Benton Elementary

Summary:

Benton Elementary is a public elementary school in Benton, Tennessee, serving 370 students in grades PK-5 as part of the Polk County School District. The school has a predominantly white student population and generally higher academic performance compared to the district and state averages, though its statewide ranking fluctuates.

Benton Elementary's academic performance, as measured by TNReady test scores, is stronger than the Polk County and Tennessee averages in Mathematics (39.8% proficiency) and English Language Arts (36.9% proficiency). However, the school's statewide ranking has ranged from 268th to 520th out of over 1,000 elementary schools in Tennessee, placing it in the middle to lower range of performance. Interestingly, female students and white students tend to outperform their peers in the special education and low socioeconomic status subgroups.

When compared to nearby schools like South Polk Elementary, D.P. Yates Primary, and Calhoun Elementary, Benton Elementary's academic performance is generally on par or slightly higher, particularly in Mathematics and English Language Arts. The school's consistent performance, adequate resources, and stable enrollment suggest it is providing a solid educational foundation, though further analysis may be needed to address the observed performance gaps among different student subgroups.


Detail:

Public PK, KG-5

 215 Schoolhouse Hill RD
       Benton, TN  37307


(423) 299-0090

District: Polk County

SchoolDigger Rank:
525th of 1,018 Tennessee Elementary Schools


Students who attend Benton Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Chilhowee Middle School
High:    Polk County High School

Student/teacher ratio:  13.4 Help
Number of students:  370

Racial breakdown:

White:
94.3%
Hispanic:
2.7%
African American:
2.4%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  68% Help


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Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Benton Elementary ranks worse than 51.6% of elementary schools in Tennessee. (See more...)
Help
Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 46.22. (See more...)
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Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.
Finance
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Benton Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Benton Elementary 525th of 1018 Tennessee public elementary schools. (See Benton Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Special Education students:
Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
White students:


Polk County:

SchoolDigger ranks Polk County 91st of 140 Tennessee school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for Benton Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Benton Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools TN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2010 59.15 340th 809 58.0%
2011 73.69 200th 818 75.6%
2012 55.54 390th 820 52.4%
2013 67.41 282nd 846 66.7%
2014 55.58 364th 853 57.3%
2015 52.92 434th 855 49.2%
2018 40.67 579th 997 41.9%
2019 53.85 380th 985 61.4%
2021 59.42 319th 983 67.5%
2022 65.95 268th 1000 73.2%
2023 60.43 345th 1020 66.2%
2024 46.22 525th 1018 48.4%
See the entire list of Tennessee Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Benton Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools TN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 30.18 295th 395 25.3%
2023 35.32 338th 528 36.0%
2024 47.07 237th 582 59.3%
See the entire list of Best Tennessee Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Benton Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools TN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 55.62 315th 877 64.1%
2019 62.53 203rd 821 75.3%
2021 65.02 177th 823 78.5%
2022 58.75 269th 858 68.6%
2023 68.79 180th 865 79.2%
2024 48.01 418th 853 51.0%
See the entire list of Best Tennessee Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Benton Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools TN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 43.97 493rd 926 46.8%
2021 63.41 254th 945 73.1%
2022 72.96 184th 975 81.1%
2023 59.32 339th 989 65.7%
2024 46.89 504th 990 49.1%
See the entire list of Best Tennessee Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Benton Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools TN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 60.80 284th 916 69.0%
2021 52.43 379th 941 59.7%
2022 54.71 372nd 980 62.0%
2023 57.47 359th 987 63.6%
2024 44.66 533rd 991 46.2%
See the entire list of Best Tennessee Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for White students at Benton Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools TN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 29.38 643rd 841 23.5%
2019 41.24 460th 812 43.3%
2021 47.95 388th 844 54.0%
2022 52.95 336th 844 60.2%
2023 48.97 395th 852 53.6%
2024 31.84 602nd 847 28.9%
See the entire list of Best Tennessee Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Tennessee Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Benton Elementary Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 






Data source: Tennessee Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Benton Elementary

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 641 0 0 0 0 n/a n/a 0 641
1989 619 n/a 5 n/a n/a n/a n/a 0 624
1990 629 0 2 0 0 n/a n/a 0 631
1991 640 0 0 0 0 n/a n/a 0 640
1992 622 0 0 0 0 n/a n/a 0 622
1993 583 0 3 2 0 n/a n/a 1 589
1994 609 1 2 2 0 n/a n/a 0 614
1995 614 1 0 3 0 n/a n/a 0 618
1996 614 1 0 3 0 n/a n/a 0 618
1997 656 0 0 6 0 n/a n/a 8 670
1998 689 0 0 2 0 n/a n/a -1 690
1999 691 3 0 3 0 n/a n/a 0 697
2000 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 724 724
2002 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 490 490
2003 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 490 490
2004 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 513 513
2005 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 527 527
2006 545 0 1 4 0 n/a n/a 0 550
2007 550 5 3 5 0 n/a n/a 0 563
2008 526 2 1 7 0 n/a n/a 0 536
2009 520 2 0 11 0 n/a n/a 0 533
2010 505 3 0 14 0 n/a n/a 0 522
2011 512 2 0 13 2 0 1 0 530
2012 507 3 0 14 3 0 0 0 527
2013 473 3 0 19 3 0 2 0 500
2014 455 2 0 15 1 0 0 0 473
2015 433 4 0 14 2 0 2 0 455
2016 440 7 0 13 1 0 1 0 462
2017 451 8 0 10 3 0 2 0 474
2018 410 7 0 8 1 0 1 0 427
2019 406 6 0 14 0 0 3 0 429
2020 370 6 1 8 0 0 4 0 389
2021 321 9 0 8 1 0 4 0 343
2022 359 10 1 9 0 0 1 0 380
2023 349 9 1 10 0 0 1 0 370

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Benton Elementary

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 641 32.0 20.0 n/a
1989 624 32.0 19.5 n/a
1990 631 32.0 19.7 n/a
1991 640 33.0 19.3 n/a
1992 622 33.0 18.8 n/a
1993 589 33.0 17.8 n/a
1994 614 33.0 18.6 n/a
1995 618 35.0 17.7 n/a
1996 618 35.0 17.7 n/a
1997 670 n/a 0.0 n/a
1998 690 n/a 0.0 n/a
1999 697 n/a 0.0 n/a
2000 724 n/a 0.0 n/a
2002 490 n/a n/a n/a
2003 490 n/a n/a n/a
2004 513 n/a n/a n/a
2005 527 n/a n/a n/a
2006 550 33.0 16.7 n/a
2007 563 36.0 15.6 54.5
2008 536 36.8 14.6 60.6
2009 533 34.0 15.7 59.3
2010 522 34.7 15.0 69
2011 530 36.0 14.7 64.7
2012 527 34.9 15.1 68.5
2013 500 33.0 15.1 76
2014 473 28.4 16.6 64.1
2015 455 28.0 16.2 70.3
2016 462 27.0 17.1 68
2017 474 27.8 17.0 n/a
2018 427 26.5 16.1 n/a
2019 429 25.0 17.1 n/a
2020 389 24.0 16.2 n/a
2021 343 22.5 15.2 n/a
2022 380 25.5 14.9 n/a
2023 370 27.5 13.4 n/a

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Benton Elementary

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 641 32.0 20.0 n/a
1989 624 32.0 19.5 n/a
1990 631 32.0 19.7 n/a
1991 640 33.0 19.3 n/a
1992 622 33.0 18.8 n/a
1993 589 33.0 17.8 n/a
1994 614 33.0 18.6 n/a
1995 618 35.0 17.7 n/a
1996 618 35.0 17.7 n/a
1997 670 n/a 0.0 n/a
1998 690 n/a 0.0 n/a
1999 697 n/a 0.0 n/a
2000 724 n/a 0.0 n/a
2002 490 n/a n/a n/a
2003 490 n/a n/a n/a
2004 513 n/a n/a n/a
2005 527 n/a n/a n/a
2006 550 33.0 16.7 n/a
2007 563 36.0 15.6 54.5
2008 536 36.8 14.6 60.6
2009 533 34.0 15.7 59.3
2010 522 34.7 15.0 69
2011 530 36.0 14.7 64.7
2012 527 34.9 15.1 68.5
2013 500 33.0 15.1 76
2014 473 28.4 16.6 64.1
2015 455 28.0 16.2 70.3
2016 462 27.0 17.1 68
2017 474 27.8 17.0 n/a
2018 427 26.5 16.1 n/a
2019 429 25.0 17.1 n/a
2020 389 24.0 16.2 n/a
2021 343 22.5 15.2 n/a
2022 380 25.5 14.9 n/a
2023 370 27.5 13.4 n/a

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Benton Elementary

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $659 (7.0%) $8,357 (88.3%) $9,464
2020 $631 (6.5%) $8,475 (87.8%) $9,650
2021 $1,051 (9.7%) $9,311 (85.6%) $10,883
2022 $1,831 (14.0%) $10,536 (80.4%) $13,107
2023 $2,233 (21.4%) $6,831 (65.4%) $10,441

Data source: Tennessee Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Benton Elementary

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 380th of 985 Elementary schoolsRanks 345th of 1020 Elementary schools
 4.8%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
3rd Grade Mathematics (Benton Elementary)57.740
 17.7%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (Polk County)50.434.2
 16.2%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (Tennessee)43.840.5
 3.3%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Benton Elementary)48.145
 3.1%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (Polk County)34.336.8
 2.5%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (Tennessee)36.940.5
 3.6%
4th Grade Mathematics (Benton Elementary)44.358
 13.7%
   4th Grade Mathematics (Polk County)5054.3
 4.3%
   4th Grade Mathematics (Tennessee)4643.6
 2.4%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Benton Elementary)23.950
 26.1%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (Polk County)32.452.7
 20.3%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (Tennessee)34.343.5
 9.2%
5th Grade Mathematics (Benton Elementary)4450
 6%
   5th Grade Mathematics (Polk County)48.546.4
 2.1%
   5th Grade Mathematics (Tennessee)46.241.3
 4.9%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Benton Elementary)3232.3
 0.3%
   5th Grade English Language Arts (Polk County)40.236.5
 3.7%
   5th Grade English Language Arts (Tennessee)35.237
 1.8%
All Grades Mathematics (Benton Elementary)47.748.9
 1.2%
   All Grades Mathematics (Polk County)41.538.4
 3.1%
   All Grades Mathematics (Tennessee)40.838.1
 2.7%
All Grades English Language Arts (Benton Elementary)33.341.7
 8.4%
   All Grades English Language Arts (Polk County)31.636.7
 5.1%
   All Grades English Language Arts (Tennessee)33.736.6
 2.9%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students429370
 13.8%
African American69
 50%
American Indian00
Asian01
Hispanic1410
 28.6%
Pacific Islander00
White406349
 14%
Two or More Races31
 66.7%


Schools Near Benton Elementary









Frequently Asked Questions about Benton Elementary

Students at Benton Elementary are 94% White, 3% Hispanic, 2% African American.

In the 2022-23 school year, 370 students attended Benton Elementary.

Students who attend Benton Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Chilhowee Middle School
High : Polk County High School

Benton Elementary ranks 525th of 1018 Tennessee elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Tennessee Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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