The top reported proficiency rate is 63% in Math. The lowest is 59% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Wallace A. Smith Elementary School
Wallace A. Smith Elementary School is a regular public school in Ooltewah, Tennessee, serving prekindergarten through fifth grade and operating under Hamilton County Schools. It is one of several elementary schools located in the broader Ooltewah ZIP code area, a place described as having a suburban-rural mix feel where most residents own their homes. Ooltewah is a small census-designated place that functions as a historic center within a larger suburban area near Collegedale and Chattanooga, with a household income profile that suggests an affluent residential base.
The school’s enrollment is large for an elementary school serving its grade band. The student body is predominantly white, with a notable share of Hispanic students and a smaller share of Black students. Students identifying as two or more races also make up a visible portion of the enrollment. The school did not report data on its share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, nor on students with disabilities or English learners, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about the level of economic diversity and the extent of special education and language support services.
Academically, Wallace A. Smith Elementary posted a solid performance on Tennessee’s state assessments in the most recent testing year. In both math and English language arts, well over half of students in tested grades scored at the proficient or above level. Science results were similarly strong, with a comparable rate of students meeting that benchmark. Participation on the assessments was complete, meaning all enrolled students took the tests. The school also has a social studies result from a prior year, but due to changes in the assessment and cut scores, that data is not comparable to current results and is not useful for judging the school’s present performance. Overall, the proficiency rates indicate that the school is delivering a solid academic foundation in the core subjects for most of its students.
The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. Data on chronic absenteeism and discipline were not available, which limits a full picture of the school environment. No information was reported on staffing ratios, course access, or program offerings such as gifted education or arts specialization.
The broader Hamilton County district has made two recent changes that could affect families at Wallace A. Smith. The district opened a new East Brainerd Elementary School in 2023, which relieved overcrowding in a fast-growing part of the county and altered school zoning in that corridor. More relevant to day-to-day instruction, the district implemented a district-wide shift to a structured literacy approach grounded in the science of reading, beginning with kindergarten through second grade in the 2022–2023 school year and expanding thereafter. This move to explicit phonics-based instruction replaced a balanced literacy model and represents a lasting pedagogical change that affects how early reading is taught across all elementary schools, including Wallace A. Smith.
Ooltewah itself has seen residential growth, evidenced by a 2026 neighborhood guide for buyers and the fact that East Hamilton Middle/High School was created when Ooltewah High School’s student body outgrew its capacity. The area’s historic downtown square, anchored by the former James County Courthouse, is the community’s major landmark, but the school campuses serving the area are distributed across the wider community rather than concentrated in that center.
For a family considering this school, the picture is of a large suburban elementary with a strong academic record on state tests and a student body that is mostly white and economically comfortable based on the area’s housing values and household incomes. The lack of reported data on free lunch rates, special education, and English learner populations means a parent should check directly with the school about those aspects of student support. The district’s structured literacy approach is a clear pedagogical direction that will shape how reading is taught in the early grades.
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