support to math, science, and the 5th-grade year, it has a realistic path from the bottom fifth of Tennessee schools to a solidly middle-tier position.

546

Students ?

14.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,058

Per pupil spending ?

90.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

7126 Tyner Road
Chattanooga, TN 37421

(423) 855-2611

District: Hamilton County Schools

Racial breakdown:

African American:

47.1%

Hispanic:

33.5%

White:

9.5%

See top rated Tennessee elementary schools

Compare Bess T Shepherd Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 4th percentile in 2014 → 17th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 13 percentile points since 2014

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Tennessee average (28% vs 43% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (17th percentile)

!Science scores 24 pts below the Tennessee average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school28%

District avg42%

Tennessee avg43%

846^th of 1,019

Tennessee public elementary schools ?

Bottom 17%▲ up 4 pts since 2018

From bottom 13% (2018) to bottom 17% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Tennessee Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

28^th of 42Elementary Schools in the Hamilton County Schools

81^st of 141Hamilton 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	21.1	846 of 1019	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	14.3	894 of 1009	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.9	871 of 1018	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.2	879 of 1020	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.4	827 of 1000	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.1	820 of 983	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.9	814 of 985	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.2	872 of 997	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	10.1	828 of 855	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	8.5	817 of 853	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	18.8	800 of 846	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	21.2	716 of 820	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	21.2	712 of 818	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	23.8	670 of 809	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	35.5	322 of 498	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	24.9	387 of 498	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.8	352 of 498	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.4	409 of 500	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	35.5	289 of 483	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	30.8	265 of 411	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	32.5	268 of 404	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	28.2	330 of 450	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	50.7	79 of 211	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	34.7	124 of 178	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.1	108 of 164	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	17.4	163 of 165	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	39.8	60 of 101	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	40.5	40 of 66	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	49.5	36 of 95	62.1%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	17.6	847 of 986	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.1	794 of 990	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.1	900 of 989	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	20.7	787 of 975	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.3	780 of 945	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.2	765 of 926	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	41.1	274 of 458	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	40.0	251 of 424	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	27.4	323 of 415	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.0	298 of 387	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.2	313 of 363	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	32.2	225 of 324	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	41.5	131 of 250	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.4	227 of 319	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2024	32.8	12 of 17	29.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	65.8	6 of 18	66.7%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	23.4	687 of 823	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	18.1	762 of 843	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	25.3	703 of 853	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.0	711 of 865	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	34.0	596 of 858	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	27.4	631 of 823	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.2	623 of 821	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.6	737 of 877	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	13.9	890 of 984	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	14.5	887 of 991	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.1	837 of 987	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.5	820 of 980	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.2	810 of 941	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.5	754 of 916	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	22.5	550 of 641	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	22.4	543 of 618	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2023	18.6	760 of 852	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	33.6	581 of 844	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	39.1	503 of 844	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	21.6	701 of 812	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.7	763 of 841	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2025)63rd percentile+51 vs school

Hispanic (2026)40th percentile+23 vs school

African American (2026)35th percentile+18 vs school

Homeless (2024)29th percentile+15 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)17th percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)14th percentile-3 vs school

Female (2025)14th percentile+3 vs school

White (2023)11th percentile-3 vs school

Male (2025)10th percentile~ school

By subject vs Tennessee (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts35%-5 vs state

Mathematics26%-18 vs state

Science22%-24 vs state

1.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a student
Friday, May 22, 2015

I went to this school my whole life and there was tons of fights every day and bullying. I was victim of bullying I got bullied grades 3-5. I told a teacher and all they did was talk to them. But, they kept bullying me. I recommend not going to this school or moving in the zoneing of it. Close Quote

Schools Near Bess T Shepherd 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)				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 All Grades	TNReady English Language Arts 3rd Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 4th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 5th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts All Grades	TNReady Science 3rd Grade	TNReady Science 4th Grade	TNReady Science 5th Grade	TNReady Science All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Bess T Shepherd Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	7126 Tyner Road	Chattanooga	37421	Hamilton County	Hamilton County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 855-2611	494	35	14.0	90.6%	55 (11.1%)	233 (47.2%)	163 (33.0%)	11 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (6.5%)	21.1	846^th of 1019 public elementary schools	17.0%		14.3	894^th of 1009 public elementary schools	11.4%	48	25.0	31.8	20.4	25.5	37.0	39.8	29.6	35.3	22.8	26.7	18.4	22.5	$17,058	$965	$15,249
East Brainerd Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	7660 Goodwin Road	Chattanooga	37421	Hamilton County	Hamilton County Schools	No	No	No	No	(423) 855-2600	1,172	79	14.8	62.8%	328 (28.0%)	394 (33.6%)	239 (20.4%)	96 (8.2%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	112 (9.6%)	36.8	675^th of 1019 public elementary schools	33.8%		37.7	630^th of 1009 public elementary schools	37.6%	45	35.6	38.6	36.6	36.9	34.8	34.5	37.4	35.6	42.1	48.2	29.8	39.8	$16,321	$1,058	$14,674
Harrison Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	8098 Ferdinand Piech Way	Chattanooga	37416	Hamilton County	Hamilton County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 344-1428	884	55	15.9	71.3%	163 (18.4%)	532 (60.2%)	100 (11.3%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	85 (9.6%)	8	957^th of 1019 public elementary schools	6.1%		9.8	944^th of 1009 public elementary schools	6.4%	13	7.5	24.0	19.0	16.8	13.2	25.6	8.5	16.1	17.5	25.0	9.4	17.6	$17,505	$1,198	$15,564
Wolftever Creek Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	5080 Ooltewah Ringold Road	Ooltewah	37363	Hamilton County	Hamilton County Schools	No	No	No	No	(423) 933-3671	620	44	14.0	78.0%	270 (43.5%)	100 (16.1%)	165 (26.6%)	12 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	73 (11.8%)	52.4	471^st of 1019 public elementary schools	53.8%		41.2	593^rd of 1009 public elementary schools	41.2%	122	38.4	48.5	43.3	43.3	39.4	50.5	38.5	42.7	50.5	58.8	39.4	49.3	$17,539	$1,015	$15,692
Westview Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	9629 East Brainerd Road	Chattanooga	37421	Hamilton County	Hamilton County Schools	No	No	No	No	(423) 855-6141	615	37	16.6	15.6%	414 (67.3%)	59 (9.6%)	50 (8.1%)	22 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	70 (11.4%)	85.9	115^th of 1019 public elementary schools	88.7%		85.3	120^th of 1009 public elementary schools	88.1%	5	66.7	64.0	62.5	64.1	65.3	70.3	74.3	70.4	60.0	64.9	59.8	61.8	$16,249	$614	$15,175
Woodmore Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	800 Woodmore Lane	Chattanooga	37411	Hamilton County	Hamilton County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 493-0394	349	24	14.2	93.8%	11 (3.2%)	248 (71.1%)	42 (12.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (13.8%)	12.2	919^th of 1019 public elementary schools	9.8%		12.6	914^th of 1009 public elementary schools	9.4%	5	13.9	15.6	18.4	16.0	11.4	20.5	26.3	19.7	31.4	28.9	21.1	27.1	$21,068	$1,438	$18,595
Wallace A. Smith Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	6930 Lebron Sterchi Drive	Ooltewah	37363	Hamilton County	Hamilton County Schools	No	No	No	No	(423) 344-1425	592	38	15.5	28.0%	387 (65.4%)	60 (10.1%)	75 (12.7%)	6 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	64 (10.8%)	89	98^th of 1019 public elementary schools	90.4%		83.7	131^st of 1009 public elementary schools	87.0%	33	54.1	77.5	68.0	66.8	71.8	71.9	61.0	67.9	63.5	77.5	65.0	68.6	$17,132	$774	$15,729
Barger Academy of Fine Arts	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	4808 Brainerd Road	Chattanooga	37411	Hamilton County	Hamilton County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(423) 493-0348	362	25	14.4	89.3%	28 (7.7%)	235 (64.9%)	56 (15.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (11.9%)	25.4	798^th of 1019 public elementary schools	21.7%		27.2	763^rd of 1009 public elementary schools	24.4%	35	25.8	40.9	35.5	33.3	27.4	31.8	24.2	27.4	37.1	20.5	32.8	31.1	$20,788	$1,637	$18,295
Spring Creek Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1100 Spring Creek Road	Chattanooga	37412	Hamilton County	Hamilton County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 855-6138	697	48	14.4	86.4%	149 (21.4%)	145 (20.8%)	327 (46.9%)	7 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	68 (9.8%)	16.6	881^st of 1019 public elementary schools	13.5%		16.1	875^th of 1009 public elementary schools	13.3%	6	21.3	37.3	22.5	27.5	22.2	25.7	19.8	22.8	21.7	33.6	23.5	26.6	$17,709	$979	$15,851
Big Ridge Elementary School	Public	K-5	5210 Cassandra Smith Road	Hixson	37343	Hamilton County	Hamilton County Schools	No	No	No	No	(423) 843-4793	473	35	13.5	30.4%	325 (68.7%)	28 (5.9%)	37 (7.8%)	41 (8.7%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.8%)	38 (8.0%)	77.1	176^th of 1019 public elementary schools	82.7%		74	204^th of 1009 public elementary schools	79.8%	28	35.4	64.6	60.8	53.6	56.4	70.7	55.4	61.1	58.2	69.5	58.1	62.1	$17,305	$1,208	$15,547

Frequently Asked Questions about Bess T Shepherd Elementary School

Is Bess T Shepherd Elementary School a good school?

Bess T Shepherd Elementary School ranks in the bottom 17.0% of Tennessee elementary schools.

How many students attend Bess T Shepherd Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 546 students attended Bess T Shepherd Elementary School.

What schools do graduates of Bess T Shepherd Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Bess T Shepherd Elementary School usually go on to attend:

High : Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences Upper
High : Hamilton County Collegiate High at Chattanooga State
High : Sequoyah High School
High : STEM School Chattanooga

What is the racial makeup of Bess T Shepherd Elementary School?

Students at Bess T Shepherd Elementary School are 47% African American, 34% Hispanic, 10% White, 8% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

What district is Bess T Shepherd Elementary School in?

Hamilton County Schools

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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.