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South Side Elementary

Q: Is South Side Elementary a good school?

South Side Elementary ranks 128 th of 1009 Tennessee elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

128^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,009 Tennessee Elementary Schools

Better than 87% of Tennessee elementary schools

Summary

South Side Elementary is a public elementary school in Johnson City, Tennessee, serving 442 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the highly-ranked Johnson City school district, which is rated 8th out of 139 districts in the state.

South Side Elementary is a high-performing school, consistently ranking in the top 15% of Tennessee elementary schools. The school's academic performance on state assessments is generally above the state and district averages, particularly in science and mathematics. In 2024-2025, South Side Elementary's proficiency rates were 60% in English Language Arts, 58.9% in Mathematics, and 68.3% in Science, compared to the state averages of 38.9%, 42.2%, and 46.1%, respectively. The school's performance is strongest in the upper grades, with proficiency rates often exceeding 65% in core subjects.

While South Side Elementary's academic achievement is impressive, the school faces some challenges. Chronic absenteeism has increased from 9.3% in 2021-2022 to 20.2% in 2022-2023, which is an area of concern. Additionally, the school's ranking for special education students has declined in recent years, suggesting a need to focus on improving outcomes for this student population. Nonetheless, South Side Elementary remains a standout school within the Johnson City district, outperforming nearby schools in the Carter County district.

419

Students ?

12.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,752

Per pupil spending ?

69.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1011 Southwest AVE
Johnson City, TN 37604

(423) 434-5290

District: Johnson City

Students who attend South Side Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Indian Trail Middle School
	Liberty Bell Middle School
High:	Science Hill High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

61.6%

Hispanic:

17.9%

Two or more races:

9.5%

See top rated Tennessee elementary schools

Compare South Side Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 72nd percentile in 2014 → 87th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Tennessee average (62% vs 42% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 13% of Tennessee elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 15 percentile points since 2014

Worth a look

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

!Near the bottom of Johnson City's ranking

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school62%

District avg64%

Tennessee avg42%

128^th of 1,009

Tennessee public elementary schools ?

Top 13%▲ up 21 pts since 2015

From top 34% (2015) to top 13% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Tennessee Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^th of 8Elementary Schools in the Johnson City

8^th of 139Johnson City 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
2025	84.1	128 of 1009	87.3%	★★★★☆
2024	85.6	119 of 1018	88.3%	★★★★☆
2023	86.0	115 of 1020	88.7%	★★★★☆
2022	84.8	119 of 1000	88.1%	★★★★☆
2021	82.7	125 of 983	87.3%	★★★★☆
2019	92.7	68 of 985	93.1%	★★★★★
2018	76.3	169 of 997	83.0%	★★★★☆
2017	58.8	212 of 646	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2015	65.6	287 of 855	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2014	66.0	240 of 853	71.9%	★★★★☆
2013	83.1	105 of 846	87.6%	★★★★☆
2012	78.4	162 of 820	80.2%	★★★★☆
2011	79.1	144 of 818	82.4%	★★★★☆
2010	72.2	220 of 809	72.8%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	74.4	87 of 498	82.5%	★★★★☆
2024	67.9	123 of 498	75.3%	★★★★☆
2023	70.6	106 of 500	78.8%	★★★★☆
2022	54.2	171 of 483	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	75.0	70 of 450	84.4%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2022	73.8	16 of 165	90.3%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	85.0	108 of 986	89.0%	★★★★☆
2024	85.0	110 of 990	88.9%	★★★★☆
2023	88.2	99 of 989	90.0%	★★★★★
2022	83.1	116 of 975	88.1%	★★★★☆
2021	82.4	117 of 945	87.6%	★★★★☆
2019	91.4	63 of 926	93.2%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	71.4	98 of 424	76.9%	★★★★☆
2024	63.9	117 of 415	71.8%	★★★★☆
2023	65.6	103 of 387	73.4%	★★★★☆
2022	62.6	99 of 363	72.7%	★★★★☆
2021	60.8	89 of 324	72.5%	★★★★☆
2018	44.2	165 of 319	48.3%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	87.5	39 of 843	95.4%	★★★★★
2024	54.1	334 of 853	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	84.6	51 of 865	94.1%	★★★★★
2022	82.1	70 of 858	91.8%	★★★★★
2021	78.4	72 of 823	91.3%	★★★★★
2019	90.7	17 of 821	97.9%	★★★★★
2018	84.1	54 of 877	93.8%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	77.5	158 of 984	83.9%	★★★★☆
2024	81.1	137 of 991	86.2%	★★★★☆
2023	77.5	152 of 987	84.6%	★★★★☆
2022	82.5	121 of 980	87.7%	★★★★☆
2021	74.1	170 of 941	81.9%	★★★★☆
2019	90.4	68 of 916	92.6%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	50.3	221 of 618	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.8	141 of 447	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	86.9	23 of 395	94.2%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	87.4	86 of 840	89.8%	★★★★☆
2024	91.6	64 of 847	92.4%	★★★★★
2023	89.3	85 of 852	90.0%	★★★★★
2022	93.0	56 of 844	93.4%	★★★★★
2021	84.4	108 of 844	87.2%	★★★★☆
2019	92.2	61 of 812	92.5%	★★★★★
2018	79.5	132 of 841	84.3%	★★★★☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)95th percentile+8 vs school

English Language Learner (2022)90th percentile~ school

White (2025)90th percentile~ school

Female (2025)89th percentile~ school

Male (2025)84th percentile-3 vs school

African American (2025)83rd percentile-5 vs school

Hispanic (2025)77th percentile-10 vs school

Special Education (2025)64th percentile-23 vs school

By subject vs Tennessee (2024-2025) ?

Science68%+22 vs state

English Language Arts60%+21 vs state

Mathematics59%+17 vs state

1.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent on FaceBook
Friday, December 11, 2009

Faculty and staff seem more concerned about receiving awards and cash bonus's than educating children. South Side also practices something called silent lunch which involves forcing a child to sit alone at a designated table in the lunch room and the child is forbidden to speak or interact with other children. Teachers and fellow students are encouraged to shun or ignore this child as punishment.
I have had 5 years experience with this school and have experienced harassment and discrimination. DO NOT TRUST YOUR CHILDS MENTAL HEALTH AND EDUCATION AT THIS SCHOOL! My daughter is relieved to be removed from this school. Close Quote

Schools Near South Side Elementary

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				TNReady Mathematics (2025)							TNReady English Language Arts (2025)							TNReady Science (2025)							TNReady Social Studies (2025)				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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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	Public	PK, KG-5	1011 Southwest AVE	Johnson City	37604	Washington County	Johnson City	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 434-5290	442	35	12.6		275 (62.2%)	32 (7.2%)	80 (18.1%)	10 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (10.2%)	84.1	128^th of 1009 public elementary schools	87.3%		85.6	119^th of 1018 public elementary schools	88.3%	9	50.7	58.5	69.6				58.9	57.7	67.9	55.4				60.0	63.4	71.7	71.4				68.3					$15,752	$1,188	$13,570
North Side Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1000 N Roan ST	Johnson City	37601	Washington County	Johnson City	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 434-5249	357	29	12.3		178 (49.9%)	58 (16.2%)	77 (21.6%)	6 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (10.6%)	88.2	97^th of 1009 public elementary schools	90.4%		75.8	188^th of 1018 public elementary schools	81.5%	91	50.9	87.5	79.2				69.3	57.9	71.9	60.4				62.0	70.2	75.0	66.7				70.1					$17,960	$1,831	$15,090
Mountain View Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	907 King Springs RD	Johnson City	37601	Washington County	Johnson City	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 434-5260	488	37	13.3		257 (52.7%)	77 (15.8%)	62 (12.7%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	87 (17.8%)	42.6	575^th of 1009 public elementary schools	43.0%		39.9	618^th of 1018 public elementary schools	39.3%	43	35.3	47.8	44.8				42.6	25.0	43.5	35.8				34.8	30.9	46.4	44.8				40.7					$15,530	$1,233	$13,236
Fairmont Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1405 Lester Harris RD	Johnson City	37601	Washington County	Johnson City	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 434-5275	555	40	13.9		376 (67.7%)	42 (7.6%)	74 (13.3%)	15 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (8.6%)	90.1	86^th of 1009 public elementary schools	91.5%		89.7	87^th of 1018 public elementary schools	91.5%	1	62.8	70.5	71.3				68.3	60.5	71.6	61.3				64.8	66.7	71.6	70.0				69.5					$14,167	$1,273	$12,121
Cherokee Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2100 Cherokee RD	Johnson City	37604	Washington County	Johnson City	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 434-5281	354	24	14.7		211 (59.6%)	27 (7.6%)	84 (23.7%)	4 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (7.9%)	87.3	105^th of 1009 public elementary schools	89.6%		88.5	95^th of 1018 public elementary schools	90.7%	10	59.2	55.4	68.4				61.1	55.1	71.4	61.4				63.0	71.4	80.4	66.7				72.8					$14,863	$1,066	$13,022
Woodland Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2303 Indian Ridge RD	Johnson City	37604	Washington County	Johnson City	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 434-5267	537	35	15.4		378 (70.4%)	33 (6.1%)	59 (11.0%)	15 (2.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	51 (9.5%)	91.7	75^th of 1009 public elementary schools	92.6%		93	62^nd of 1018 public elementary schools	93.9%	13	58.8	80.6	79.5				72.9	57.5	73.6	74.7				68.6	58.8	81.9	80.7				73.8					$13,926	$1,069	$12,173
Towne Acres Elementary	Public	K-5	2310 Larkspur DR	Johnson City	37604	Washington County	Johnson City	No	No	No	No	(423) 854-4800	394	26	15.0		294 (74.6%)	20 (5.1%)	30 (7.6%)	33 (8.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (4.1%)	98.7	6^th of 1009 public elementary schools	99.4%		97.7	25^th of 1018 public elementary schools	97.5%	19	83.5	90.2	89.0				87.3	77.2	90.2	80.8				82.2	81.0		84.9				86.4					$13,568	$372	$12,569
Happy Valley Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	1840 Milligan HWY	Johnson City	37601	Carter County	Carter County	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 547-4028	541	36	15.0		470 (86.9%)	12 (2.2%)	34 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	24 (4.4%)	54	433^rd of 1009 public elementary schools	57.1%		55.9	401^st of 1018 public elementary schools	60.6%	32	48.7	40.5					44.4	50.0	44.0					46.9	40.8	50.0					45.6					$14,300	$1,574	$11,662
Central Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	252 Taylor RD	Johnson City	37601	Carter County	Carter County	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 547-4045	261	25	10.2		238 (91.2%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (5.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	9 (3.4%)	45	541^st of 1009 public elementary schools	46.4%		40.6	609^th of 1018 public elementary schools	40.2%	68	45.8	29.0	26.1	44.4	20.0	16.7	30.2	41.7	38.7	26.1	27.8	12.0	5.6	26.6	50.0	61.3	39.1	44.4	28.0	11.1	41.0	38.9	20.0	11.1	23.0	$14,801	$1,610	$12,500
Lake Ridge Elementary	Public	K-5	1001 Lake Ridge Square	Johnson City	37601	Washington County	Johnson City	No	No	No	No	(423) 610-6030	652	44	14.7		502 (77.0%)	17 (2.6%)	73 (11.2%)	27 (4.1%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (4.8%)	96.3	39^th of 1009 public elementary schools	96.1%		97.9	18^th of 1018 public elementary schools	98.2%	21	71.8	88.5	84.6				81.4	60.9	88.5	74.0				74.2	71.8	93.3	82.7				82.4					$12,501	$352	$11,452

Frequently Asked Questions about South Side Elementary

Is South Side Elementary a good school?

South Side Elementary ranks 128^th of 1009 Tennessee elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of South Side Elementary attend?

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

Middle : Indian Trail Middle School
Middle : Liberty Bell Middle School
High : Science Hill High School

How many students attend South Side Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 419 students attended South Side Elementary.

What district is South Side Elementary in?

Johnson City

What is the racial makeup of South Side Elementary?

Students at South Side Elementary are 62% White, 18% Hispanic, 10% Two or more races, 9% African American, 2% Asian.

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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.