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Smithson Craighead Academy

Q: Is Smithson Craighead Academy a good school?

Smithson Craighead Academy ranks 698 th of 1019 Tennessee elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Q: How many students attend Smithson Craighead Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 319 students attended Smithson Craighead Academy.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Smithson Craighead Academy?

Students at Smithson Craighead Academy are 49% Hispanic, 39% African American, 8% White, 3% Two or more races.

Public, Charter Grades K-5

698^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,019 Tennessee Elementary Schools

Better than 32% of Tennessee elementary schools

Summary

Smithson Craighead Academy is a K-5 elementary school in Madison, TN, serving 319 students as part of Metro Nashville Public Schools. Within a district ranked 126th of 141 in Tennessee, this school stands out for its steady upward climb: it moved from the 11th percentile statewide in 2023-24 to the 32nd percentile in 2025-26, earning a 2-star rating. That is its best ranking in available data, and it now sits ahead of several nearby schools, including Chadwell Elementary School, Stratton Elementary School, Amqui Elementary School, and Neely's Bend Elementary School.

The school's biggest academic strength is English language arts (ELA). Proficiency has roughly doubled in three years, from 20.4% in 2022-23 to 40.1% in 2025-26, essentially matching the state average (40.6%) and far exceeding the district average (31.8%). Among nearby schools, only Dan Mills Elementary School, Old Center Elementary School, and Pennington Elementary School do better. The 3rd grade class is exceptional, with 61.8% proficient in ELA and 55.6% in math — among the best in the local cluster. However, that progress fades sharply in upper grades: 5th grade ELA proficiency drops to 13.6% and math to 13.0%. Math and science overall remain below state averages, though math improved dramatically this year. The school has also made significant strides with historically underserved students, with Hispanic, low-income, and special education students now scoring around or above the state median for their groups.

Attendance has improved notably — chronic absenteeism fell from 36.6% in 2021-22 to 21.3% in 2024-25, now below the district average. Still, the highest-performing nearby schools have far lower rates, with Dan Mills at 10.4% and Gateway Elementary School at 12.8%. Smithson Craighead also spends more per student than any peer school — roughly $26,900, versus about $17,400 at Dan Mills, which posts the cluster's highest test scores. That spending may be funding smaller classes (the student-teacher ratio improved from 19.7 to 13.8) or targeted interventions beginning to show results. For parents, this is a school with genuine momentum, especially in early grades and reading, but the math/science gaps and upper-grade decline are worth watching.

319

Students ?

13.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$26,874

Per pupil spending ?

77%

Free/discounted lunch ?

730 Neely's Bend Road
Madison, TN 37115

(615) 228-9886

District: Metro Nashville Public Schools

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

49.2%

African American:

39.5%

White:

8.2%

See top rated Tennessee elementary schools

Compare Smithson Craighead Academy to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 24th percentile in 2014 → 32nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 8 percentile points since 2014

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Tennessee average (34% vs 43% meeting standards)

!Science scores 14 pts below the Tennessee average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school34%

District avg33%

Tennessee avg43%

698^th of 1,019

Tennessee public elementary schools ?

Bottom 32%▲ up 20 pts since 2018

From bottom 12% (2018) to bottom 32% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Tennessee Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

29^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	34.6	698 of 1019	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	23.7	807 of 1009	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.1	901 of 1018	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.7	877 of 1020	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.2	759 of 1000	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.3	831 of 983	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.0	835 of 985	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	16.4	880 of 997	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	14.3	805 of 855	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	32.1	647 of 853	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	20.3	795 of 846	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	14.1	762 of 820	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	41.9	529 of 818	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2010	42.7	493 of 809	39.1%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	42.6	284 of 498	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	41.9	272 of 498	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	22.9	397 of 498	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.6	406 of 500	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.0	364 of 483	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	32.4	250 of 411	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	19.2	360 of 404	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.4	344 of 450	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	43.8	111 of 211	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.0	119 of 178	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.3	113 of 164	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.0	73 of 165	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.9	12 of 66	81.8%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	27.4	752 of 986	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.1	813 of 990	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.3	897 of 989	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	14.9	867 of 975	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.6	776 of 945	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	11.2	876 of 926	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	57.4	166 of 458	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	44.5	223 of 424	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	28.9	314 of 415	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.9	264 of 387	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	53.7	134 of 363	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	45.7	154 of 324	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	41.7	129 of 250	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.2	208 of 319	34.8%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	52.4	366 of 823	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	45.6	470 of 843	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	14.3	815 of 853	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	35.0	584 of 865	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	22.8	740 of 858	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	27.1	637 of 823	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	47.6	401 of 821	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	34.1	618 of 877	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	21.5	816 of 984	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	12.9	908 of 991	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	19.4	823 of 987	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	34.1	644 of 980	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	21.2	753 of 941	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	34.4	613 of 916	33.1%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	42.7	308 of 641	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	26.2	495 of 618	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	33.1	378 of 582	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	28.7	334 of 447	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2026)64th percentile+32 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)56th percentile+24 vs school

Special Education (2026)52nd percentile+20 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)47th percentile+27 vs school

African American (2026)43rd percentile+11 vs school

Female (2025)24th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2025)17th percentile-3 vs school

By subject vs Tennessee (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts40%~ state avg

Science32%-14 vs state

Mathematics30%-13 vs state

5.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Friday, March 13, 2020

Best choice I’ve made was enrolling my daughter here we love SCA Close Quote

Schools Near Smithson Craighead Academy

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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 Integrated Math I (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 Integrated Math I 8th Grade	TNReady Integrated Math I 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
Smithson Craighead Academy	Public, Charter	K-5	730 Neely's Bend Road	Madison	37115	Davidson County	Metro Nashville Public Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(615) 228-9886	333	24	13.8	77.0%	33 (9.9%)	122 (36.6%)	163 (48.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	14 (4.2%)	34.6	698^th of 1019 public elementary schools	31.5%		23.7	807^th of 1009 public elementary schools	20.0%	109	55.6	18.9	13.0				30.1	61.8	39.6	13.6				40.1			37.7	36.5	21.7				32.5					$26,874	$1,656	$23,907
Neely's Bend Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	1300 Neely's Bend Road	Madison	37115	Davidson County	Metro Nashville Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(615) 860-1471	442	28	15.7	87.0%	51 (11.5%)	166 (37.6%)	206 (46.6%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (3.4%)	13.5	904^th of 1019 public elementary schools	11.3%		24.7	796^th of 1009 public elementary schools	21.1%	108	10.4	30.9	21.3	11.8	29.6	21.2	20.2	22.4	26.1	9.8	15.7	33.3	8.8	19.1			22.4	35.3	26.7	21.6	44.4	20.6	27.7	25.5	44.4	17.6	27.7	$18,482	$1,909	$15,725
Stratton Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	310 Old Hickory Blvd. West	Madison	37115	Davidson County	Metro Nashville Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(615) 860-1486	452	37	12.3	87.2%	38 (8.4%)	137 (30.3%)	246 (54.4%)	3 (0.7%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (5.8%)	7.7	965^th of 1019 public elementary schools	5.3%		9.5	949^th of 1009 public elementary schools	5.9%	16	14.9	14.5	20.0				16.1	9.5	19.7	16.4				15.1			12.2	< 5%	23.6				11.7					$19,218	$1,540	$16,555
Amqui Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	319 Anderson Lane	Madison	37115	Davidson County	Metro Nashville Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(615) 612-3678	577	44	13.1	94.5%	61 (10.6%)	220 (38.1%)	266 (46.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	27 (4.7%)	11.1	927^th of 1019 public elementary schools	9.0%		14.6	891^st of 1009 public elementary schools	11.7%	36	15.7	22.5	25.6	11.4	10.5	14.6	17.4	10.7	17.5	26.8	16.9	10.7	12.2	16.4			19.3	25.0	22.2	15.5	26.3	17.1	21.1	22.5	38.6	12.2	25.4	$19,604	$2,021	$16,587
Chadwell Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	321 Port Drive	Madison	37115	Davidson County	Metro Nashville Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(615) 860-1459	428	27	16.1	94.2%	33 (7.7%)	233 (54.4%)	139 (32.5%)	10 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.0%)	6.5	981^st of 1019 public elementary schools	3.7%		6.7	977^th of 1009 public elementary schools	3.2%	4	10.3	17.5	17.6				15.0	10.3	21.3	13.2				15.0			18.2	18.8	7.5				15.2					$17,407	$1,496	$14,941
DuPont Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1311 9th Street	Old Hickory	37138	Davidson County	Metro Nashville Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(615) 847-7305	346	28	12.5	83.3%	169 (48.8%)	70 (20.2%)	62 (17.9%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (12.1%)	24.3	812^th of 1019 public elementary schools	20.3%		23.6	808^th of 1009 public elementary schools	19.9%	4	19.3	38.6	30.5				28.8	29.3	35.6	20.0				27.6			28.1	43.2	33.9				34.4					$19,897	$1,185	$17,583
Dan Mills Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4106 Kennedy Avenue	Nashville	37216	Davidson County	Metro Nashville Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(615) 262-6677	604	38	15.8	48.6%	411 (68.0%)	59 (9.8%)	106 (17.5%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (4.0%)	83.4	130^th of 1019 public elementary schools	87.2%		80.7	152^nd of 1009 public elementary schools	84.9%	22	67.7	66.0	66.3				66.7	67.0	61.3	55.7				61.5			61.3	62.3	57.3				60.4					$17,384	$837	$15,737
Gateway Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1524 Monticello Avenue	Madison	37115	Davidson County	Metro Nashville Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(615) 860-1465	304	22	14.1	85.9%	60 (19.7%)	77 (25.3%)	146 (48.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (6.9%)	27.3	780^th of 1019 public elementary schools	23.5%		25.1	790^th of 1009 public elementary schools	21.7%	10	20.0	57.7	32.6				37.9	< 5%	36.5	20.9				21.4			13.3	42.3	18.6				25.7					$19,464	$1,269	$17,183
East End Preparatory School	Public, Charter	K-8	1460 McGavock PIKE	Nashville	37216	Davidson County	Metro Nashville Public Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(615) 630-7470	756	30	25.2	82.7%	34 (4.5%)	602 (79.6%)	96 (12.7%)	8 (1.1%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (2.0%)	39.5	637^th of 1019 public elementary schools	37.5%		51	474^th of 1009 public elementary schools	53.0%	163	55.4	49.5	29.0	26.2	49.1	28.8	40.1	37.0	35.1	22.4	42.7	38.9	21.5	33.3	55.0	55.0	40.2	36.1	21.5	47.6	40.7	35.4	36.9	46.6	55.6	30.4	45.5	$25,770	$1,702	$23,245
Pennington Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2817 Donna Hill Drive	Nashville	37214	Davidson County	Metro Nashville Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(615) 885-8918	295	22	13.7	56.5%	151 (51.2%)	56 (19.0%)	67 (22.7%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (6.4%)	38.7	650^th of 1019 public elementary schools	36.2%		27.9	755^th of 1009 public elementary schools	25.2%	105	35.3	48.9	37.8				40.6	35.3	48.9	40.5				41.4			23.5	34.1	43.2				32.6					$20,415	$853	$18,583

Frequently Asked Questions about Smithson Craighead Academy

How many students attend Smithson Craighead Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 319 students attended Smithson Craighead Academy.

What is the racial makeup of Smithson Craighead Academy?

Students at Smithson Craighead Academy are 49% Hispanic, 39% African American, 8% White, 3% Two or more races.

Is Smithson Craighead Academy a good school?

Smithson Craighead Academy ranks 698^th of 1019 Tennessee elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Smithson Craighead Academy in?

Metro Nashville Public 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.