The top reported proficiency rate is 46% in Math. The lowest is 31% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Watt Hardison Elementary
Watt Hardison Elementary is a regular public school in Portland, Tennessee, serving kindergarten through fifth grade as part of Sumner County Schools. The school is located on Gibson Street in the heart of Portland, a small city that straddles Sumner and Robertson counties and sits within the Nashville metropolitan area.
Portland has been growing rapidly, a trend tied to the expansion of the Nashville region. The city was historically an agricultural town known as the strawberry capital of Tennessee, but it has evolved into a manufacturing and industrial hub. Major employers include Daido America, Kyowa America, and Unipres, all operating plants in the city. The population has been rising, and infrastructure investments such as a new Interstate 65 interchange and a highway corridor project connecting to Interstate 40 are underway. The city remains car-dependent, with a downtown Main Street that developed around the original L&N railroad depot and a small-town feel. The Middle Tennessee Strawberry Festival, the longest-running festival in Sumner County, is a civic anchor.
Watt Hardison Elementary enrolls a student body that is predominantly White, with a Hispanic population making up a notable share and smaller shares of Black students and students of two or more races. The school is roughly of a size typical for an elementary school serving its grade band. Data on the share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch was not available, nor were counts of students receiving special education services or English learner support, so a fuller picture of the school's economic and academic support context is incomplete.
On the Tennessee state assessments, known as TNReady, the school’s results show that a little under half of students scored at the proficient level or above in both math and English language arts. Science results were similar, with just under half of students reaching proficiency. Those figures place student performance below the midpoint of what many families consider a strong result. Social studies data is older and from a different test version, so it is not comparable to the current results. A parent considering the school may want to ask the school directly about what steps are being taken to improve academic outcomes and how the school supports students who are not yet meeting the proficiency benchmark.
The school is not a charter school, and there is no information available about whether it operates as a magnet school or participates in Title I programs. The locale brief describes Portland as a place where schools and civic life are integrated into or near the town center, consistent with the city's historical development pattern.
Because the school serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate or high school academic measures to report. The comparison set that would place the school relative to other schools in Sumner County was too small for a meaningful comparison, so this school cannot be benchmarked against its neighbors on measures like overall proficiency or chronic absenteeism.
Overall, Watt Hardison Elementary sits in a growing, industrially focused small city within commuting distance of Nashville. The school community is predominantly White with some diversity, and the academic results on state tests suggest that about half of students are meeting grade-level expectations. Families who want a more complete view of the school’s environment will need to inquire directly about special education services, English learner support, and the school’s approach to raising student achievement.
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