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Benton Elementary

Q: Is Benton Elementary a good school?

Benton Elementary ranks 559 th of 1009 Tennessee elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

559^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,009 Tennessee Elementary Schools

Better than 45% of Tennessee elementary schools

Summary

Benton Elementary is a public elementary school serving 395 students in grades PK-5 in Benton, Tennessee, which is part of the Polk County School District. While Benton Elementary's test scores are generally higher than the district average, they lag behind the state averages, particularly in math and English language arts. However, the school's science proficiency rates are stronger, exceeding both the district and state levels. One area of concern is Benton Elementary's rising chronic absenteeism rate, which has increased from 15.2% in 2022-2023 to 24.5% in 2023-2024, higher than the state average.

Compared to nearby schools, South Polk Elementary in the same district has similar performance to Benton Elementary, while schools in the neighboring Bradley County district, such as North Lee Elementary and Michigan Avenue Elementary, significantly outperform Benton Elementary and the Polk County district on test scores and other measures. This highlights the disparities that exist within Tennessee's education system.

Over the past few years, Benton Elementary's performance has declined, with its statewide ranking dropping from 268 out of 1,000 schools in 2021-2022 to 559 out of 1,009 schools in 2024-2025, and its SchoolDigger star rating decreasing from 4 to 2 stars. This trend mirrors the broader challenges faced by the Polk County School District, which is ranked 107 out of 139 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

421

Students ?

15.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,644

Per pupil spending ?

68%

Free/discounted lunch ?

215 Schoolhouse Hill RD
Benton, TN 37307

(423) 299-0090

District: Polk County

Students who attend Benton Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Chilhowee Middle School
High:	Polk County High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

92.2%

Hispanic:

4.8%

African American:

2.4%

See top rated Tennessee elementary schools

Compare Benton Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 67th percentile in 2013 → 45th in 2025

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (27% vs 18% Tennessee)

!Ranking has slipped — down 22 percentile points since 2013

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school39%

District avg34%

Tennessee avg42%

559^th of 1,009

Tennessee public elementary schools ?

Bottom 45%▼ down 5 pts since 2015

From bottom 49% (2015) to bottom 45% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Tennessee Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 3Elementary Schools in the Polk County

107^th of 139Polk County 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	43.1	559 of 1009	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.2	525 of 1018	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	60.4	345 of 1020	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	66.0	268 of 1000	73.2%	★★★★☆
2021	59.4	319 of 983	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	53.9	380 of 985	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	40.7	579 of 997	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2015	52.9	434 of 855	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2014	55.6	364 of 853	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2013	67.4	282 of 846	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2012	55.5	390 of 820	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2011	73.7	200 of 818	75.6%	★★★★☆
2010	59.2	340 of 809	58.0%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	44.1	546 of 986	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.9	504 of 990	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	59.3	339 of 989	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	73.0	184 of 975	81.1%	★★★★☆
2021	63.4	254 of 945	73.1%	★★★★☆
2019	44.0	493 of 926	46.8%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	54.0	340 of 843	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.0	418 of 853	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	68.8	180 of 865	79.2%	★★★★☆
2022	58.7	269 of 858	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	65.0	177 of 823	78.5%	★★★★☆
2019	62.5	203 of 821	75.3%	★★★★☆
2018	55.6	315 of 877	64.1%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	41.9	574 of 984	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.7	533 of 991	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	57.5	359 of 987	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.7	372 of 980	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	52.4	379 of 941	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	60.8	284 of 916	69.0%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	41.9	308 of 618	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.1	237 of 582	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	35.3	338 of 528	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.2	295 of 395	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	29.5	619 of 840	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.8	602 of 847	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	49.0	395 of 852	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.0	336 of 844	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	48.0	388 of 844	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	41.2	460 of 812	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	29.4	643 of 841	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆

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)60th percentile+15 vs school

Special Education (2025)50th percentile+6 vs school

Female (2025)45th percentile~ school

Male (2025)42nd percentile-3 vs school

White (2025)26th percentile-18 vs school

By subject vs Tennessee (2024-2025) ?

Science43%-3 vs state

English Language Arts41%~ state avg

Mathematics34%-8 vs state

★

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Schools Near Benton 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
Benton Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	215 Schoolhouse Hill RD	Benton	37307	Polk County	Polk County	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 299-0090	395	26	15.4		370 (93.7%)	11 (2.8%)	11 (2.8%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	43.1	559^th of 1009 public elementary schools	44.6%		46.2	525^th of 1018 public elementary schools	48.4%	34	38.2	22.7	43.1				34.1	50.9	34.8	37.9				40.8	54.5	36.4	39.7				43.0					$11,644	$707	$9,931
South Polk Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	964 Old Federal RD	Old Fort	37362	Polk County	Polk County	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 338-4512	341	21	16.6		332 (97.4%)	3 (0.9%)	6 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	46.1	529^th of 1009 public elementary schools	47.6%		48.7	488^th of 1018 public elementary schools	52.1%	41	39.1	32.8	47.9				39.5	41.3	44.8	45.8				44.1	41.3	44.8	33.3				40.1					$11,369	$1,291	$9,085
Taylor Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	5265 Bates PIKE	Cleveland	37323	Bradley County	Bradley County	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 478-8817	277	19	14.9		239 (86.3%)	5 (1.8%)	24 (8.7%)	3 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.2%)	37.3	640^th of 1009 public elementary schools	36.6%		37.4	642^nd of 1018 public elementary schools	36.9%	2	33.3	41.7	51.3				41.7	28.9	50.0	35.9				37.5	24.4	38.9	28.2				30.0					$13,314	$1,171	$11,198
Calhoun Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	150 Sherwood AVE	Calhoun	37309	McMinn County	McMinn County	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 336-2974	325	22	14.8		283 (87.1%)	6 (1.8%)	21 (6.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (4.3%)	66.7	276^th of 1009 public elementary schools	72.6%		68.7	248^th of 1018 public elementary schools	75.6%	28	41.4	74.1	45.2	57.9	55.6	50.0	53.8	37.9	59.3	29.0	39.5	44.4	41.9	41.5	24.1	70.4	54.8	68.4	88.9	76.7	63.7	73.7	70.4	66.7	70.5	$14,075	$899	$12,174
Charleston Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	8797 Hiwassee ST	Charleston	37310	Bradley County	Bradley County	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 336-2232	342	24	14.2		284 (83.0%)	9 (2.6%)	28 (8.2%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (5.6%)	67.6	260^th of 1009 public elementary schools	74.2%		57.8	383^rd of 1018 public elementary schools	62.4%	123	49.2	59.1	70.2				59.3	50.8	43.9	35.1				43.4	57.6	54.5	54.4				55.5					$12,164	$1,000	$10,321
Michigan Avenue Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	188 Michigan Ave School RD	Cleveland	37323	Bradley County	Bradley County	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 478-8807	453	29	15.8		353 (77.9%)	13 (2.9%)	48 (10.6%)	4 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (7.5%)	89.7	90^th of 1009 public elementary schools	91.1%		87.9	101^st of 1018 public elementary schools	90.1%	11	74.3	59.7	67.9				67.6	69.3	75.0	64.1				69.2	61.3	69.1	67.9				66.1					$11,288	$816	$9,691
Park View Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	300 Minnis RD	Cleveland	37323	Bradley County	Bradley County	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 476-6622	443	29	15.5		375 (84.7%)	11 (2.5%)	39 (8.8%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (3.6%)	65.8	287^th of 1009 public elementary schools	71.6%		63.9	302^nd of 1018 public elementary schools	70.3%	15	44.4	51.9	49.1				48.4	42.6	57.4	43.4				47.8	42.6	64.8	66.0				57.8					$13,169	$1,161	$11,048
North Lee Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	205 Sequoia DR	Cleveland	37312	Bradley County	Bradley County	No	No	No	No	(423) 478-8809	509	32	16.1		400 (78.6%)	23 (4.5%)	41 (8.1%)	16 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	27 (5.3%)	81.4	144^th of 1009 public elementary schools	85.7%		79.1	161^st of 1018 public elementary schools	84.2%	17	62.7	64.2	54.8				60.7	57.3	69.1	57.5				61.6	50.7	69.1	56.2				59.0					$10,535	$653	$9,142
Oak Grove Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	400 Durkee Road SE	Cleveland	37323	Bradley County	Bradley County	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 478-8812	380	26	14.9		274 (72.1%)	16 (4.2%)	66 (17.4%)	2 (0.5%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (5.3%)	39.3	616^th of 1009 public elementary schools	38.9%		39.1	625^th of 1018 public elementary schools	38.6%	9	23.2	57.7	27.0				35.1	32.1	50.9	39.7				40.7	26.8	53.8	27.0				35.1					$12,959	$1,081	$10,860
D.P. Yates Primary	Public	PK, KG-2	750 Mouse Creek RD	Cleveland	37312	Bradley County	Cleveland	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 479-1723	298	23	12.8		162 (54.4%)	25 (8.4%)	77 (25.8%)	7 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	26 (8.7%)								(n/a)																										$16,484	$1,002	$14,630

Frequently Asked Questions about Benton Elementary

What district is Benton Elementary in?

Polk County

What is the racial makeup of Benton Elementary?

Students at Benton Elementary are 92% White, 5% Hispanic, 2% African American.

How many students attend Benton Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 421 students attended Benton Elementary.

Is Benton Elementary a good school?

Benton Elementary ranks 559^th of 1009 Tennessee elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Benton Elementary attend?

Students who attend Benton Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Chilhowee Middle School
High : Polk County High School

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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.