Heritage Elementary in Thompson's Station ranked 81st out of 690 Tennessee elementary schools in U.S. News & World Report's 2027 Best Elementary Schools rankings, the highest placement among schools in the Spring Hill and Thompson's Station area.

The K-5 school on Columbia Pike scored 88.39 out of 100 in U.S. News' overall rating. Seventy percent of Heritage students scored at or above the proficient level in math, and 64% reached that level in reading, according to the school's U.S. News profile. The rankings are based on 2023-2024 school year assessment data.

Heritage's math performance rated "well above expectations," while reading performance rated "somewhat above expectations," according to U.S. News. The school serves 585 students and has 100% certified teachers.

Shannon Robertson, Heritage Elementary's principal, describes the school on its website as focused on "outstanding academic achievement and growth." No statement from Robertson or Williamson County Schools specifically addressing the 2027 rankings appeared in public records reviewed for this article.

Thompson's Station Elementary, the other Williamson County school in the area, placed 109th statewide with an overall score of 84.33 out of 100. That school's 767 students posted 70% math proficiency and 53% reading proficiency, according to its U.S. News profile.

Both Heritage and Thompson's Station Elementary scored above Tennessee's statewide averages of 37% in math and 32% in reading. They fell below Williamson County's district averages of 75% in math and 66% in reading.

Maury County schools trail behind

Spring Hill's Maury County Public Schools elementary campuses landed well below their Williamson County neighbors. Battle Creek Elementary ranked 370th statewide with a score of 46.3 out of 100. Forty percent of its students scored proficient in math and 47% in reading.

Spring Hill Elementary and Marvin Wright Elementary, both Maury County schools, were unranked. U.S. News does not rank schools that fall below the 25th percentile.

Battle Creek still outperformed Maury County's district averages of 29% in math and 30% in reading.

How the rankings work

U.S. News based its rankings on state math and reading assessment results. Half the formula measured raw proficiency scores. The other half factored in student performance relative to socioeconomic characteristics. The rankings are state-level only; U.S. News does not produce a national elementary school ranking.

Tennessee's top 10 elementary schools

For comparison, here are the 10 highest-ranked elementary schools statewide, according to U.S. News:

  1. Merrol Hyde Magnet School, Hendersonville (K-12)
  2. McFadden School of Excellence, Murfreesboro (K-5)
  3. Thurman Francis Arts Academy, Smyrna (K-8)
  4. Discovery School, Murfreesboro (PK-6)
  5. Clovercroft Elementary School, Franklin (K-5)
  6. Farmington Elementary School, Germantown (PK-5)
  7. Lipscomb Elementary, Brentwood (K-5)
  8. Crosswind Elementary School, Collierville (K-5)
  9. Dogwood Elementary School, Germantown (PK-5)
  10. Nolan Elementary School, Signal Mountain (PK-5)

Clovercroft Elementary, the fifth-ranked school statewide, is also part of Williamson County Schools and is located in Franklin.