The top reported proficiency rate is 42% in Math. The lowest is 30% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Taylor Elementary School
Taylor Elementary School serves students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in the Cleveland area of Bradley County. It is a regular public school with a sizable enrollment for an elementary school, and it appears to draw from a surrounding area that is predominantly residential and industrial in character. Cleveland itself is a manufacturing hub and the county seat, with a large industrial base that includes an extensive list of Fortune-level manufacturers and corporate headquarters. The built environment is spread out and auto-oriented, typical of a mid-sized Southern city, and the school’s location on Bates Pike places it along a main thoroughfare south of downtown.
The student body is overwhelmingly white, with a modest share of Hispanic students and very small numbers of Asian, Black, and multiracial students. Data on economic disadvantage and special education classification were not available, so a parent would need to ask the school directly about the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals and the resources allocated for students with disabilities or English learners.
In terms of academic performance on Tennessee’s state assessments, the school’s results are mixed. In math, a modest share of students scored at the proficient level or above. The proficiency rate in English language arts was lower, and in science it was lower still, with about three out of ten students meeting the state’s proficiency benchmark. Social studies results are from an older testing cycle and a different assessment, so they are not directly comparable. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school’s overall proficiency index sits above the midpoint among districts in Bradley County. That means it performs better than the lowest-performing district in the county but trails the highest-performing one by a clear margin. A parent looking for strong academic outcomes at the elementary level may want to investigate further, particularly in reading and science, to understand which student groups are well served and whether supports are in place.
There is no graduation rate for Taylor Elementary because it serves only elementary grades, so that measure does not apply. The school environment data on discipline, course access, staffing, and attendance were not reported, leaving gaps in what a family can learn about day-to-day conditions.
Bradley County Schools, the district that operates Taylor Elementary, has made several recent investments that affect the school’s context. A new elementary school opened in the southern part of the county to relieve overcrowding from growth, and a district-wide capital improvement plan funded security upgrades, HVAC replacements, and classroom additions without a property tax increase. The district also adopted a new literacy initiative aligned with a statewide reading program, shifting elementary-level reading instruction to phonics-based curriculum and new English language arts materials. These changes suggest the district is actively managing growth and prioritizing foundational reading skills, which could influence the classroom approach at Taylor.
Housing values in the school’s ZIP code are in a range that sits below both the state and national benchmarks for home prices, making the area more affordable than the broader market. Rents also show a similar pattern, which may be relevant for families considering a move into the attendance zone.
What a family gets at Taylor Elementary is a solidly enrolled elementary school in an industrial and residential area of Cleveland, with a student body that is largely white and a handful of other racial and ethnic groups represented in small numbers. Academic proficiency is uneven, stronger in math than in reading or science, and the school’s performance sits in the middle of a two-district county comparison. The district has been investing in facilities and literacy instruction, which may be a positive sign, but the absence of data on class sizes, teacher experience, discipline, and student supports is a notable gap. Families who want a clearer picture should request that information directly from the school.
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