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South Polk Elementary School

Q: Is South Polk Elementary School a good school?

South Polk Elementary School ranks 614 th of 1019 Tennessee elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

614^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,019 Tennessee Elementary Schools

Better than 40% of Tennessee elementary schools

Summary

South Polk Elementary School is a PK–5 school in Old Fort, Tennessee, serving about 347 students as part of Polk County Schools. The school is performing around the middle of the state overall, ranking 614th of 1,019 Tennessee elementary schools with a 2-star rating in 2025–2026. While Polk County Schools sits in the 11th percentile of Tennessee districts (1 star), South Polk lands in the 40th percentile of elementary schools statewide—a strong sign that it is outperforming its district context. In math, 39.6% of students scored proficient, compared to the district's 29.6% and the state's 43.0%. ELA proficiency reached 43.1%, above the state average of 40.6%, while science is the weaker subject at 38.0%, trailing the state's 46.9%.

One of the most striking patterns is the exceptional 4th-grade cohort: 74.4% of 4th graders were proficient in math and 69.2% in ELA, dramatically above district and state averages. By contrast, 3rd-grade math proficiency was just 21.6% and 5th-grade math was 31.5%, suggesting either a particularly strong cohort or targeted instructional success in 4th grade. The school also stands out for economically disadvantaged students, whose performance reached the 76th percentile statewide in 2025–2026. Chronic absenteeism is another positive: at just 14.9%, it sits well below the district's 21.1% and the state's 18.3%, and far better than Benton Elementary's 27.1%.

Compared with nearby schools, South Polk is a relative standout. It leads Benton Elementary—its same-district neighbor—in math, ELA, and science, and also outperforms Arnold Memorial, Blythe-Bower, and Taylor Elementary in most subjects. It trails higher-performing Bradley County schools like Park View and 5-star Michigan Avenue, though that gap reflects a stronger district context. South Polk also does more with less: spending $11,369 per student, less than most nearby schools, while posting results competitive with several higher-spending peers. The key challenges ahead are replicating 4th-grade success in other grades, improving science scores, and reversing a recent decline in special education outcomes. Overall, South Polk is a school worth watching—one that is delivering solid results for its community, especially for low-income students, despite a challenging district backdrop.

347

Students ?

16.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,369

Per pupil spending ?

73.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

964 Old Federal Road
Old Fort, TN 37362

(423) 338-4512

District: Polk County Schools

Students who attend South Polk Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Chilhowee Middle School
High:	Polk County High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

97.4%

Hispanic:

1.2%

African American:

0.6%

See top rated Tennessee elementary schools

Compare South Polk Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 37th percentile in 2015 → 40th in 2026

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school40%

District avg33%

Tennessee avg43%

614^th of 1,019

Tennessee public elementary schools ?

Bottom 40%▲ up 12 pts since 2017

From bottom 28% (2017) to bottom 40% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Tennessee Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 3Elementary Schools in the Polk County Schools

125^th of 141Polk County 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	41.8	614 of 1019	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	46.1	529 of 1009	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.7	488 of 1018	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.6	426 of 1020	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.6	398 of 1000	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	43.6	517 of 983	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	67.7	242 of 985	75.4%	★★★★☆
2018	62.6	296 of 997	70.3%	★★★★☆
2017	34.9	465 of 646	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	45.4	537 of 855	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2014	49.5	445 of 853	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2013	38.6	673 of 846	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	62.1	323 of 820	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2011	42.6	522 of 818	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2010	25.8	657 of 809	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	46.7	516 of 986	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	49.6	463 of 990	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.0	370 of 989	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.4	410 of 975	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	28.2	683 of 945	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	69.0	223 of 926	75.9%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	66.9	198 of 823	75.9%	★★★★☆
2025	61.0	253 of 843	70.0%	★★★★☆
2024	55.3	317 of 853	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	71.1	152 of 865	82.4%	★★★★☆
2022	72.5	153 of 858	82.2%	★★★★☆
2021	65.7	172 of 823	79.1%	★★★★☆
2019	67.0	161 of 821	80.4%	★★★★☆
2018	62.3	235 of 877	73.2%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	44.8	544 of 984	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.9	516 of 991	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	46.7	494 of 987	49.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.5	387 of 980	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	56.8	329 of 941	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	60.1	289 of 916	68.4%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	25.4	508 of 618	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.1	519 of 582	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	47.5	186 of 447	58.4%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	30.3	630 of 849	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	31.1	595 of 840	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	35.5	562 of 847	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.9	484 of 852	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	47.6	397 of 844	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	36.3	542 of 844	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	59.1	275 of 812	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	53.1	331 of 841	60.6%	★★★☆☆

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 (2026)76th percentile+36 vs school

Female (2025)48th percentile~ school

Male (2025)45th percentile-3 vs school

White (2026)26th percentile-14 vs school

Special Education (2025)18th percentile-30 vs school

By subject vs Tennessee (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts43%~ state avg

Mathematics40%-3 vs state

Science38%-9 vs state

★

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Schools Near South Polk 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)				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 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 Polk Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	964 Old Federal Road	Old Fort	37362	Polk County	Polk County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 338-4512	341	21	16.6	73.2%	332 (97.4%)	3 (0.9%)	6 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	41.8	614^th of 1019 public elementary schools	39.7%		46.1	529^th of 1009 public elementary schools	47.6%	85	21.6	74.4	31.5	39.6	37.3	69.2	29.6	43.1	25.5	56.4	36.5	38.0	$11,369	$1,291	$9,085
Taylor Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	5265 Bates PIKE	Cleveland	37323	Bradley County	Bradley County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 478-8817	277	19	14.9	83.8%	239 (86.3%)	5 (1.8%)	24 (8.7%)	3 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.2%)	31.9	735^th of 1019 public elementary schools	27.9%		37.3	640^th of 1009 public elementary schools	36.6%	95	29.3	42.2	32.4	35.0	41.5	48.9	30.6	41.0	24.4	31.1	29.7	28.5	$13,314	$1,171	$11,198
Valley View Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	5607 Spring Place Road	Cleveland	37323	Bradley County	Bradley County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 478-8825	340	23	15.1	75.1%	292 (85.9%)	3 (0.9%)	37 (10.9%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.5%)	42.5	604^th of 1019 public elementary schools	40.7%		38.4	625^th of 1009 public elementary schools	38.1%	21	28.3	61.5	40.4	43.9	43.5	40.4	40.4	41.3	30.4	36.5	40.4	36.1	$12,269	$1,152	$10,203
Park View Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	300 Minnis Road	Cleveland	37323	Bradley County	Bradley County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 476-6622	443	29	15.5	76.3%	375 (84.7%)	11 (2.5%)	39 (8.8%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (3.6%)	67.8	280^th of 1019 public elementary schools	72.5%		65.8	287^th of 1009 public elementary schools	71.6%	7	46.4	51.8	57.1	51.6	49.1	60.7	51.0	53.7	33.3	69.6	67.3	56.2	$13,169	$1,161	$11,048
Benton Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	215 Schoolhouse Hill Road	Benton	37307	Polk County	Polk County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 299-0090	395	26	15.4	68.0%	370 (93.7%)	11 (2.8%)	11 (2.8%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	25.6	796^th of 1019 public elementary schools	21.9%		43.1	559^th of 1009 public elementary schools	44.6%	237	21.5	22.8	23.8	22.7	44.6	29.8	33.9	36.4	27.7	35.1	34.9	32.4	$11,644	$707	$9,931
Michigan Avenue Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	188 Michigan Ave School Road	Cleveland	37323	Bradley County	Bradley County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 478-8807	453	29	15.8	52.2%	353 (77.9%)	13 (2.9%)	48 (10.6%)	4 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (7.5%)	89.5	92^nd of 1019 public elementary schools	91.0%		89.7	90^th of 1009 public elementary schools	91.1%	2	57.5	71.6	72.9	67.3	67.1	71.6	65.7	68.2	70.8	81.1	58.0	70.2	$11,288	$816	$9,691
Oak Grove Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	400 Durkee Road SE	Cleveland	37323	Bradley County	Bradley County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 478-8812	380	26	14.9	68.8%	274 (72.1%)	16 (4.2%)	66 (17.4%)	2 (0.5%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (5.3%)	37.7	669^th of 1019 public elementary schools	34.3%		39.3	616^th of 1009 public elementary schools	38.9%	53	25.8	50.9	37.0	37.3	31.7	50.9	45.3	42.0	32.3	35.8	33.3	33.7	$12,959	$1,081	$10,860
Waterville Community Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4081 Dalton Pike	Cleveland	37323	Bradley County	Bradley County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 478-8827	672	42	16.0	79.4%	504 (75.0%)	11 (1.6%)	116 (17.3%)	4 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.4%)	34 (5.1%)	49.6	498^th of 1019 public elementary schools	51.1%		50.6	477^th of 1009 public elementary schools	52.7%	21	33.3	52.7	48.1	45.3	47.6	41.3	42.2	43.5	35.7	48.4	43.5	42.8	$11,940	$1,177	$9,914
Blythe-Bower Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	604 20th St SE	Cleveland	37311	Bradley County	Cleveland City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 479-5121	668	48	13.8	87.5%	288 (43.1%)	85 (12.7%)	216 (32.3%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (1.5%)	66 (9.9%)	22.8	823^rd of 1019 public elementary schools	19.2%		22.1	823^rd of 1009 public elementary schools	18.4%		29.0	42.5	32.7	34.9	21.3	35.8	20.9	26.0	22.6	36.2	23.7	27.6	$14,011	$1,395	$11,795
Mayfield Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	501 20th Street NE	Cleveland	37311	Bradley County	Cleveland City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 472-4541	448	34	13.1	74.2%	177 (39.5%)	56 (12.5%)	156 (34.8%)	6 (1.3%)	1 (0.2%)	5 (1.1%)	47 (10.5%)	35.7	684^th of 1019 public elementary schools	32.9%		36.1	661^st of 1009 public elementary schools	34.5%	23	28.0	22.2	50.0	31.8	41.3	33.3	40.7	38.3	41.3	32.4	42.6	38.5	$15,672	$1,149	$13,701

Frequently Asked Questions about South Polk Elementary School

What district is South Polk Elementary School in?

Polk County Schools

Is South Polk Elementary School a good school?

South Polk Elementary School ranks 614^th of 1019 Tennessee elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of South Polk Elementary School?

Students at South Polk Elementary School are 97% White, 1% Hispanic.

What schools do graduates of South Polk Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Chilhowee Middle School
High : Polk County High School

How many students attend South Polk Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 347 students attended South Polk Elementary School.

Rate South Polk 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.