The top reported proficiency rate is 33% in Science. The lowest is 23% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Roy L Waldron Elementary
Roy L Waldron Elementary serves students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public school within the Rutherford County district, located in the city of La Vergne. It is a very large elementary school by enrollment, and its student body reflects the diversity of the surrounding community. La Vergne itself is a suburban city that has grown steadily, with a mix of residential subdivisions, industrial and distribution centers, and a highway-oriented layout. The city is racially and ethnically diverse, and Niche has ranked it as the most diverse suburb in Tennessee. That diversity carries directly into Waldron’s classrooms, where Hispanic students make up the largest share, followed by Black and White students, with smaller groups of Asian, two-or-more-races, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students.
Academically, state assessment results from the most recent testing year show that proficiency in math and English language arts fell in the low twenties, with science proficiency somewhat higher. Social studies data was only available from an older year under a different test format, so current comparisons are not possible. The school’s overall proficiency index, which averages results across tested subjects and grades, placed it below the midpoint among districts in Rutherford County. Because the county contains only two districts, that means Waldron’s performance was the lower of the two. The school’s participation rate on state tests was very high, so the results reflect nearly all enrolled students in tested grades.
Several pieces of context that can help a parent understand the school are not available in the provided data. The share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals, the percentage of students with individualized education programs, and the English learner population were all missing from the records. These gaps mean that the degree of economic and academic need among the student body is not directly described here. A parent may want to ask the school or district for that information directly, as it often shapes what kinds of extra supports a school provides.
The district in which Waldron sits, Rutherford County, has made recent investments that affect every school. Voters approved a bond referendum in 2022 to fund new construction and renovations, and the district has been adding schools to keep up with enrollment growth that has been running at a substantial number of new students each year. A new literacy curriculum aligned with Tennessee’s Reading 360 initiative was implemented district-wide beginning in the 2021-2022 school year, shifting all elementary schools to phonics-based reading instruction. The district also completed a 1:1 technology initiative by the 2024-2025 school year, providing a computing device for every student. These are system-wide changes, so Waldron students participate in them, but how well they are implemented at the school level is not documented in the data here.
The housing market in La Vergne shows home values and rents that are roughly in line with national norms relative to incomes, with the typical estimated monthly mortgage cost slightly above the typical rent. The area has attracted industrial and distribution investment, including an Amazon center and the ICEE Corporation headquarters, and the city promotes its affordability. The community is auto-oriented, with no traditional walkable downtown; schools are spread across the city rather than clustered.
For a family considering Roy L Waldron, the picture is straightforward. The school serves a large, diverse population of elementary students in a growing suburban setting. The district has put resources into literacy instruction and technology. But the academic proficiency numbers on state assessments are low, and the school’s performance relative to other districts in the county is the weaker side of a two-district comparison. A parent should expect to engage actively with the school about what supports are in place for students who are not yet meeting the state’s proficient threshold, and whether the school offers any enrichment or intervention programs beyond the core curriculum. The missing demographic and special- population data makes it harder to judge the full context of student needs, so direct inquiry with the school would be valuable.
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