Big Ridge Elementary School, 5210 Cassandra Smith Road: grades K-5, 463 students in 2024-25, state letter grade B.
Last checked Oct. 18, 2026. Sources: Big Ridge 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.
Big Ridge Elementary School is a Hamilton County Schools elementary school on Cassandra Smith Road. Its mailing address says Hixson; Census Bureau maps place the campus inside Chattanooga city limits.
- Address: 5210 Cassandra Smith Road, Hixson, TN 37343
- Main office: 423-843-4793
- Grades: K to 5
- School hours: 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
- Website: bigridge.hcde.org
Who to call
- Front office: 423-843-4793
- 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 Shelly Jackson, according to the school’s website. The assistant principal is Ashley Speicher.
Enrollment
The federal NCES directory counted 473 students in the 2023-24 school year, with 34 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 463 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 | Big Ridge Elementary |
|---|---|
| Overall letter grade, 2024-25 | B (score 3.6 of 5) |
| Achievement grade | A |
| Academic growth grade | D |
| Growth of the lowest-scoring 25% of students | C |
| Overall success rate on state tests, 2024-25 | 55.3% |
The state’s spring 2026 test file has the share of Big Ridge Elementary students who met or exceeded expectations on each test. On the TCAP achievement tests for grades 3 to 8, science 62.1%, English language arts 61.1% and math 53.6%. The 2025-26 letter grades have not been published yet.
The State Report Card page for Big Ridge 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 Big Ridge Elementary zone.
Comparing the district’s 2026-27 zone map with Census Bureau city limits, the Big Ridge Elementary zone lies inside Chattanooga city limits.
The 2026-27 zone maps put the Big Ridge Elementary zone inside the Hixson Middle middle school zone, which feeds Hixson 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 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., according to the district’s 2026-27 bell schedule, which lists early dismissal at noon on half days.
More
- The school’s own site: bigridge.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 Big Ridge Elementary serve?
Kindergarten through fifth grade. The main office number is 423-843-4793.
What is Big Ridge Elementary’s state report card grade?
Big Ridge Elementary received a B overall in Tennessee’s 2024-25 School Letter Grades, according to the Tennessee Department of Education.
Which middle school does Big Ridge Elementary feed into?
Hixson Middle, according to the district’s 2026-27 zone maps; students then go on to Hixson High. Check a specific address in the district’s School Zone Finder.
What time does Big Ridge Elementary start?
School runs from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., according to the district’s 2026-27 bell schedule.
Have your say