Schools in Portland · Sumner County School District
Portland’s public schools beat 90% of Tennessee districts
The public schools Portland’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, outperform 90% of Tennessee’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they rank near the top.
Math proficiency
44%
▲ 17 pts vs TN 27%
2020–21
Graduate on time
96%
▲ 6 pts vs TN 90%
class of 2020
Spent per student
$12.1K
▼ 7% vs TN $13.1K
FY2024
Schools
9
3,682 students
The School Grade
How Portland compares
A Test scoresB+ Graduation
Tennessee school districts we grade (143)Better than 90%
Lower resultsHigher results
Tennessee towns with similar household incomes (195)Better than 94%
High confidence. Built on 15,663 tested students and a graduating class of 2,098; ordinary year-to-year swings are unlikely to change it.
How the School Grade works
- Results, not inputs. Math and reading proficiency on Tennessee’s state tests against the state average, plus the four-year graduation rate. Spending and class size are shown but don’t count. Tests: 2020–21; graduation: class of 2020.
- The whole path. A town’s grade follows its kids through every district that serves it, weighted by students tested. Tests count 60%, graduation 40%.
- Graded within the state. Each state writes its own tests, so districts are compared with the rest of Tennessee only. A+ is the top 5%, A the next 10%, A− the next 10%, the B range the next 30%, the C range the next 30%, D the rest.
- What a grade can’t tell you. Test results track family income, so we also compare towns with similar incomes. Visit, ask other parents, and read neighbor reviews. It’s our own summary of U.S. Department of Education data, not an official rating.
Where will my kid go?
Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve Portland.
4 schools teach K in Portland’s district. Which one depends on your address: Portland Gateview Elementary School, Watt Hardison Elementary, J W Wiseman Elementary and Clyde Riggs Elementary.
4 schools teach 1st grade in Portland’s district. Which one depends on your address: Portland Gateview Elementary School, Watt Hardison Elementary, J W Wiseman Elementary and Clyde Riggs Elementary.
4 schools teach 2nd grade in Portland’s district. Which one depends on your address: Portland Gateview Elementary School, Watt Hardison Elementary, J W Wiseman Elementary and Clyde Riggs Elementary.
4 schools teach 3rd grade in Portland’s district. Which one depends on your address: Portland Gateview Elementary School, Watt Hardison Elementary, J W Wiseman Elementary and Clyde Riggs Elementary.
4 schools teach 4th grade in Portland’s district. Which one depends on your address: Portland Gateview Elementary School, Watt Hardison Elementary, J W Wiseman Elementary and Clyde Riggs Elementary.
4 schools teach 5th grade in Portland’s district. Which one depends on your address: Portland Gateview Elementary School, Watt Hardison Elementary, J W Wiseman Elementary and Clyde Riggs Elementary.
The path, start to finish
PK–54 elementary schoolsDepends on your address
6–82 middle schoolsDepends on your address
9–12Portland High SchoolSumner County School District
Parts of Portland are served by Robertson County School District.
The district
Each district’s own page has its spending, test scores, enrollment and every school.
Test scores · 2020–21
How students score
Math44%
State average 26.9%
Every school in Portland
9 schools. Grades are ours, from state tests and graduation. Stars are from neighbors.
Elementary
Portland Gateview Elementary School
B+552 studentsRate it →
Watt Hardison Elementary
A−429 studentsRate it →
J W Wiseman Elementary
A336 studentsRate it →
Clyde Riggs Elementary
A−301 studentsRate it →
Middle
Portland West Middle School
B491 studentsRate it →
Portland East Middle School
C+396 studentsRate it →
High
Private & other
Parents talk
What Portland families are saying about school.
Parents weigh in
Live in Portland? Is an A for its schools right?
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
Start the conversation
Within reach
Colleges →Colleges near Portland
There’s no college in Portland, but 7 are within 30 miles. The closest is Welch College in Gallatin, 16 miles away.
Welch CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Gallatin
16 mi323 students
Volunteer State Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Gallatin
16.3 mi4,290 students
Middle Tennessee School of Anesthesia IncUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government
25.3 mi200 students
Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical CollegeCommunity college · Public · Bowling Green
26.9 mi3,457 students
Western Kentucky UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Bowling Green
27.1 mi13,432 students
Nossi College of Art and DesignUniversity or college · For-profit · Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government
27.2 mi278 students
Cumberland UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Lebanon
30 mi2,727 students
Straight-line distance from the center of Portland. Degree-granting colleges with students on campus · College Scorecard · IPEDS.
School data: U.S. Department of Education (NCES, EDFacts, F-33 school finance). The School Grade is our own summary of state test results and graduation rates, graded within Tennessee. Stars are from neighbors.