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!

South Side Elementary School

Q: Is South Side Elementary School a good school?

South Side Elementary School ranks 155 th of 1019 Tennessee elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

155^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,019 Tennessee Elementary Schools

Better than 85% of Tennessee elementary schools

Summary

South Side Elementary School in Johnson City, TN, serves 419 students in grades PK–5 and is part of the highly regarded Johnson City Schools district, which ranks in the 95th percentile statewide with a 5-star rating. In the 2025–2026 school year, South Side ranked 155th out of 1,019 Tennessee elementary schools (85th percentile), earning 4 stars. That places it solidly in the upper tier of schools statewide, though it sits in the middle of the pack among Johnson City's own elementaries, trailing Towne Acres Elementary School, Lake Ridge Elementary School, Woodland Elementary School, Fairmont Elementary School, and Cherokee Elementary School, while outperforming North Side Elementary School and Mountain View Elementary School.

South Side's standout strength is attendance. Chronic absenteeism has stayed below 10% for several years—just 8.8% in 2024–2025 compared to 18.3% statewide. Academically, the school is near the district average in math (63.3% vs. 65.0%) and English language arts (60.8% vs. 61.8%), but noticeably below in science (58.5% vs. 68.9%). The most striking data point is 5th-grade science: only 49.1% of South Side students were proficient versus 72.5% across the district—a 23.4-point gap. A pattern emerges across grade levels: South Side is competitive with the district in 3rd grade, but falls further behind in 4th and 5th grades, especially in ELA and science. When compared to schools in neighboring districts like Boones Creek Elementary School, Happy Valley Elementary School, and Central Elementary School, South Side performs considerably better in nearly every subject.

South Side also posts strong results for several student subgroups. African American students ranked in the 90th percentile statewide in 2025–2026, and low-income students have ranked in the 84th–95th percentile range in recent years. The school spends more than most of its higher-performing peers—about $15,752 per student in 2024–2025—which raises questions about how resources are being allocated, given the upper-elementary science and ELA gaps. Still, with excellent attendance, engaged families, and a proven ability to serve historically underserved students well, South Side has a strong foundation to build on. It's an above-average school in an exceptional district, with clear room to grow in upper-elementary instruction.

419

Students ?

12.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,752

Per pupil spending ?

69.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1011 Southwest Avenue
Johnson City, TN 37604

(423) 434-5290

District: Johnson City Schools

Students who attend South Side Elementary School 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 School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 66th percentile in 2015 → 85th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Tennessee average (61% vs 43% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 15% of Tennessee elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 19 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

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

!Near the bottom of Johnson City Schools's ranking

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school61%

District avg65%

Tennessee avg43%

155^th of 1,019

Tennessee public elementary schools ?

Top 15%▲ up 18 pts since 2017

From top 33% (2017) to top 15% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Tennessee Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 8Elementary Schools in the Johnson City Schools

7^th of 141Johnson City 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	79.8	155 of 1019	84.8%	★★★★☆
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
2026	86.0	50 of 498	90.0%	★★★★★
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
2026	33.6	316 of 458	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	73.7	131 of 823	84.1%	★★★★☆
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
2026	68.3	111 of 641	82.7%	★★★★☆
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
2026	84.6	109 of 849	87.2%	★★★★☆
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)

English Language Learner (2022)90th percentile~ school

African American (2026)90th percentile+5 vs school

Female (2025)89th percentile~ school

White (2026)87th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)84th percentile~ school

Male (2025)84th percentile-3 vs school

Special Education (2026)83rd percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)31st percentile-54 vs school

By subject vs Tennessee (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics63%+20 vs state

English Language Arts61%+20 vs state

Science58%+12 vs state

1.0

1 rating · 1 written review

5★0

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

Rate South Side 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

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 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)				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 (2020)	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
South Side Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1011 Southwest Avenue	Johnson City	37604	Washington County	Johnson City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 434-5290	442	35	12.6	69.4%	275 (62.2%)	32 (7.2%)	80 (18.1%)	10 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (10.2%)	79.8	155^th of 1019 public elementary schools	84.8%		84.1	128^th of 1009 public elementary schools	87.3%	27	63.9	56.8	71.7	63.3	60.7	61.6	59.6	60.8	65.6	59.5	49.1	58.5	$15,752	$1,188	$13,570
North Side Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1000 N Roan Street	Johnson City	37601	Washington County	Johnson City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 434-5249	357	29	12.3	73.3%	178 (49.9%)	58 (16.2%)	77 (21.6%)	6 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (10.6%)	78.8	166^th of 1019 public elementary schools	83.7%		88.2	97^th of 1009 public elementary schools	90.4%	69	37.5	75.5	78.9	61.9	60.0	69.8	55.3	62.3	48.2	69.8	63.2	59.9	$17,960	$1,831	$15,090
Mountain View Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	907 King Springs Road	Johnson City	37601	Washington County	Johnson City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 434-5260	488	37	13.3	90.3%	257 (52.7%)	77 (15.8%)	62 (12.7%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	87 (17.8%)	53.4	458^th of 1019 public elementary schools	55.1%		42.6	575^th of 1009 public elementary schools	43.0%	117	44.9	46.3	53.6	48.1	42.9	38.8	46.4	42.7	46.2	41.8	49.3	45.8	$15,530	$1,233	$13,236
Fairmont Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1405 Lester Harris Road	Johnson City	37601	Washington County	Johnson City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 434-5275	555	40	13.9	55.6%	376 (67.7%)	42 (7.6%)	74 (13.3%)	15 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (8.6%)	92.7	69^th of 1019 public elementary schools	93.2%		90.1	86^th of 1009 public elementary schools	91.5%	17	65.8	78.8	74.7	73.2	69.7	70.0	74.7	71.5	71.1	68.8	74.7	71.5	$14,167	$1,273	$12,121
Cherokee Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2100 Cherokee Road	Johnson City	37604	Washington County	Johnson City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 434-5281	354	24	14.7	59.1%	211 (59.6%)	27 (7.6%)	84 (23.7%)	4 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (7.9%)	87.4	104^th of 1019 public elementary schools	89.8%		87.3	105^th of 1009 public elementary schools	89.6%	1	67.4	60.4	71.2	66.2	63.0	67.9	69.2	66.9	69.6	60.4	73.1	67.5	$14,863	$1,066	$13,022
Woodland Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2303 Indian Ridge Road	Johnson City	37604	Washington County	Johnson City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 434-5267	537	35	15.4	48.3%	378 (70.4%)	33 (6.1%)	59 (11.0%)	15 (2.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	51 (9.5%)	92.8	67^th of 1019 public elementary schools	93.4%		91.7	75^th of 1009 public elementary schools	92.6%	8	70.7	73.2	81.7	74.9	70.9	65.9	73.2	69.8	73.2	69.5	78.9	73.6	$13,926	$1,069	$12,173
Towne Acres Elementary School	Public	K-5	2310 Larkspur Drive	Johnson City	37604	Washington County	Johnson City Schools	No	No	No	No	(423) 854-4800	394	26	15.0	21.0%	294 (74.6%)	20 (5.1%)	30 (7.6%)	33 (8.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (4.1%)	98.4	12^th of 1019 public elementary schools	98.8%		98.7	6^th of 1009 public elementary schools	99.4%	6	80.0	92.0	91.8	87.7	79.2	92.0	85.2	85.6	74.7	89.3	86.9	83.4	$13,568	$372	$12,569
Happy Valley Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	1840 Milligan Highway	Johnson City	37601	Washington County	Carter County Schools	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%)	53	465^th of 1019 public elementary schools	54.4%		54	433^rd of 1009 public elementary schools	57.1%	32	38.7	45.7		42.0	46.2	45.7		46.0	48.4	51.3		49.7	$14,300	$1,574	$11,662
Central Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	252 Taylor Road	Johnson City	37601	Washington County	Carter County Schools	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%)	52	476^th of 1019 public elementary schools	53.3%		45	541^st of 1009 public elementary schools	46.4%	65	40.7	52.6	40.7	43.8	48.1	36.8	37.0	41.1	37.0	57.9	55.6	49.3	$14,801	$1,610	$12,500
Lake Ridge Elementary School	Public	K-5	1001 Lake Ridge Square	Johnson City	37601	Washington County	Johnson City Schools	No	No	No	No	(423) 610-6030	652	44	14.7	24.1%	502 (77.0%)	17 (2.6%)	73 (11.2%)	27 (4.1%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (4.8%)	96.6	35^th of 1019 public elementary schools	96.6%		96.3	39^th of 1009 public elementary schools	96.1%	4	69.3	82.9	89.4	80.3	71.1	81.0	85.6	79.0	72.8	84.6	89.4	82.1	$12,501	$352	$11,452

Frequently Asked Questions about South Side Elementary School

What district is South Side Elementary School in?

Johnson City Schools

Is South Side Elementary School a good school?

South Side Elementary School ranks 155^th of 1019 Tennessee elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend South Side Elementary School?

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

What is the racial makeup of South Side Elementary School?

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

What schools do graduates of South Side Elementary School attend?

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

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

Rate South Side Elementary School!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

TNTennessee Elementary School Rankings

TNTennessee District Rankings

Schools in Johnson City, TN

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for South Side 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.