The top reported proficiency rate is 87% in Social studies. The lowest is 41% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on St. Bethlehem Elementary
St. Bethlehem Elementary is a regular public school in Clarksville, Tennessee, part of the Montgomery County school system. It serves students from pre-kindergarten through second grade, making it a primary-grades-only environment where children begin their formal schooling. Because the school stops at second grade, families should expect their child to move to a different elementary school for third grade onward. This structure is common in districts where early elementary is housed separately, and it means the school’s focus is entirely on the foundational years.
The student body is diverse, with children from a range of racial and ethnic backgrounds. Black and white students each make up a substantial share of enrollment, and there is also a meaningful presence of Hispanic students, along with smaller groups of students who identify as Asian, Native American, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and two or more races. Data on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, receive special education services, or are English learners was not available in the records we reviewed; a parent may want to ask the school directly for these numbers, as they are relevant to understanding the support structures in place.
State testing results are available only from the 2013-14 school year, which is now more than a decade old. At that time, the school served grades that extended beyond the current PK-2 span, so the test scores reflect older students who are no longer enrolled here. In those results, student performance in math and English language arts was around the middle of the range for Tennessee schools, while scores in science and social studies were comparatively stronger. Because the grade configuration has since changed and the testing data are outdated, these results do not give a reliable picture of what the school’s current young students are learning. Families would need to discuss early literacy and math benchmarks, classroom assessments, and kindergarten readiness measures directly with the school to gauge the academic environment.
Clarksville is a mid-size, fast-growing city with a strong economic base shaped by Fort Campbell, a major Army installation, as well as Austin Peay State University and a range of large employers including Trane, Amazon, and FedEx. The city’s housing market shows home values and rents that are broadly in line with national norms, with a recent slight decline in home values and a modest rise in rents. The area has seen considerable residential and commercial expansion, and the school sits within a city that blends historic downtown areas with extensive suburban development. No recent district-level changes that would directly affect parents were found in the available records.
No information was provided on program offerings, discipline rates, staffing ratios, attendance, or chronic absenteeism for this school. These gaps may be because the school’s primary-grades status means certain metrics are not typically reported at the school level or are handled district-wide. A parent looking for details on class sizes, teacher qualifications, or behavioral supports should contact the school or the Montgomery County district office.
Ultimately, St. Bethlehem Elementary offers a dedicated early-primary setting within a growing, economically diverse city. The testing data is not current and does not reflect the school’s present grade band, so families should rely on conversations with staff and visits to the school to understand how instruction and support work for the youngest students. This is a school that fits families seeking a focused start to elementary education, with the understanding that their child will transition to another school after second grade.
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