Welcome to the website for the Bedford County Department of Education!
Bedford County (population of 41,066) is located just south of the geographic center of the state in rural Middle Tennessee. The county seat, Shelbyville (population 17,538), is approximately 55 miles southeast of Nashville, 25 miles south of Murfreesboro, and 55 miles north of Huntsville, Alabama. Two major highways, US 231 and 41A, bisect the county into quadrants. Bedford County covers 482 square miles and lies between I-24 and I-65. Shelbyville is host to the annual Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration, and the rolling hills of Bedford County are dotted with beautiful horse farms. Shelbyville is also the home of a variety of other industries.
The Bedford County Department of Education presently consists of 13 schools, a vocational annex, Bedford County Learning Academy that houses an alternative program for learning, and a Central Office. These educational facilities serve approximately 7,800 students and are staffed with approximately 950 employees. Within the city limits of Shelbyville are one comprehensive high school, one grade 6-8 middle school, and five elementary schools serving grades K-5. One of these elementary schools is a Magnet School for high achieving students. In the county are a K-8 elementary school, located six miles south of Shelbyville; a K-5 elementary, 6-8 middle school, and a 9-12 high school located 15 miles west of Shelbyville; and a K-5 elementary and 6-12 middle/high school located eight miles north of Shelbyville.
All of Bedford County schools are accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The system will renew districtwide accreditation in te Fall of 2010.
Bedford County also has an Adult Learning Center, Tennessee Technology Center, and a regional campus for Middle Tennessee State University. Shelbyville is located approximately 20 miles from Motlow Community College in Moore County.
