Watt Hardison Elementary

Summary:

Watt Hardison Elementary is a public elementary school in Portland, Tennessee, serving 445 students in grades K-5 and part of the Sumner County School District, which is ranked 28 out of 139 districts in the state.

While Watt Hardison Elementary has a higher percentage of White students (77.53%) compared to nearby schools, its academic performance, as measured by TNReady test scores, is generally lower than the Sumner County and Tennessee state averages across all subjects and grade levels. For example, in 2023-2024, the school's proficiency rates in Mathematics (49.1%), English Language Arts (46.2%), and Science (42.5%) were all below the district and state averages. The school's statewide ranking has fluctuated over the years, ranging from 283 out of 985 Tennessee elementary schools in 2018-2019 to 665 out of 846 in 2012-2013, with the most recent ranking at 345 out of 1,008 in 2023-2024.

Interestingly, Watt Hardison Elementary's performance varies significantly across different student subgroups, with its African American students ranking 20 out of 494 Tennessee elementary schools (5 stars) in 2023-2024, while its White students ranked 411 out of 840 (3 stars). This suggests the school may be effectively supporting certain subgroups while struggling to meet the needs of others. Additionally, the school's racial composition has shifted over the years, with a decrease in the percentage of White students and an increase in the percentage of Hispanic students, which could be an indicator of changing demographics in the area. The school's spending per student has also increased, from $9,168 in 2018-2019 to $10,615 in 2020-2021, but the impact of this increased spending on academic outcomes is not clear.


Detail:

Public K-5

 300 Gibson ST
       Portland, TN  37148


(615) 325-3233

District: Sumner County

SchoolDigger Rank:
347th of 1,018 Tennessee Elementary Schools


Students who attend Watt Hardison Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Portland West Middle School
High:    Portland High School

Student/teacher ratio:  15.8 Help
Number of students:  445

Racial breakdown:

White:
77.5%
Hispanic:
12.4%
Two or more races:
5.6%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  54.4% Help


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Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Watt Hardison Elementary ranks better than 65.9% of elementary schools in Tennessee. (See more...)
Help
Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 59.86. (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:

Watt Hardison Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Watt Hardison Elementary 347th of 1018 Tennessee public elementary schools. (See Watt Hardison 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:
African American students:
Hispanic students:
White students:


Sumner County:

SchoolDigger ranks Sumner County 28th of 140 Tennessee school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Your rating for Watt Hardison Elementary?

Rank History for Watt Hardison Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Watt Hardison Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools TN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2010 23.57 673rd 809 16.8%
2011 55.63 384th 818 53.1%
2012 32.26 621st 820 24.3%
2013 39.66 665th 846 21.4%
2014 40.99 559th 853 34.5%
2015 40.60 598th 855 30.1%
2017 46.97 329th 646 49.1%
2018 50.71 443rd 997 55.6%
2019 63.73 283rd 985 71.3%
2021 57.68 335th 983 65.9%
2022 43.30 542nd 1000 45.8%
2023 45.24 544th 1020 46.7%
2024 59.86 347th 1018 65.9%
See the entire list of Tennessee Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Watt Hardison Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools TN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 45.68 177th 395 55.2%
2019 31.34 184th 255 27.8%
2022 37.86 252nd 447 43.6%
2023 21.78 466th 528 11.7%
2024 49.05 225th 582 61.3%
See the entire list of Best Tennessee Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Watt Hardison Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools TN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 45.21 468th 877 46.6%
2019 64.20 185th 821 77.5%
2021 81.04 62nd 823 92.5%
2022 52.28 361st 858 57.9%
2023 52.18 371st 865 57.1%
2024 49.02 402nd 853 52.9%
See the entire list of Best Tennessee Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Watt Hardison Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools TN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 66.70 243rd 926 73.8%
2021 54.69 356th 945 62.3%
2022 42.96 530th 975 45.6%
2023 42.29 554th 989 44.0%
2024 63.04 299th 990 69.8%
See the entire list of Best Tennessee Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Watt Hardison Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools TN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 58.92 303rd 916 66.9%
2021 56.77 330th 941 64.9%
2022 40.90 554th 980 43.5%
2023 45.88 503rd 987 49.0%
2024 52.70 430th 991 56.6%
See the entire list of Best Tennessee Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Watt Hardison Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools TN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 95.91 20th 498 96.0%
See the entire list of Best Tennessee Elementary Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Watt Hardison Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools TN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 53.20 171st 415 58.8%
See the entire list of Best Tennessee Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Watt Hardison Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools TN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 37.00 538th 841 36.0%
2019 49.06 363rd 812 55.3%
2021 45.25 423rd 844 49.9%
2022 33.22 587th 844 30.5%
2023 32.70 602nd 852 29.3%
2024 47.00 414th 847 51.1%
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.

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






Data source: Tennessee Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)
100%

0%

0%

0%

0%

  

Reviews:
by a parent
Saturday, January 26, 2019

Open Quote Great School nice staff newly renovated my kids love it there. Close Quote



Enrollment information for Watt Hardison Elementary

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 542 10 0 1 0 n/a n/a 0 553
1989 577 10 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 0 587
1990 569 7 0 0 0 n/a n/a 0 576
1991 573 9 0 0 0 n/a n/a 0 582
1992 613 10 0 0 0 n/a n/a 0 623
1993 575 17 0 3 0 n/a n/a 0 595
1994 574 14 0 1 1 n/a n/a 0 590
1995 597 21 3 5 1 n/a n/a 0 627
1996 597 21 3 5 1 n/a n/a 0 627
1997 625 21 3 11 0 n/a n/a 0 660
1998 613 47 3 5 1 n/a n/a 0 669
1999 476 34 0 6 2 n/a n/a 0 518
2000 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 437 437
2001 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 554 554
2002 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 651 651
2003 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 651 651
2004 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 586 586
2005 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 597 597
2006 569 26 0 14 2 n/a n/a 0 611
2007 565 45 2 20 2 n/a n/a 0 634
2008 576 42 3 21 1 n/a n/a 0 643
2009 561 40 5 25 2 n/a n/a 0 633
2010 333 13 4 31 1 n/a n/a 0 382
2011 382 15 3 38 0 1 3 0 442
2012 377 16 7 48 0 1 4 0 453
2013 375 11 7 59 0 1 4 0 457
2014 398 7 3 65 0 1 9 0 483
2015 386 14 3 70 1 1 14 0 489
2016 416 15 3 62 1 0 11 0 508
2017 368 15 1 27 2 2 8 0 423
2018 385 19 1 16 1 1 4 0 427
2019 370 13 1 18 1 2 7 0 412
2020 347 15 2 31 0 2 9 0 406
2021 307 18 1 36 0 2 11 0 375
2022 330 11 0 44 0 1 19 0 405
2023 345 19 0 55 0 1 25 0 445

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 Watt Hardison Elementary

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 553 28.0 19.7 n/a
1989 587 28.0 20.9 n/a
1990 576 28.0 20.5 n/a
1991 582 31.0 18.7 n/a
1992 623 31.0 20.0 n/a
1993 595 31.0 19.2 n/a
1994 590 33.0 17.9 n/a
1995 627 38.0 16.5 n/a
1996 627 38.0 16.5 n/a
1997 660 n/a 0.0 n/a
1998 669 n/a 0.0 n/a
1999 518 n/a 0.0 n/a
2000 437 n/a 0.0 n/a
2001 554 n/a 0.0 n/a
2002 651 n/a n/a n/a
2003 651 n/a n/a n/a
2004 586 n/a n/a n/a
2005 597 n/a n/a n/a
2006 611 36.0 17.0 n/a
2007 634 40.5 15.7 34.4
2008 643 39.5 16.3 39.5
2009 633 38.0 16.7 46
2010 382 27.0 14.1 77.5
2011 442 27.0 16.3 52
2012 453 30.0 15.1 62.3
2013 457 33.0 13.8 65
2014 483 32.0 15.0 67.5
2015 489 35.0 13.9 54.4
2016 508 32.0 15.8 60
2017 423 31.0 13.6 n/a
2018 427 32.0 13.3 n/a
2019 412 29.0 14.2 n/a
2020 406 31.5 12.8 54.4
2021 375 29.5 12.7 n/a
2022 405 27.5 14.7 n/a
2023 445 28.0 15.8 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 Watt Hardison Elementary

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 553 28.0 19.7 n/a
1989 587 28.0 20.9 n/a
1990 576 28.0 20.5 n/a
1991 582 31.0 18.7 n/a
1992 623 31.0 20.0 n/a
1993 595 31.0 19.2 n/a
1994 590 33.0 17.9 n/a
1995 627 38.0 16.5 n/a
1996 627 38.0 16.5 n/a
1997 660 n/a 0.0 n/a
1998 669 n/a 0.0 n/a
1999 518 n/a 0.0 n/a
2000 437 n/a 0.0 n/a
2001 554 n/a 0.0 n/a
2002 651 n/a n/a n/a
2003 651 n/a n/a n/a
2004 586 n/a n/a n/a
2005 597 n/a n/a n/a
2006 611 36.0 17.0 n/a
2007 634 40.5 15.7 34.4
2008 643 39.5 16.3 39.5
2009 633 38.0 16.7 46
2010 382 27.0 14.1 77.5
2011 442 27.0 16.3 52
2012 453 30.0 15.1 62.3
2013 457 33.0 13.8 65
2014 483 32.0 15.0 67.5
2015 489 35.0 13.9 54.4
2016 508 32.0 15.8 60
2017 423 31.0 13.6 n/a
2018 427 32.0 13.3 n/a
2019 412 29.0 14.2 n/a
2020 406 31.5 12.8 54.4
2021 375 29.5 12.7 n/a
2022 405 27.5 14.7 n/a
2023 445 28.0 15.8 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 Watt Hardison Elementary

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $940 (10.3%) $7,735 (84.4%) $9,168
2020 $869 (8.8%) $8,507 (85.8%) $9,917
2021 $1,088 (10.2%) $9,062 (85.4%) $10,615
2022 $1,262 (12.2%) $8,588 (82.9%) $10,357
2023 $1,259 (12.2%) $8,531 (82.7%) $10,312

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

Impact of COVID-19 on Watt Hardison 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 283rd of 985 Elementary schoolsRanks 544th of 1020 Elementary schools
 24.6%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
3rd Grade Mathematics (Watt Hardison Elementary)44.642.6
 2%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (Sumner County)58.352.3
 6%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (Tennessee)43.840.5
 3.3%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Watt Hardison Elementary)36.935.3
 1.6%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (Sumner County)46.449.3
 2.9%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (Tennessee)36.940.5
 3.6%
4th Grade Mathematics (Watt Hardison Elementary)52.237.3
 14.9%
   4th Grade Mathematics (Sumner County)63.555.6
 7.9%
   4th Grade Mathematics (Tennessee)4643.6
 2.4%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Watt Hardison Elementary)36.240
 3.8%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (Sumner County)44.252.4
 8.2%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (Tennessee)34.343.5
 9.2%
5th Grade Mathematics (Watt Hardison Elementary)61.850.8
 11%
   5th Grade Mathematics (Sumner County)65.460.6
 4.8%
   5th Grade Mathematics (Tennessee)46.241.3
 4.9%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Watt Hardison Elementary)38.236.9
 1.3%
   5th Grade English Language Arts (Sumner County)46.351.4
 5.1%
   5th Grade English Language Arts (Tennessee)35.237
 1.8%
All Grades Mathematics (Watt Hardison Elementary)53.343.3
 10%
   All Grades Mathematics (Sumner County)58.556.6
 1.9%
   All Grades Mathematics (Tennessee)40.838.1
 2.7%
All Grades English Language Arts (Watt Hardison Elementary)37.137.5
 0.4%
   All Grades English Language Arts (Sumner County)43.647.2
 3.6%
   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 Students412445
 8%
African American1319
 46.2%
American Indian10
 100%
Asian10
 100%
Hispanic1855
 205.6%
Pacific Islander21
 50%
White370345
 6.8%
Two or More Races725
 257.1%


Schools Near Watt Hardison Elementary









Frequently Asked Questions about Watt Hardison Elementary

Watt Hardison Elementary ranks 347th of 1018 Tennessee elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

In the 2022-23 school year, 445 students attended Watt Hardison Elementary.

Students who attend Watt Hardison Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Portland West Middle School
High : Portland High School

Students at Watt Hardison Elementary are 78% White, 12% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 4% African American.


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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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