Bess T. Shepherd Elementary School, 7126 Tyner Road: grades pre-K-5, 540 students in 2024-25, state letter grade B.
Last checked Oct. 18, 2026. Sources: Bess T. Shepherd Elementary, Hamilton County Schools, the Tennessee Department of Education’s State Report Card and 2024-25 and 2026 data files and the federal NCES school directory.
Bess T. Shepherd Elementary School is a Hamilton County Schools elementary school on Tyner Road in the Tyner area of Chattanooga.
- Address: 7126 Tyner Road, Chattanooga, TN 37421
- Main office: 423-855-2611
- Grades: Pre-K to 5
- School hours: 8:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.
- Website: bts.hcde.org
Who to call
- Front office: 423-855-2611
- Enrolling a new student: the district’s registration page, or the Family Connection Center, 423-843-4799, at 3074 Claude Ramsey Parkway
- Checking a zone: the School Zone Finder or the county’s school zone lookup map
- Buses: the district’s transportation hotline, 423-498-5555, and its Bus Stop Finder
Principal
Principal Dr. Sarah Lane, according to the school’s website. The assistant principals are Toletha Ison and DeeDee Womack.
Enrollment
The federal NCES directory counted 494 students in the 2023-24 school year, with 35 full-time-equivalent teachers, about 14 students per teacher. The Tennessee Department of Education’s 2024-25 school profile file has a newer count of 540 students.
State report card
Tennessee grades every public school A to F. The department says School Letter Grades give “a snapshot of how each school in the state is performing, including student achievement and academic growth measures for all schools, as well as a measure of college and career readiness just for high schools.”
From the state’s 2024-25 letter grade file:
| Measure | Bess T. Shepherd Elementary |
|---|---|
| Overall letter grade, 2024-25 | B (score 3.5 of 5) |
| Achievement grade | D |
| Academic growth grade | A |
| Growth of the lowest-scoring 25% of students | A |
| Overall success rate on state tests, 2024-25 | 22.6% |
The state’s spring 2026 test file has the share of Bess T. Shepherd Elementary students who met or exceeded expectations on each test. On the TCAP achievement tests for grades 3 to 8, English language arts 35.3%, math 25.5% and science 22.5%. The 2025-26 letter grades have not been published yet.
The State Report Card page for Bess T. Shepherd Elementary holds the full detail: results by subject and grade, chronic absenteeism and results for each group of students.
Attendance zone and feeder schools
Hamilton County Schools zones by address, and zones do not follow city limits. Check an address in the School Zone Finder or the county’s school zone lookup map of the 2026-27 zones; the district’s School Zones page has a printable map of the Bess T. Shepherd Elementary zone.
Comparing the district’s 2026-27 zone map with Census Bureau city limits, the Bess T. Shepherd Elementary zone lies inside Chattanooga city limits.
The 2026-27 zone maps split the Bess T. Shepherd Elementary zone between the Tyner Middle High Academy and Ooltewah Middle middle school zones, which feed Tyner Middle High Academy and Ooltewah High.
We found no rezoning approved by the Hamilton County Board of Education that changes this school’s zone for 2026-27.
Calendar and school hours
Hamilton County Schools’ 2026-27 school calendar (PDF, linked from the district’s calendar page, board-approved May 8, 2025) has these dates next:
- Monday, Oct. 19: second quarter begins
- Friday, Oct. 23: first-quarter report cards
- Nov. 25-27: Thanksgiving break
- Friday, Dec. 18: second quarter ends
- Dec. 21 to Jan. 1: winter break
- Jan. 4-5, 2027: professional development days, no school for students
- Monday, Jan. 18: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- Monday, Feb. 15: Presidents Day
- March 22-25: spring break, followed by the Good Friday holiday on Friday, March 26
- Wednesday, May 19, 2027: fourth quarter ends; last day for students
School hours are 8:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., according to the district’s 2026-27 bell schedule, which lists early dismissal at 11:45 a.m. on half days.
More
- The school’s own site: bts.hcde.org, listed on the district’s School Websites page
- Every public school in town: Chattanooga public schools
- Calendars, enrollment and the school board: our Chattanooga schools guide
Frequently asked questions
What grades does Bess T. Shepherd Elementary serve?
Pre-K through fifth grade. The main office number is 423-855-2611.
What is Bess T. Shepherd Elementary’s state report card grade?
Bess T. Shepherd Elementary received a B overall in Tennessee’s 2024-25 School Letter Grades, according to the Tennessee Department of Education.
Which middle school does Bess T. Shepherd Elementary feed into?
Tyner Middle High Academy and Ooltewah Middle, according to the district’s 2026-27 zone maps, depending on the address; students then go on to Tyner Middle High Academy and Ooltewah High. Check a specific address in the district’s School Zone Finder.
What time does Bess T. Shepherd Elementary start?
School runs from 8:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., according to the district’s 2026-27 bell schedule.
Have your say