The top reported proficiency rate is 85% in Math. The lowest is 77% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Percy Priest Elementary
Percy Priest Elementary is a regular public school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in Nashville, part of the Davidson County school system. It sits within a major state capital and fast-growing metropolitan area that anchors the music industry, healthcare, and a broad corporate base. The school itself is a regular elementary school with no charter or magnet designation; no Title I status was reported.
Academically, the school performs at a very high level. On the state’s TNReady assessments, a large majority of students scored proficient or above in math, English language arts, and science. When compared to districts across Davidson County, the school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places it in the top quartile. That is a clear strength and sets Percy Priest apart from most other schools in the county. Social studies data is older, from a prior assessment year, and assessment changes since then limit direct comparisons, but the earlier results also showed strong performance. Because the school serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report.
The enrollment of roughly several hundred students is relatively sizable for a K–5 building. The student body is predominantly White, with modest representations of Asian, Hispanic, and multiracial students, and smaller numbers of Black, American Indian, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students. Data on free or reduced-price meal eligibility, IEP status, and English learner status were not available, so a family would need to ask the school directly about the share of students receiving support services.
The housing context around the school points to an expensive market. Home values in the immediate area are well above state and national medians, and rents are also elevated. For a family looking to move into the attendance zone, this signals a high-cost neighborhood, which often correlates with the strong academic results seen here. The national mortgage rate and rent-to-income data suggest a market that is challenging for first-time buyers or renters on a typical income.
The school’s location in Nashville means families have access to the full range of urban amenities: multiple universities, a downtown civic core, cultural landmarks such as the Grand Ole Opry and the Country Music Hall of Fame, and major employers ranging from Hospital Corporation of America to Bridgestone Americas. The city has experienced rapid population growth and has a sprawling built environment that makes car travel typical across most of the area. Public transit exists through bus and regional rail, but the overall layout favors driving.
No recent district-level changes with lasting parent impact were found in publicly available information, so the broader district context appears stable in terms of policy or programming shifts that would affect families at this school.
Percy Priest Elementary offers a strong academic foundation for elementary-aged students, with consistently high proficiency rates that exceed what is typical across the county. The combination of high housing costs and top-tier academic performance suggests a school that serves a relatively advantaged population. A parent considering this school should feel confident in the academic program but may want to inquire directly about the availability of special education services, English learner supports, and the specific socioeconomic mix, since that data was not reported. For families who value high measured achievement in a stable, urban setting with a large and growing city’s resources, this school is a clear fit.
See more original research from School Decision →