The top reported proficiency rate is 26% in Science. The lowest is 15% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Hermitage Springs Elementary School
Hermitage Springs Elementary School is a regular public school in Tennessee’s Clay County, serving students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. It is one of the smaller schools in the area, with an enrollment that is predominantly white. A modest share of students are Hispanic, and the school’s population is otherwise almost entirely white, with only a handful of students from other racial groups. The school sits in Red Boiling Springs, a town that is actually in Macon County, a short distance from the Clay County line, so the community context stretches across both counties.
Red Boiling Springs is a small, rural town whose history as a mineral springs resort peaked between the world wars. Today it is quiet, with three historic hotels, a small library, a memorial park, and a volunteer fire department that runs community events. The Nestlé water bottling plant that once provided significant employment closed permanently in recent years. Employment is limited to small businesses, farming, hospitality from the hotels, and government services. Housing values in the area are lower than the state average, reflecting the region’s rural economy and modest growth. The town is car-dependent, street life is minimal, and no major housing developments were described in available sources.
Clay County, the district that operates the school, is also rural. The district brief turned up no recent major parent-relevant changes, so families considering the school should look into any current district developments directly.
On state assessments, Hermitage Springs Elementary’s proficiency rates fall below what many families would hope for. In math and English language arts, roughly one in five students scored at or above the proficient level. Science proficiency was slightly higher, around a quarter of students. Social studies proficiency was lower. These results come from the TNReady tests for grades three through eight, and participation was complete, so the numbers represent nearly all eligible students. For a parent weighing this school, the academic attainment numbers are a significant soft spot and worth investigating further with the school to understand what supports and interventions are in place.
Because Hermitage Springs serves only through eighth grade, there is no graduation rate to report. The school does not have publicly available data on chronic absenteeism, discipline, or staffing, so a full picture of the school’s climate and student support structure is not available from the data on hand. The school is not a charter or magnet school, and Title I status was not provided.
A key feature of this school is that it is one of only two district-run schools in Clay County, and the comparison set is limited to that county’s districts, which is a very small universe. That makes it difficult to benchmark the school against a wide range of peers. For families who want a rural setting, a small school, and a pre-K-through-eighth grade structure that keeps children in one building through middle school, Hermitage Springs fits that description. For those focused on academic proficiency rates, the current results suggest a need for careful inquiry into how the school is addressing student learning and what resources are available.
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