Henry C. Maxwell Elementary School

Henry C. Maxwell Elementary School is a PK–5 school in Antioch, TN, serving 637 students as part of Metro Nashville Public Schools. The school currently ranks in the bottom 10% of Tennessee elementary schools, with proficiency rates well below district and state averages in math (23.8% vs. 43.0% statewide), ELA (21.9% vs. 40.6%), and science (19.8% vs. 46.9%).

Compared with nearby schools, Henry C. Maxwell sits in the lower tier of its local cluster. Several same-district schools nearby post stronger results, including May Werthan Shayne Elementary School, about 2.3 miles away, which achieves nearly double the ELA proficiency rate (37.4% vs. 21.9%) while spending about $1,500 less per student. The nearby charter Rocketship Dream Community Prep School also outperforms the school significantly in ELA (40.8%). That said, the school is not the lowest in its area—Eagle View Elementary School and J. E. Moss Elementary School rank lower—and it performs near the local average in ELA.

There are genuine bright spots. Chronic absenteeism has fallen from 33.0% in 2020–21 to 18.5% in 2024–25, now essentially at the state average and well below the district average. The school is also relatively more effective at serving African American, English Language Learner, and low-income students than at serving other groups. However, early grades are the weakest point academically, with 3rd-grade math proficiency at just 12.3% versus a 33.5% district average, and ELA has shown no sustained progress over four years. Support for Hispanic and special education students also needs urgent attention, with the latter dropping from the 29th to the 1st percentile in subgroup effectiveness. Given that nearby schools with similar or lower spending achieve much stronger outcomes, the potential for improvement is clear.