Copper Ridge Elementary School is a public elementary school located at 2502 E. Brushy Valley Road in Powell, Tennessee, operated by Knox County Schools. The current principal is Terry Frost. Total student enrollment is 599 (2006-07).
In 1880, Green Hill School was built near the present day Copper Ridge site, on 1-acre (4,000 m2) of land donated by Green Harris. The need for a new community school had its beginnings as a result of a fire on May 15, 1974 at Green Hill School. This fire led to a year of overcrowded classrooms. In the fall of 1974, temporary classrooms and an attempt to rebuild Green Hill ensued. By the fall of 1977, Green Hill was deemed inadequate and the school's students and staff were moved to classrooms provided and shared with Brickey Elementary for two years until a new school could be built. Copper Ridge was completed in 1979 to meet the needs of the two neighboring communities - Powell and Halls.
The two schools of Green Hill and Heiskell became Copper Ridge when it opened its doors in August 1979. Copper Ridge Elementary served approximately 200 students in kindergarten though grade 6 with 23 teachers and 2 teaching assistants in its first year. The school opened with no cafeteria, no office, no chalkboards, and no working plumbing. Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, located across the street, allowed the school to use their bathroom facilities. Eventually the plumbing was connected and the special shower facilities built in the school were used to meet the needs of those in the community without running water.
Today, Copper Ridge Elementary has tripled in size serving approximately 600 students in grades K-5 with 66 teachers and 9 teaching assistants. The school scored 95% on the TCAP Math test score and 92% on the TCAP Reading score in 2008.
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