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Ida B. Wells Elementary School

Q: Is Ida B. Wells Elementary School a good school?

Ida B. Wells Elementary School ranks in the bottom 10.3% of Tennessee elementary schools.

Q: How many students attend Ida B. Wells Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 241 students attended Ida B. Wells Elementary School.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Ida B. Wells Elementary School?

Students at Ida B. Wells Elementary School are 88% African American, 5% Hispanic, 3% White, 3% Two or more races.

Q: What schools do graduates of Ida B. Wells Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Ida B. Wells Elementary School usually go on to attend: Middle : Jere Baxter Middle School High : Maplewood High School

Public, Magnet Grades PK, KG-5

914^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,019 Tennessee Elementary Schools

Better than 10% of Tennessee elementary schools

Summary

Ida B. Wells Elementary School is a small PK–5 school in Nashville, TN, serving 241 students as part of Metro Nashville Public Schools. The school has historically ranked in the bottom decile of Tennessee elementary schools, though it made meaningful progress between 2017 and 2024 — climbing from the 1st percentile to the 27th percentile statewide — before slipping back in the last two years to its current 10th percentile ranking.

Academically, Ida B. Wells trails district and state averages in all core subjects. In 2025–2026, math proficiency was 27.1% (vs. 32.4% district and 43.0% state), ELA was 20.2% (vs. 31.8% district and 40.6% state), and science was 16.0% (vs. 35.4% district and 46.9% state). However, compared to nearby schools, Ida B. Wells is not at the bottom — it outperforms Hattie Cotton, Jones, Napier, and Murrell at Glenn, while schools like Lockeland Elementary — ranked 2nd in the state and less than two miles away — and Purpose Prep and Shwab Elementary demonstrate that high performance is possible in the same district and neighborhood.

The school's clearest success story is attendance. Chronic absenteeism has dropped from 56.5% in 2020–2021 to 17.5% in 2024–2025 — now better than the district average (23.3%) and essentially at the state average (18.3%), and among the best in its immediate cluster. Yet strong attendance hasn't translated into strong academics, and upper elementary performance is especially concerning: 5th grade ELA proficiency is just 14.3% and science 11.4%. Notably, Ida B. Wells spends more per student ($20,928) than several higher-performing nearby schools, and its subgroup results for African American and low-income students have at times been stronger than its overall ranking suggests. The school has the foundation — attendance, stability, and resources — but needs its academic engine to catch up.

241

Students ?

11.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,928

Per pupil spending ?

93.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

244 Foster Street
Nashville, TN 37207

(615) 291-6361

District: Metro Nashville Public Schools

Students who attend Ida B. Wells Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Jere Baxter Middle School
High:	Maplewood High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

88.0%

Hispanic:

4.6%

White:

3.3%

See top rated Tennessee elementary schools

Compare Ida B. Wells Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 12th percentile in 2013 → 10th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Tennessee average (21% vs 43% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (10th percentile)

!Science scores 31 pts below the Tennessee average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school21%

District avg33%

Tennessee avg43%

914^th of 1,019

Tennessee public elementary schools ?

Bottom 10%▲ up 9 pts since 2018

From bottom 2% (2018) to bottom 10% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Tennessee Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

55^th of 79Elementary Schools in the Metro Nashville Public Schools

126^th of 141Metro Nashville Public 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	12.6	914 of 1019	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	18.4	855 of 1009	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.6	747 of 1018	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.9	871 of 1020	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	8.5	968 of 1000	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	4.7	979 of 985	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	6.4	982 of 997	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	15.7	791 of 855	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	7.9	820 of 853	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	27.3	744 of 846	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	52.0	428 of 820	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2011	15.6	747 of 818	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	27.5	646 of 809	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	26.9	367 of 498	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	34.3	325 of 498	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	49.8	220 of 498	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	34.3	304 of 500	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	18.5	447 of 483	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	11.2	399 of 404	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	15.5	430 of 450	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	14.5	876 of 986	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.0	760 of 990	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.0	766 of 989	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	8.4	943 of 975	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	7.1	914 of 926	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	26.0	660 of 823	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	34.9	618 of 843	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	40.7	506 of 853	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	20.5	757 of 865	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	13.7	829 of 858	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	9.0	813 of 821	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.2	869 of 877	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	23.2	794 of 984	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.2	768 of 991	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	11.9	920 of 987	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	8.6	951 of 980	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

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 (2026)26th percentile+16 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)20th percentile+10 vs school

Male (2025)19th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2025)11th percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs Tennessee (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics27%-16 vs state

English Language Arts20%-20 vs state

Science16%-31 vs state

2.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, January 16, 2020

Lack of care in the teachers instead of teaching the children they worry so much about home life which is none of their concern. My child is severely lacking in help in learning Close Quote

Schools Near Ida B. Wells 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)							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
Ida B. Wells Elementary School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	244 Foster Street	Nashville	37207	Davidson County	Metro Nashville Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(615) 291-6361	204	18	11.6	93.8%	6 (2.9%)	178 (87.3%)	13 (6.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.9%)	12.6	914^th of 1019 public elementary schools	10.3%		18.4	855^th of 1009 public elementary schools	15.3%	59	31.6	24.4	25.7				27.1	25.6	20.0	14.3				20.2	23.1	13.3	11.4				16.0					$20,928	$1,588	$18,155
Murrell at Glenn School	Public	K-8	322 Cleveland Street	Nashville	37207	Davidson County	Metro Nashville Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(615) 262-6682	34	14	2.4	90.9%	7 (20.6%)	23 (67.6%)	2 (5.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (5.9%)								(n/a)							< 5%							< 5%							12.0				7.1	$130,350	$34,814	$92,957
Warner Elementary School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	626 Russell Street	Nashville	37206	Davidson County	Metro Nashville Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(615) 291-6395	390	28	14.1	94.9%	65 (16.7%)	297 (76.2%)	8 (2.1%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	17 (4.4%)	27.4	779^th of 1019 public elementary schools	23.6%		29.6	744^th of 1009 public elementary schools	26.3%	35	32.1	23.3	26.8				27.8	40.7	35.0	33.8				36.8	32.1	30.0	29.6				30.7					$19,155	$1,651	$16,499
Explore Community School	Public, Charter	K-8	707 S 7th Street	Nashville	37206	Davidson County	Metro Nashville Public Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(615) 784-8222	560	30	18.6	54.1%	157 (28.0%)	330 (58.9%)	32 (5.7%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	35 (6.3%)	38.3	655^th of 1019 public elementary schools	35.7%		31.8	715^th of 1009 public elementary schools	29.1%	60	33.3	36.4	50.8	14.1	7.9	21.7	28.9	34.3	21.8	55.6	29.7	10.5	19.1	30.5	34.8	41.8	54.0	33.3	34.2	30.4	38.7	35.5	36.8	26.7	33.1	$27,355	$1,925	$24,185
KIPP Kirkpatrick Elementary School	Public, Charter	K-4	1000 Sevier Street	Nashville	37206	Davidson County	Metro Nashville Public Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(615) 226-4484	330	14	23.5	96.7%	9 (2.7%)	286 (86.7%)	22 (6.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.9%)	22.4	829^th of 1019 public elementary schools	18.6%		18.7	851^st of 1009 public elementary schools	15.7%	22	16.4	40.8					28.9	27.4	28.9					28.2	21.9	42.1					32.2					$19,638	$2,177	$16,747
Hattie Cotton Elementary School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	1033 West Greenwood Avenue	Nashville	37206	Davidson County	Metro Nashville Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(615) 262-6981	216	19	11.6	86.4%	22 (10.2%)	148 (68.5%)	41 (19.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.9%)	10.6	930^th of 1019 public elementary schools	8.7%		9.2	951^st of 1009 public elementary schools	5.7%	21	19.4	10.5	34.5				20.4	22.2	13.2	20.7				18.4	22.2	10.5	17.2				16.5					$22,896	$1,456	$20,187
Shwab Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1500 Dickerson Road	Nashville	37207	Davidson County	Metro Nashville Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(615) 262-6725	317	22	14.4	95.7%	19 (6.0%)	102 (32.2%)	187 (59.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.8%)	46.2	541^st of 1019 public elementary schools	46.9%		31.4	718^th of 1009 public elementary schools	28.8%	177	51.1	43.2	54.8				49.6	44.4	36.8	41.9				41.2	37.8	26.3	41.9				35.1					$21,137	$2,001	$17,952
Lockeland Elementary School	Public, Magnet	K-5	105 South 17th Street	Nashville	37206	Davidson County	Metro Nashville Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(615) 258-1330	322	19	16.6	17.8%	276 (85.7%)	11 (3.4%)	19 (5.9%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (4.0%)	99.4	2^nd of 1019 public elementary schools	99.8%		99.2	2^nd of 1009 public elementary schools	99.8%		89.3	94.8	≥ 95%				93.3	91.1	91.4	90.0				90.9	94.6	91.4	≥ 95%				94.5					$16,612	$837	$15,182
Jones Elementary School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	1800 9th Avenue	Nashville	37208	Davidson County	Metro Nashville Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(615) 291-6382	242	22	11.2	66.1%	7 (2.9%)	205 (84.7%)	16 (6.6%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (5.4%)	6.2	983^rd of 1019 public elementary schools	3.5%		4.9	997^th of 1009 public elementary schools	1.2%	14	7.0	21.4	6.5				10.8	11.9	25.0	19.4				17.8	11.6	17.9	10.0				12.9					$21,458	$1,860	$18,259
Purpose Prep School	Public, Charter	K-5	220 Venture Circle	Nashville	37228	Davidson County	Metro Nashville Public Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(615) 724-0705	419	13	32.2	74.0%	18 (4.3%)	374 (89.3%)	14 (3.3%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.6%)	72.5	222^nd of 1019 public elementary schools	78.2%		66.7	275^th of 1009 public elementary schools	72.7%	53	48.8	76.9	60.8				61.0	60.7	72.3	58.8				64.0	44.0	52.3	41.2				46.0					$19,048	$1,673	$16,114

Frequently Asked Questions about Ida B. Wells Elementary School

What district is Ida B. Wells Elementary School in?

Metro Nashville Public Schools

What schools do graduates of Ida B. Wells Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Ida B. Wells Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Jere Baxter Middle School
High : Maplewood High School

What is the racial makeup of Ida B. Wells Elementary School?

Students at Ida B. Wells Elementary School are 88% African American, 5% Hispanic, 3% White, 3% Two or more races.

How many students attend Ida B. Wells Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 241 students attended Ida B. Wells Elementary School.

Is Ida B. Wells Elementary School a good school?

Ida B. Wells Elementary School ranks in the bottom 10.3% of Tennessee elementary schools.

Rate Ida B. Wells Elementary School!

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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.