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Union Heights Elementary School

Q: Is Union Heights Elementary School a good school?

Union Heights Elementary School ranks 558 th of 1019 Tennessee elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-8

558^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,019 Tennessee Elementary Schools

Better than 45% of Tennessee elementary schools

Summary

Union Heights Elementary School is a small PK-8 school in Carthage, Tennessee, serving 268 students in the Smith County Schools district. The school has generally performed in the middle-to-lower tier of the state, ranking 558th out of 1,019 Tennessee elementary schools (45th percentile, 2 stars) in the 2025-26 school year, a drop from the prior year's 427th place (58th percentile, 3 stars).

Academically, Union Heights lags behind district and state averages in most subjects, particularly English Language Arts (31.8% proficient vs. 41.2% district) and Social Studies (38.2% vs. 59.4% district), while essentially matching the state average in Math (42.6%). One clear strength is chronic absenteeism, which sits at just 7.6%—less than half the state average of 18.3%. Another bright spot is 6th grade, where math proficiency reaches 61.9%, well above the state average of 40.1%. However, this momentum fades in 7th and 8th grades. Nearby Defeated Elementary School, just 9.7 miles away in the same district, outperforms Union Heights in every subject tested, posting a 5-star rating in 2024-25 with a 50.6% ELA proficiency rate compared to Union Heights' 31.8%.

Union Heights spends $11,589 per student—the lowest among Smith County elementary schools—compared to $13,775 at Carthage Elementary School and $13,655 at New Middleton Elementary School. With only 268 students, year-to-year grade-level data can swing dramatically, so small differences (like the gap between 3rd grade math at 25% and 6th grade math at 61.9%) should be interpreted cautiously. Still, the persistent weakness in ELA and Social Studies, despite strong attendance, suggests the key opportunity may lie in replicating the instructional strategies of higher-performing same-district schools rather than simply adding resources.

268

Students ?

13.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

18.3%

Directly certified for free meals (2024-25) ?

663 Lebanon Highway
Carthage, TN 37030

(615) 735-1975

District: Smith County Schools

Students who attend Union Heights Elementary School usually attend:

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

Racial breakdown:

White:

85.8%

Hispanic:

9.0%

Two or more races:

4.1%

See top rated Tennessee elementary schools

Compare Union Heights Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 36th percentile in 2023 → 45th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 45th (2026) from a 36th-percentile low (2023)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Tennessee average (39% vs 45% meeting standards)

!Social Studies scores 13 pts below the Tennessee average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school39%

District avg49%

Tennessee avg45%

Elementary school

558^th of 1,019

Tennessee public elementary schools ?

Bottom 45%▼ down 2 pts since 2017

See the entire ranking list of Tennessee Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

291^st of 594

Tennessee public middle schools ?

Top 49%▼ down 17 pts since 2017

From top 31% (2017) to top 49% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Tennessee Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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	45.5	558 of 1019	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	54.3	427 of 1009	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	45.5	537 of 1018	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.3	653 of 1020	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.0	583 of 1000	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	38.1	586 of 983	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	47.3	469 of 985	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	42.4	564 of 997	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2017	45.5	344 of 646	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2015	69.5	241 of 855	71.8%	★★★★☆
2014	68.5	210 of 853	75.4%	★★★★☆
2013	69.8	252 of 846	70.2%	★★★★☆
2012	23.7	699 of 820	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	56.6	376 of 818	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2010	38.9	531 of 809	34.4%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	48.7	483 of 986	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	39.5	598 of 990	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.6	495 of 989	49.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	43.6	523 of 975	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	40.7	533 of 945	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	43.5	501 of 926	45.9%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2022	64.1	209 of 858	75.6%	★★★★☆
2019	52.5	332 of 821	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	39.9	545 of 877	37.9%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	55.0	396 of 984	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.7	417 of 991	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	26.3	743 of 987	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.2	694 of 980	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	34.7	598 of 941	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	45.2	476 of 916	48.0%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	35.2	563 of 849	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	42.9	467 of 840	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.5	549 of 847	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	23.8	709 of 852	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.4	668 of 844	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	29.7	623 of 844	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	33.8	567 of 812	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.0	601 of 841	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	49.8	291 of 594	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	39.4	354 of 583	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	57.5	220 of 587	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.8	272 of 594	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	30.6	391 of 569	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	33.2	369 of 576	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	43.5	311 of 574	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	64.7	142 of 563	74.8%	★★★★☆
2017	62.7	114 of 362	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2015	40.7	356 of 492	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	35.4	368 of 485	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	61.2	203 of 475	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2012	87.2	43 of 466	90.8%	★★★★★
2011	56.5	209 of 462	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2010	41.0	274 of 435	37.0%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	42.1	326 of 546	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	59.9	194 of 554	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.3	221 of 560	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	45.0	293 of 552	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	14.0	465 of 538	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	37.2	355 of 529	32.9%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2022	48.9	218 of 495	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	32.8	319 of 483	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	36.2	329 of 490	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	49.0	223 of 481	53.6%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	37.3	357 of 550	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	52.4	235 of 560	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	42.1	307 of 557	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	15.2	467 of 540	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	34.2	333 of 529	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	45.3	264 of 523	49.5%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	40.5	293 of 494	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	26.8	385 of 492	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	41.6	276 of 504	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.4	365 of 503	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.5	413 of 500	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	25.8	390 of 496	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	33.6	333 of 484	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	52.8	196 of 481	59.3%	★★★☆☆

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)

Elementary school

Low Socio Economic Status (2022)76th percentile+34 vs school

Male (2025)60th percentile~ school

Female (2025)51st percentile-7 vs school

White (2026)34th percentile-12 vs school

Middle school

Low Socio Economic Status (2022)56th percentile+25 vs school

White (2026)41st percentile-10 vs school

Female (2025)40th percentile~ school

Male (2025)35th percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs Tennessee (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics43%~ state avg

Science43%-4 vs state

Social Studies38%-13 vs state

English Language Arts32%-9 vs state

★

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Schools Near Union Heights 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 Algebra 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	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 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 Algebra I 8th Grade	TNReady Algebra 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
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	18.3%	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
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	29.5%	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	20.0%	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
Tuckers Crossroads Elementary School	Public	K-8	5905 Trousdale Ferry PIKE	Lebanon	37087	Wilson County	Wilson County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(615) 444-3956	368	32	11.5	17.6%	291 (79.1%)	9 (2.4%)	52 (14.1%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.8%)	67.5	283^rd of 1019 public elementary schools	72.2%		69.9	237^th of 1009 public elementary schools	76.5%	46	27.5	62.5	65.4	59.1	59.0	77.8	55.5	45.1	53.8	57.7	56.8	41.0	43.3	49.3			33.3	70.0	61.5	59.1	59.0	70.0	57.0	54.5	76.9	66.7	65.5	$14,776	$1,125	$12,849
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	22.2%	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
Trousdale County Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	115 Lock Six Road	Hartsville	37074	Trousdale County	Trousdale County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(615) 374-3752	693	46	14.9	24.7%	564 (81.4%)	46 (6.6%)	52 (7.5%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (3.9%)	63	328^th of 1019 public elementary schools	67.8%		63.5	322^nd of 1009 public elementary schools	68.1%	6	56.2	62.1	40.7				53.2	53.3	62.1	38.9				51.7			44.8	61.2	37.0				48.0					$11,448	$985	$9,525
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	12.8%	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
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	21.6%	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
Watertown Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	741 West Main Street	Watertown	37184	Wilson County	Wilson County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(615) 237-3821	565	38	14.8	20.6%	480 (85.0%)	15 (2.7%)	37 (6.5%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	28 (5.0%)	69.9	254^th of 1019 public elementary schools	75.1%		57.1	394^th of 1009 public elementary schools	61.0%	140	57.7	59.6	57.1				58.1	44.3	57.3	51.2				50.7			51.5	56.2	52.4				53.3					$12,021	$869	$10,507
Carroll Oakland Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	4664 Hunters Point PIKE	Lebanon	37087	Wilson County	Wilson County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(615) 444-5208	747	48	15.5	14.6%	586 (78.4%)	21 (2.8%)	97 (13.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	41 (5.5%)	52.5	470^th of 1019 public elementary schools	53.9%		56.9	397^th of 1009 public elementary schools	60.7%	73	26.6	43.4	48.8	67.1	38.2	57.0	46.6	34.6	43.4	39.5	42.5	26.3	35.4	37.0			29.1	47.0	42.0	61.6	48.7	54.4	46.9	65.8	51.3	38.0	51.3	$11,762	$569	$10,627

Frequently Asked Questions about Union Heights Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of Union Heights Elementary School?

Students at Union Heights Elementary School are 86% White, 9% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 1% African American.

What district is Union Heights Elementary School in?

Smith County Schools

How many students attend Union Heights Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 268 students attended Union Heights Elementary School.

What schools do graduates of Union Heights Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Union Heights Elementary School usually go on to attend:

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

Is Union Heights Elementary School a good school?

Union Heights Elementary School ranks 558^th of 1019 Tennessee elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Union Heights Elementary School!

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Latest Tennessee data All new data »

2025–26 dropout ratesNewNov 2, 2026

2025–26 graduation ratesNewOct 29, 2026

2025–26 TNReady test scoresAug 25, 2026

2024–25 dropout ratesApr 2, 2026

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.