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Forks River Elementary School

Q: Is Forks River Elementary School a good school?

Forks River Elementary School ranks 635 th of 1019 Tennessee elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-8

635^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,019 Tennessee Elementary Schools

Better than 38% of Tennessee elementary schools

Summary

Forks River Elementary School is a small, rural school in Elmwood, Tennessee, serving 208 students in pre-kindergarten through 8th grade as part of Smith County Schools. The school currently holds a 2-star rating, ranking 635th out of 1,019 Tennessee elementary schools for 2025–2026 — a dramatic fall from its 4-star, 163rd-place statewide ranking just three years earlier. Forks River Elementary School has dropped more than 400 spots since 2022–2023, a decline no other school in its district has experienced over the same period.

Academically, Forks River remains slightly above state averages in math (44.9% proficient vs. 43.0%), ELA (41.7% vs. 40.6%), science (49.6% vs. 46.9%), and social studies (56.5% vs. 51.4%), but its own proficiency has fallen in every subject since 2022–2023, with ELA dropping 12.1 points. The school shows a "tale of two schools" pattern: 7th and 8th grade math scores are exceptional (62.1% and 70.6% proficient, nearly double the state average), while 6th grade social studies sits at just 6.3% proficient and 8th grade ELA at 17.6%. Compared with nearby schools, Forks River outperforms Union Heights Elementary School and Carthage Elementary School in most subjects, but trails Defeated Elementary School and Gordonsville Elementary School across the board.

One genuine strength is attendance: Forks River's chronic absenteeism is just 8.4%, less than half the state average of 18.3% and below the district average of 10.2%. At the same time, per-student spending has risen 26% over four years to $12,818 while outcomes have declined — and higher-performing peers like Defeated and Gordonsville spend less. Forks River remains a school with real assets, including strong attendance, excellent upper-grade math and science results, and solid achievement among its female students. Still, families considering this school will want to ask administrators about the uneven grade-level performance and what steps are being taken to reverse the recent slide.

208

Students ?

13.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,818

Per pupil spending ?

56%

Free/discounted lunch ?

611 Cookeville Highway
Elmwood, TN 38560

(615) 897-2676

District: Smith County Schools

Students who attend Forks River Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Smith County Middle School
High:	Gordonsville High School
	Smith County High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

89.9%

Hispanic:

6.3%

Two or more races:

3.4%

See top rated Tennessee elementary schools

Compare Forks River Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 63rd percentile in 2015 → 38th in 2026

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 25 percentile points since 2015

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

!Near the bottom of Smith County Schools's ranking

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school47%

District avg49%

Tennessee avg45%

Elementary school

635^th of 1,019

Tennessee public elementary schools ?

Bottom 38%▼ down 16 pts since 2017

From top 47% (2017) to bottom 38% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Tennessee Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

142^nd of 594

Tennessee public middle schools ?

Top 24%▲ up 11 pts since 2018

From top 35% (2018) to top 24% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Tennessee Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 5Elementary Schools in the Smith County Schools

45^th of 141Smith 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	39.8	635 of 1019	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	54.6	423 of 1009	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	71.9	221 of 1018	78.3%	★★★★☆
2023	78.1	163 of 1020	84.0%	★★★★☆
2022	75.0	181 of 1000	81.9%	★★★★☆
2021	62.5	277 of 983	71.8%	★★★★☆
2019	50.9	420 of 985	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.2	382 of 997	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2017	50.2	302 of 646	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2015	62.6	319 of 855	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2014	64.6	260 of 853	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2013	61.9	368 of 846	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2012	52.1	425 of 820	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2011	23.0	698 of 818	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	31.6	611 of 809	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	71.6	220 of 986	77.7%	★★★★☆
2024	77.7	159 of 990	83.9%	★★★★☆
2023	92.9	63 of 989	93.6%	★★★★★
2022	88.1	89 of 975	90.9%	★★★★★
2019	57.8	338 of 926	63.5%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2018	25.7	735 of 877	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	61.9	315 of 984	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	69.5	225 of 991	77.3%	★★★★☆
2023	73.2	190 of 987	80.7%	★★★★☆
2022	92.7	60 of 980	93.9%	★★★★★
2021	58.0	315 of 941	66.5%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	23.4	712 of 849	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	40.7	501 of 840	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	57.6	296 of 847	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	66.7	210 of 852	75.4%	★★★★☆
2022	67.8	198 of 844	76.5%	★★★★☆
2021	49.0	376 of 844	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	47.7	379 of 812	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	52.3	340 of 841	59.6%	★★★☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	71.3	142 of 594	76.1%	★★★★☆
2025	75.7	101 of 583	82.7%	★★★★☆
2024	76.0	100 of 587	83.0%	★★★★☆
2023	78.4	89 of 594	85.0%	★★★★☆
2022	55.1	227 of 569	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	58.8	185 of 576	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	63.7	143 of 574	75.1%	★★★★☆
2018	58.4	195 of 563	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2015	52.8	265 of 492	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2014	53.0	235 of 485	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2013	71.5	127 of 475	73.3%	★★★★☆
2012	87.5	39 of 466	91.6%	★★★★★
2011	40.5	303 of 462	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2010	13.5	409 of 435	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	88.3	43 of 546	92.1%	★★★★★
2021	73.6	86 of 538	84.0%	★★★★☆
2019	72.9	86 of 529	83.7%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	69.3	135 of 550	75.5%	★★★★☆
2024	75.2	91 of 560	83.8%	★★★★☆
2022	56.5	206 of 540	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	85.4	46 of 523	91.2%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	60.9	167 of 494	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	60.1	166 of 492	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	63.7	150 of 504	70.2%	★★★★☆
2023	69.6	118 of 503	76.5%	★★★★☆
2022	45.5	259 of 500	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	51.7	210 of 496	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	61.8	142 of 484	70.7%	★★★★☆
2018	52.7	197 of 481	59.0%	★★★☆☆

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)

Elementary school

Female (2025)78th percentile+20 vs school

Male (2025)68th percentile+10 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2018)16th percentile-45 vs school

White (2026)16th percentile-22 vs school

Middle school

Female (2025)92nd percentile+9 vs school

Male (2025)75th percentile-7 vs school

White (2026)66th percentile-10 vs school

By subject vs Tennessee (2025-2026) ?

Social Studies56%+5 vs state

Science50%+3 vs state

Mathematics45%~ state avg

English Language Arts42%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Forks River 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)							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	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 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
Forks River Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	611 Cookeville Highway	Elmwood	38560	Smith County	Smith County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(615) 897-2676	220	16	13.9		205 (93.2%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.6%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.7%)	39.8	635^th of 1019 public elementary schools	37.7%		54.6	423^rd of 1009 public elementary schools	58.1%	212	22.7	31.8	38.1	43.8	62.1	70.6	44.9	40.9	36.4	33.3	43.8	65.5	17.6	41.7	54.5	45.5	47.6	25.0	62.1	52.9	49.6	6.3	82.8	58.8	56.5	$12,818	$880	$10,841
Gordonsville Elementary School	Public	3-6	104 Main Street East	Gordonsville	38563	Smith County	Smith County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(615) 683-8252	312	18	17.3		281 (90.1%)	3 (1.0%)	15 (4.8%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	10 (3.2%)	75.4	194^th of 1019 public elementary schools	81.0%		74.7	196^th of 1009 public elementary schools	80.6%	2	53.3	64.3	68.3	42.1			54.8	58.7	67.1	45.0	36.4			50.3	60.0	75.7	55.0	57.9			61.9	66.4			66.4	$11,865	$691	$10,249
Carthage Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	149 Skyline Drive	Carthage	37030	Smith County	Smith County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(615) 735-0433	424	27	15.4		350 (82.5%)	11 (2.6%)	25 (5.9%)	5 (1.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (7.5%)	31.9	737^th of 1019 public elementary schools	27.7%		45.5	534^th of 1009 public elementary schools	47.1%	203	37.7	37.8					37.8	29.0	37.8					33.6	34.8	37.8					36.4					$13,775	$1,236	$11,486
New Middleton Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-2	402 New Middleton Highway	Gordonsville	38563	Smith County	Smith County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(615) 683-8411	237	16	14.8		203 (85.7%)	3 (1.3%)	7 (3.0%)	4 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (8.4%)								(n/a)																										$13,655	$796	$11,733
Defeated Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	451 Defeated Creek Highway	Carthage	37030	Smith County	Smith County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(615) 774-3150	260	20	13.2		242 (93.1%)	2 (0.8%)	8 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.1%)	58.3	391^st of 1019 public elementary schools	61.6%		88.1	98^th of 1009 public elementary schools	90.3%	293	40.7	40.0	37.5	50.0	57.1	54.8	47.0	59.3	50.0	37.5	57.7	60.7	38.7	50.6	51.9	33.3	41.7	65.4	64.3	48.4	50.6	53.8	71.4	64.5	63.5	$12,018	$675	$10,452
Union Heights Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	663 Lebanon Highway	Carthage	37030	Smith County	Smith County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(615) 735-1975	242	18	13.6		208 (86.0%)	3 (1.2%)	21 (8.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (4.1%)	45.5	558^th of 1019 public elementary schools	45.2%		54.3	427^th of 1009 public elementary schools	57.7%	131	25.0	37.5	50.0	61.9	42.1	46.4	42.6	31.3	41.7	25.0	33.3	31.6	28.6	31.8	34.4	54.2	45.8	57.1	31.6	35.7	42.6	52.4	36.8	28.6	38.2	$11,589	$604	$9,957
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		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
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		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
Gainesboro Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-3	611 Main Street	Gainesboro	38562	Jackson County	Jackson County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 268-9775	331	24	13.7		312 (94.3%)	4 (1.2%)	9 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	3 (0.9%)	74	205^th of 1019 public elementary schools	79.9%		64.3	312^th of 1009 public elementary schools	69.1%	107	62.5						62.5	50.0						50.0	52.4						52.4					$12,948	$1,390	$10,536
DeKalb West Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	101 Bulldog Lane	Liberty	37059	DeKalb County	DeKalb County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(615) 536-5332	456	30	15.4		409 (89.7%)	12 (2.6%)	22 (4.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.6%)	41.7	619^th of 1019 public elementary schools	39.3%		55.3	416^th of 1009 public elementary schools	58.8%	203	13.2	34.6	50.9	48.1	40.9	45.5	38.6	35.8	32.7	39.6	59.6	45.5	38.6	41.9	28.3	42.3	34.0	42.3	47.7	45.5	39.6	40.4	61.4	45.5	48.6	$12,438	$1,926	$9,428

Frequently Asked Questions about Forks River Elementary School

Is Forks River Elementary School a good school?

Forks River Elementary School ranks 635^th of 1019 Tennessee elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Forks River Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 208 students attended Forks River Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Forks River Elementary School?

Students at Forks River Elementary School are 90% White, 6% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Forks River Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Forks River Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Smith County Middle School
High : Gordonsville High School
High : Smith County High School

What district is Forks River Elementary School in?

Smith County Schools

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Latest Tennessee data All new data »

2025–26 TNReady test scoresNewAug 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.