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Cornerstone Elementary School

Q: Is Cornerstone Elementary School a good school?

Cornerstone Elementary School ranks 179 th of 1019 Tennessee elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 2-4

179^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,019 Tennessee Elementary Schools

Better than 82% of Tennessee elementary schools

Summary

Cornerstone Elementary School is a small upper-elementary school in Baxter, Tennessee, serving 378 students in grades 2 through 4 as part of Putnam County Schools. The school earned a 4-star rating in 2025-2026, ranking 179th out of 1,019 elementary schools statewide — an impressive jump from the 392nd place (3 stars, 61st percentile) it posted the previous year. This follows several years of middling performance, suggesting the gains are broad-based rather than a one-year fluke. Cornerstone sits just 0.26 miles from Baxter Primary School, and together the two schools form the Baxter area feeder pattern.

Academically, Cornerstone outperforms both its district and the state by wide margins in every tested subject. In 2025-2026, 67.6% of students scored proficient in math versus 56.8% for the district and 43.0% statewide; ELA proficiency was 55.3% (district 44.3%, state 40.6%); and science proficiency was 55.1% (district 48.9%, state 46.9%). Among nearby schools, Cornerstone ranks behind Capshaw Elementary School, Algood Elementary School, and Prescott South Elementary School, but ahead of several others like Northeast Elementary School and Park View School. The school is especially effective with economically disadvantaged students, whose 86th-percentile statewide ranking (4 stars) continues a strong multi-year trend. Special education students also made major gains, jumping from the 31st to the 66th percentile in a single year.

Attendance at Cornerstone is notably stronger than district and state averages, with a chronic absenteeism rate of 11.3% in 2024-2025 compared to 17.3% for the district and 18.3% statewide. Per-pupil spending of $13,480 is mid-range for the area, and outcomes suggest efficient use of resources compared to schools like Sycamore Elementary School and Cane Creek Elementary School, which spend more but post weaker results. One area to watch: 3rd graders exceeded district averages in every subject in 2025-2026, but 4th graders lagged the district in both ELA and science. Overall, Cornerstone is a strong and improving school — one of the better-performing elementary options in Putnam County.

378

Students ?

14.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,480

Per pupil spending ?

54.2%

Directly certified for free meals (2024-25) ?

371 First Avenue South
Baxter, TN 38544

(931) 858-9190

District: Putnam County Schools

Students who attend Cornerstone Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Upperman Middle School
High:	Putnam County Adult High School
	Upperman High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

91.0%

Hispanic:

3.7%

Two or more races:

2.9%

See top rated Tennessee elementary schools

Compare Cornerstone Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 44th percentile in 2015 → 82nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Tennessee average (59% vs 43% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 18% of Tennessee elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 38 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school59%

District avg50%

Tennessee avg43%

179^th of 1,019

Tennessee public elementary schools ?

Top 18%▲ up 62 pts since 2017

From bottom 21% (2017) to top 18% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Tennessee Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 10Elementary Schools in the Putnam County Schools

56^th of 141Putnam 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	77.1	179 of 1019	82.4%	★★★★☆
2025	57.2	392 of 1009	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.2	497 of 1018	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.5	443 of 1020	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	49.1	470 of 1000	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	52.0	416 of 983	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	46.3	488 of 985	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	37.4	622 of 997	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2017	30.6	511 of 646	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	49.8	481 of 855	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2014	59.1	315 of 853	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2013	68.6	270 of 846	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2012	42.3	527 of 820	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2011	39.6	557 of 818	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2010	33.1	593 of 809	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	58.4	351 of 986	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.1	448 of 990	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.5	358 of 989	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	47.1	480 of 975	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	49.4	422 of 945	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	42.2	523 of 926	43.5%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	68.1	4 of 12	66.7%	★★★★☆
2024	39.3	8 of 17	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.9	9 of 18	50.0%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	75.5	113 of 823	86.3%	★★★★☆
2025	68.2	164 of 843	80.5%	★★★★☆
2024	61.4	253 of 853	70.3%	★★★★☆
2023	66.2	210 of 865	75.7%	★★★★☆
2022	61.4	244 of 858	71.6%	★★★★☆
2021	66.3	166 of 823	79.8%	★★★★☆
2019	58.4	259 of 821	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	42.1	515 of 877	41.3%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	54.2	406 of 984	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	44.7	531 of 991	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.1	519 of 987	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	48.4	458 of 980	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	51.8	386 of 941	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	48.2	428 of 916	53.3%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	52.2	216 of 641	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	30.7	429 of 618	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.3	426 of 582	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.2	470 of 528	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.3	368 of 447	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	39.9	198 of 369	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	29.1	303 of 395	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	65.3	232 of 849	72.7%	★★★★☆
2025	41.3	493 of 840	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.8	580 of 847	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.9	521 of 852	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.2	561 of 844	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	40.3	490 of 844	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	33.9	564 of 812	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	25.5	698 of 841	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)86th percentile+4 vs school

White (2026)73rd percentile-10 vs school

Homeless (2025)67th percentile+6 vs school

Special Education (2026)66th percentile-16 vs school

Female (2025)64th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2025)59th percentile~ school

By subject vs Tennessee (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics68%+25 vs state

English Language Arts55%+15 vs state

Science55%+8 vs state

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Schools Near Cornerstone 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	Directly certified (2024-25)	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
Cornerstone Elementary School	Public	2-4	371 First Avenue South	Baxter	38544	Putnam County	Putnam County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 858-9190	367	26	14.3	54.2%	339 (92.4%)	5 (1.4%)	14 (3.8%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	7 (1.9%)	77.1	179^th of 1019 public elementary schools	82.4%		57.2	392^nd of 1009 public elementary schools	61.1%	213	65.7	70.0		67.6	56.7	53.6		55.3	56.4	53.6		55.1	$13,480	$998	$11,709
Baxter Primary School	Public	PK, KG-1	125 Elmore Town Road	Baxter	38544	Putnam County	Putnam County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 858-3110	352	22	16.3	47.7%	317 (90.1%)	11 (3.1%)	15 (4.3%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	5 (1.4%)								(n/a)													$16,234	$756	$14,058
Park View School	Public	PK, KG-4	2000 Lee Seminary Road	Cookeville	38506	Putnam County	Putnam County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 526-2516	422	29	14.5	51.9%	317 (75.1%)	18 (4.3%)	79 (18.7%)	5 (1.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	62.5	340^th of 1019 public elementary schools	66.6%		57	396^th of 1009 public elementary schools	60.8%	56	67.7	44.8		56.1	49.2	47.8		48.5	50.8	50.7		50.8	$15,140	$1,144	$12,933
Cane Creek Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	1500 West Jackson Street	Cookeville	38501	Putnam County	Putnam County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 520-1173	432	32	13.7	53.5%	345 (79.9%)	9 (2.1%)	70 (16.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.4%)	54	450^th of 1019 public elementary schools	55.8%		57.3	390^th of 1009 public elementary schools	61.3%	60	50.7	64.8		57.9	37.7	40.8		39.3	33.3	56.3		45.0	$14,481	$1,424	$11,767
Sycamore Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	452 Ellis Avenue	Cookeville	38501	Putnam County	Putnam County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 526-9322	310	24	12.9	56.7%	205 (66.1%)	17 (5.5%)	69 (22.3%)	5 (1.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (4.2%)	60.9	359^th of 1019 public elementary schools	64.8%		37.4	636^th of 1009 public elementary schools	37.0%	277	51.8	54.7		53.3	53.6	50.0		51.7	46.4	45.3		45.8	$15,570	$1,784	$12,760
Prescott South Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	115 W. Cemetery Road	Cookeville	38506	Putnam County	Putnam County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 526-2275	545	35	15.5	37.6%	477 (87.5%)	5 (0.9%)	43 (7.9%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (2.9%)	84.4	123^rd of 1019 public elementary schools	87.9%		86.2	114^th of 1009 public elementary schools	88.7%	9	63.1	74.3		68.4	60.4	66.0		63.0	56.8	64.4		60.4	$12,811	$897	$11,192
Jere Whitson Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	178 East Jere Whitson Road	Cookeville	38501	Putnam County	Putnam County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 526-6575	317	27	11.5	66.4%	92 (29.0%)	10 (3.2%)	208 (65.6%)	5 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	38.4	651^st of 1019 public elementary schools	36.1%		35.5	671^st of 1009 public elementary schools	33.5%	20	36.4	64.4		50.9	29.1	32.2		30.7	29.1	44.1		36.8	$14,550	$1,537	$11,687
Capshaw Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	1 Cougar Lane	Cookeville	38501	Putnam County	Putnam County Schools	No	No	No	No	(931) 526-2414	522	34	15.5	29.3%	440 (84.3%)	8 (1.5%)	43 (8.2%)	24 (4.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.1%)	93.5	60^th of 1019 public elementary schools	94.1%		96.3	37^th of 1009 public elementary schools	96.3%	23	70.1	88.5		79.3	68.0	78.1		73.1	63.9	77.1		70.5	$13,284	$390	$12,098
Northeast Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	575 N Old Kentucky Road	Cookeville	38501	Putnam County	Putnam County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 526-2978	453	31	14.7	53.6%	327 (72.2%)	10 (2.2%)	103 (22.7%)	5 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.8%)	70.2	250^th of 1019 public elementary schools	75.5%		68.7	251^st of 1009 public elementary schools	75.1%	1	55.6	70.6		63.7	41.7	61.2		52.2	40.3	63.5		52.9	$13,119	$831	$11,384
Northfield Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	570 S Bunker Hill Road	Sparta	38583	White County	White County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 761-7979	300	21	14.1	29.9%	287 (95.7%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.7%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.3%)	64	318^th of 1019 public elementary schools	68.8%		76.7	180^th of 1009 public elementary schools	82.2%	138	61.7	52.4	58.8	57.9	53.2	42.9	41.2	45.7	44.7	54.8	51.0	50.0	$12,391	$777	$10,551

Frequently Asked Questions about Cornerstone Elementary School

What schools do graduates of Cornerstone Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Cornerstone Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Upperman Middle School
High : Putnam County Adult High School
High : Upperman High School

Is Cornerstone Elementary School a good school?

Cornerstone Elementary School ranks 179^th of 1019 Tennessee elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Cornerstone Elementary School?

Students at Cornerstone Elementary School are 91% White, 4% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races, 2% African American.

What district is Cornerstone Elementary School in?

Putnam County Schools

How many students attend Cornerstone Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 378 students attended Cornerstone 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.