Isaiah T. Creswell Middle School of the Arts, Nashville TN

Original Research by School Decision on Isaiah T. Creswell Middle School of the Arts

Isaiah T. Creswell Middle School of the Arts is a regular public school serving grades five through eight within Metro Nashville Public Schools, the large urban district covering Davidson County. The school sits in a northwest section of Nashville, a fast-growing state capital and consolidated city-county that is a center for the music industry, healthcare, and higher education. Housing in Nashville has become expensive, with home values and rents rising sharply, reflecting the city’s economic growth and desirability. For families considering a move, the cost of living near this school is in line with the broader metropolitan market.

The school is small for its grade band, enrolling a few hundred students across four grade levels. The student body is predominantly Black, with a much smaller share of White students, a modest Hispanic population, and small numbers of multiracial and Asian students. Data on free or reduced-price meal eligibility, special education, and English learner status were not available, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about the level of economic and academic support resources.

On the most recent state assessments, proficiency rates were modest. In English language arts, about a quarter of students scored at the proficient level or above; in math and science, the share was somewhat lower. Social studies was a relative bright spot, with a larger share reaching proficiency. The school’s overall proficiency index, which averages results across tested subjects, sits above the midpoint when compared with the school districts in Davidson County. That is a positive relative position, but it is important to note that the county contains only a handful of districts, so the comparison set is small. In absolute terms, a majority of students are not yet meeting grade-level benchmarks on state tests, something a parent may want to explore further with the school regarding academic interventions and enrichment.

The school’s name signals a focus on the arts, but public data on specific arts programs, course offerings, or partnerships were not available. It is not a charter or magnet school; it operates as a traditional zoned public school within the district. No recent district-level changes with lasting impact on parents were identified in publicly reported information, so families would likely experience the school within MNPS’s existing structure.

Given the absence of data on chronic absenteeism, discipline, staffing, and after-school access, a parent may wish to visit the school, speak with current families, and inquire about those areas directly. The school does offer a full grade span for middle school, from fifth through eighth grade, which may appeal to families looking for continuity through those years. For a family weighing options in Nashville, Creswell sits in a large, dynamic urban school system where school-by-school variation can be wide; the arts emphasis in the name and the relative proficiency standing are starting points to investigate further.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grades 3-818%

School 18% · District 32% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

English language arts

Grades 3-828%

School 28% · District 31% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Science

Grades 3-828%

School 28% · District 34% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median · even with county median

Social studies

Grades 3-843%

School 43% · District 38% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

This schoolDavidson County, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 5Lower-income13%Higher-income37%24 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income15%Higher-income41%26 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income27%Higher-income41%15 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income8%Higher-income21%13 pp gap

Grades 3-8Lower-income17%Higher-income36%19 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 7Lower-income20%Higher-income29%9 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income15%Higher-income20%5 pp gap

Grades 3-8Lower-income10%Higher-income22%12 pp gap