The top reported proficiency rate is 46% in Science. The lowest is 42% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Rocky Fork Elementary School
Rocky Fork Elementary School serves students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in Smyrna, a rapidly growing suburban town in Rutherford County. The school is a regular public elementary school within the Rutherford County district, and it is not a charter or magnet school. The school's enrollment is large for an elementary school, and it draws from a community that has seen explosive population growth driven by industrial employers like the Nissan assembly plant and suburban expansion from the Nashville metropolitan area.
The student body is diverse. White students make up the largest share, followed by Hispanic students, Black students, Asian students, and students who identify as two or more races. The school does not report the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, nor does it report the share of students with disabilities or English learners, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about the level of economic diversity and the availability of support services for those populations.
Rocky Fork Elementary is a large school, serving students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. The school's academic performance on the state's TNReady assessments places it above the midpoint among districts in Rutherford County when looking at overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades. On the math assessment, a share of students scored at the proficient or above level. On the English language arts assessment, a similar share of students scored proficient or above. In science, the share of students scoring proficient or above was slightly higher. These results give a mixed picture: the school is performing in the middle range relative to other schools in the county, but a substantial portion of students are not yet reaching the proficient benchmark. A parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand how the school supports students who are below that level and what the trajectory of improvement looks like.
The school is part of the Rutherford County district, which has seen rapid enrollment growth and has responded with a voter-approved bond referendum to fund new school construction and renovations. The district has also implemented a new phonics-based literacy curriculum across all elementary schools and completed a 1:1 technology initiative providing a computing device for every student. These district-level changes mean that Rocky Fork Elementary is operating within a system that is actively investing in facilities, curriculum, and technology.
Smyrna itself is a car-dependent suburban town that has experienced explosive population growth, driven by the Nissan assembly plant and other industrial employers, as well as suburban expansion from the Nashville area. The town has a family-oriented residential base, with a large share of households having children under 18. Housing values in the area are above the national median, and rents are also above the national median, reflecting the demand from the growing population. The town has parks, greenway trails, and an outdoor water park, but the built environment is dominated by subdivisions and commercial strips rather than a walkable downtown.
Rocky Fork Elementary is a school that sits in the middle of the pack academically within its county, serving a large and diverse student body in a rapidly growing suburban community. The district is investing in facilities and curriculum, and the school benefits from those investments. A family considering this school should weigh the school's current academic performance against the broader context of a district that is expanding and making changes, and should ask about the specific supports available for students who are not yet meeting proficiency benchmarks.
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