Celebrating Eakin Elementary

Eakin welcomes students from across the world
Posted on 11/08/2021

Eakin opened as an elementary school in 1936 in the building that sits next to the school’s current site on Fairfax Avenue. One of Nashville’s early New Deal projects under the federal Works Progress Administration, the school was officially renamed Eakin in 1937 after Elizabeth Atchison Eakin, the first woman to join the Nashville City School Board, and soon became one of the city’s top elementary schools.  

In 2006 Eakin moved next door to the former Cavert School building, while MNPS converted the original Eakin facility to the Martin Professional Development Center.

Eakin makes sure Every Student is Known throughstudent with mascot its diversity, its biggest strength. The school welcomes students from across the world, the city, and the neighborhood. Because of that, it is imperative that every teacher and staff member has a personal relationship with every student. This is an essential part of making Eakin what it is. Every Student is Known by knowing who students are, how they learn, and reaffirming children every day, that they are loved for who they are! 

“Eakin is everything wonderful about Nashville under one roof. Our diversity is what makes us strong, unique, and for everyone,” says Principal Eric Hartfelder. “As an International Baccalaureate school, we welcome all and teach children how to be globally minded. As a historic school, we are deeply rooted in our Hillsboro West End community. No matter who you are or where you are from, Eakin is for you!” 

Did you know: 

  • Eakin is an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School. It received its IB World School status in 2012.  
  • In 1946, Eakin fifth-grader Claude Jarman Jr. was discovered in a nationwide talent search by MGM studios. He was cast as the lead in the film “The Yearling.” His riveting performance won him an Academy Juvenile Award.  
  • The school was one of 15 schools to be integrated in the first round of Nashville’s plan to integrate schools.  
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Celebrate MNPS
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Celebrate MNPS,Eakin Elementary

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