The top reported proficiency rate is 20% in Science. The lowest is 11% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Harris Middle School
Harris Middle School, part of the Bedford County district, serves sixth through eighth graders from across Shelbyville and surrounding Bedford County. The school is larger than many middle schools, with enrollment that reflects the community’s makeup: a majority Hispanic student body, alongside a substantial white population, a smaller Black student cohort, and a share of multiracial students. Shelbyville itself is a fast-growing industrial and agricultural town, historically known as "The Pencil City" for its wood-cased pencil manufacturing and as the "Walking Horse Capital of the World." The economy blends manufacturing, poultry processing, and equine-related businesses, and the population has been increasing in recent years. Residential growth is displaying pressure on the housing market, where home values are only slightly below the state average but have been climbing, and rental costs are on the higher end when measured against typical local incomes.
On the Tennessee state assessments, Harris Middle School’s results present a picture that families will want to examine closely. In math, just over one in ten students scored at the proficient level or above. In English language arts, the share was similarly low. Science proficiency was higher but still well below the midpoint: one in five students reached the proficient threshold. Social studies results were also low, with fewer than one in five students meeting the bar. The school had near-universal participation in testing, meaning these scores represent nearly the entire student body. For a parent, these figures indicate that the school is contending with significant academic challenges, and a conversation with the school about how it is addressing these patterns would be a reasonable next step.
The data available for the school does not include information on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, the number of students served under an individualized education plan, or the population of English learners. Given the demographics of the student body and the community context, these are likely relevant dimensions of the school’s support work, but they are simply not reported in the data we have. The school’s classification as a regular public school suggests it operates as the comprehensive middle school for its attendance zone, not as an alternative or magnet program.
No program offerings, course access data, or staffing ratios were available, so a family’s understanding of what Harris offers beyond the core academic program would have to come from the school website or a direct visit. There is no graduation rate to report because a middle school does not graduate students, so that measure drops out of the picture entirely.
Because there is only one school district in Bedford County, the data does not place Harris relative to other districts in the county for a comparison. That leaves the state-level performance data as the main academic benchmark. For housing, the typical home in the area is priced somewhat below the Tennessee median, and the typical rent, while close to the national average, takes up a sizable share of a typical local income. Monthly mortgage costs on a median-priced home with a standard down payment come out higher than the typical rent, which tilts the housing calculus toward renting for many households.
For a family considering this school, the core takeaway is about the academic starting point. The school has high participation and serves a diverse, growing student body, but its proficiency rates in math, English, science, and social studies are well below state averages. A parent would want to know what academic interventions, tutoring, or targeted instruction the school offers and how students who enter below grade level progress during their three middle school years. The broader context of Shelbyville’s rapid growth and shifting demographics may also be relevant to how the school’s resources are distributed and how its programming evolves.
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