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What do you wish you knew before starting at Bess T Shepherd Elementary?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
546
Elementary
DISTRICT 528 · STATE 470
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·HAMILTON COUNTY·NCES 470159000618
Bess T Shepherd Elementary School
7126 Tyner RD, Chattanooga, TN 37421 · (423) 855-2611 · Hamilton County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY12-CITYREGULAR SCHOOL546 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
,
Teacher data unavailable
STATE 19.7:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
,
Title I proxy
STATE -0%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 6 | 1% |
| Kindergarten | 89 | 16% |
| Grade 1 | 90 | 16% |
| Grade 2 | 87 | 16% |
| Grade 3 | 92 | 17% |
| Grade 4 | 97 | 18% |
| Grade 5 | 85 | 16% |
This year's kindergarten class (89) is about the same size as its 5th grade class (85).
Student demographics
65%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 69% · STATE 61% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
TCAP 2024-25 . % On Track or MasteredEnglish Language Arts
25.5%
TN avg 40.9% . +7.2pp since 2022
Math
20.5%
TN avg 39.3% . -3.3pp since 2022
What this means: On the TCAP, Tennessee's statewide test, about 26 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 21 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Tennessee schools, those numbers are about 41 and 39. Reading and writing scores are up about 7 points since 2022, while math scores are down about 3 points.
TCAP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 25.5% | 20.5% |
| 2023-24 | 21.2% | 26.4% |
| 2022-23 | 18.3% | 23.8% |
% On Track or Mastered, all students and all tested grades.
Source: TCAP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
Where Bess T Shepherd Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Tennessee | In Hamilton County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 20.5% | #840 of 957 ▼ 112 | #34 of 42 ▼ 2 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 25.5% | #783 of 959 ▲ 30 | #27 of 42 ▲ 2 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 546 | #342 of 1,044 | #19 of 42 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 65.1% | #116 of 962 | #11 of 42 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +2.1% | #304 of 348 | #18 of 19 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
546
+7 (+1%) vs 2020
-1% since 2000-01, when it was 554
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 546 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2023-24 | 494 | 35.1 | 14.1:1 | N/A |
| 2022-23 | 496 | 37.5 | 13.2:1 | N/A |
| 2020-21 | 539 | 41 | 13.2:1 | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 535 | 36 | 14.9:1 | N/A |
| 2015-16 | 545 | 41 | 13.3:1 | 91% (494) |
| 2010-11 | 543 | 35 | 15.5:1 | 84% (457) |
| 2000-01 | 554 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Bess T Shepherd Elementary School.
About Bess T Shepherd Elementary School
Bess T Shepherd Elementary School is a public elementary school run by Hamilton County in Chattanooga, Tennessee. School enrollment was 546 students in 2024-25, in pre-K through 5.
Hamilton County is the district for Bess T Shepherd Elementary School. It has 82 schools and 45,981 students.
Black students are the largest group at Bess T Shepherd Elementary School, with 47% of enrollment. Next come 34% Hispanic, 10% White, 8% multiracial, and 2% Asian. The county population is about 17% Black. Bess T Shepherd Elementary School has a diversity index of 65%, compared with 70% for all US public school students.
Among Hamilton County residents, median household income is about $76,183, 38% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 9% of people live in poverty. Federal data list 82 public schools in Hamilton County, with a combined enrollment of about 45,981.
The shortest distance from Bess T Shepherd Elementary School to another public school is about 0.4 miles, to Tyner Academy. The five-mile area around Bess T Shepherd Elementary School holds at least 8 other public schools.
The school's locale code, City: Mid-size, means it is inside a principal city with a population between 100,000 and 250,000.
Enrollment at Bess T Shepherd Elementary School was 539 in 2020-21 and 546 in 2024-25, a change of less than 3%.
Topics for discussion here include school safety, transportation, and start times. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
Hamilton County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
376,192
Census ACS
Median income
$76,183
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
38%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
9%
Below federal line
Schools in county
82
45,981 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Hamilton County
- Signal Mountain Middle/High SchoolHigh · 1,396 students
- The Howard SchoolHigh · 1,329 students
- East Hamilton High SchoolHigh · 1,293 students
- Ooltewah High SchoolHigh · 1,233 students
- East Brainerd Elementary SchoolElementary · 1,177 students
- Soddy Daisy High SchoolHigh · 1,122 students
Other schools in Chattanooga
- The Howard SchoolHigh · 1,329 students
- East Brainerd Elementary SchoolElementary · 1,177 students
- Chattanooga School For The Liberal ArtsCombined · 979 students
- East Ridge Elementary SchoolElementary · 959 students
- Normal Park Museum Magnet SchoolElementary · 877 students
- East Ridge High SchoolHigh · 867 students
Nearby schools
- Tyner Academy0.4 mi · 632
- Tyner Middle Academy0.4 mi · 401
- Hamilton County Virtual School1.1 mi · 254
- East Brainerd Elementary School2.3 mi · 1,177
- Chattanooga School For The Liberal Arts2.9 mi · 979
- Harrison Elementary School3.4 mi · 775
Frequently asked questions
About Bess T Shepherd Elementary SchoolHow many students attend Bess T Shepherd Elementary School?
Bess T Shepherd Elementary School enrolls approximately 546 students in grades PK-05.
What grades does Bess T Shepherd Elementary School serve?
Bess T Shepherd Elementary School serves grades PK-05.
What is the student diversity at Bess T Shepherd Elementary School?
Student demographics at Bess T Shepherd Elementary School are roughly 10% White, 34% Hispanic, 47% Black, 2% Asian, 8% Two or more.
What district is Bess T Shepherd Elementary School in?
Bess T Shepherd Elementary School is part of Hamilton County.
What city is Bess T Shepherd Elementary School in?
Bess T Shepherd Elementary School is located in Chattanooga, TN.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.