The top reported proficiency rate is 37% in Social studies. The lowest is 19% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on A. Z. Kelley Elementary
A. Z. Kelley Elementary serves students from pre-kindergarten through fourth grade in the Antioch neighborhood of Nashville. The school is part of Davidson County, which is Metro Nashville Public Schools. Antioch is a rapidly growing, diverse area southeast of downtown Nashville that has transformed from farmland and a commuter town into a major employment center. The neighborhood is primarily car-dependent and suburban in its layout, with commercial life concentrated around redeveloped properties like the former Hickory Hollow Mall, which now houses a community college satellite campus, a library, a recreation center, and an ice hockey facility. Major employers including healthcare, tech, and logistics companies have located offices in Antioch, and the area continues to see significant mixed-use redevelopment and residential growth.
The enrollment at A. Z. Kelley is spread across pre-kindergarten through fourth grade, with a noticeable concentration in the elementary grades rather than pre-K. The student body reflects Antioch's diversity. Among students whose race or ethnicity is reported, the largest groups are Black or African American and Hispanic, with Asian and white students also present in meaningful shares, and a smaller share of students identifying as two or more races. Data on the share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, as well as the share of students with disabilities or who are English learners, was not available in the source data.
State testing results for A. Z. Kelley Elementary, based on the Tennessee TNReady assessments, show that student proficiency is below typical benchmarks. In math, roughly a quarter of students tested scored at the proficient or advanced level. In English language arts, the share was slightly lower. Science results were similar to ELA. The data for social studies comes from an earlier year with a different assessment, making direct comparison unreliable; in that year, a larger share of students scored proficient, but the test and scoring have since changed. Taken together, the school's overall proficiency across tested subjects places it above the midpoint when compared to other elementary schools in Davidson County, which is a district with a broad range of performance levels. The school had strong participation rates on the tests, meaning nearly all students were assessed.
A few things a parent should note. Because the school serves only pre-kindergarten through fourth grade, there is no graduation rate to report, and no data on high school outcomes such as college readiness or advanced coursework. The school's mission and academic supports are not detailed in the data, and the district brief turned up no publicly reported changes to Metro Nashville Public Schools in recent years that would affect families at this school. The school is a regular public school and not a charter or magnet. Housing values in the Antioch ZIP code have seen a modest decline recently, and rents have edged down slightly, though both remain substantial. A typical mortgage payment here would run higher than a typical rent payment by a noticeable margin.
For a family considering this school, the key takeaway is that academic proficiency rates are below state averages, but the surrounding district includes a wide spread of outcomes, and this school lands in the upper half of that spread. The student body is diverse, the neighborhood is growing and attracting commercial investment, and the school is in a part of Nashville that has seen a lot of change. Parents would want to talk directly with the school about how it supports students who are not yet meeting proficiency benchmarks and what enrichment or intervention programs are in place, since that information is not available in the public data reviewed here.
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