KSES named Reward School for fifth straight year; Cheatham County designated ‘Advancing’ district

Kingston Springs Elementary School has been named a Tennessee Reward School for the fifth consecutive year, the Cheatham County School District announced Nov. 21.

This is the ninth time overall that KSES has been named a Reward School, also receiving the honor in 2012, 2017, 2018 and 2019.

Reward School status is the top distinction a school can earn from the Tennessee Department of Education and recognizes schools demonstrating high performance or improvement across multiple indicators, including achievement, growth, absenteeism, English Learner progress, graduation rates and college- and career-readiness measures.

KSES is one of five Cheatham County schools to receive the designation for the 2024–2025 academic year — the most the district has earned in a single year. The others are Ashland City Elementary STEM Academy, Pleasant View Elementary School, West Cheatham Elementary School and Sycamore High School.

The state also released districtwide accountability ratings on Nov. 21, naming Cheatham County an “Advancing” district. “Advancing” is the second-highest distinction the state awards and is based on indicators including student growth and achievement. The district received this ranking in 2022 and 2023, but last year was labeled "satisfactory."

District leaders said the recognition reflects consistent work across schools. “This designation validates the incredible work happening each day across our district,” the district wrote in its announcement.

KSES continues to hold one of the district’s strongest academic records. In 2023, it earned the only “A” letter grade among Cheatham County schools under the state’s accountability model.