Carter County School District
Listed by NCES as Carter County (district ID 4700510)
Public school district · Carter County · Tennessee · NCES district ID 4700510
Carter County School District spent $11,526 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, more than 57% of the other Tennessee districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 (median $11,310). Its 14 schools enrolled 4,450 students in 2024-25; 53.6% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $11,729 per student, up 1.8% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 75% (Tennessee: 87.3%).
NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 · Census Bureau school finances 2023-24 · NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · method
Spending per student among Tennessee districts of similar size
Current spending per student excludes construction and debt. The 9 districts closest to Carter County in enrollment (4,339 to 5,225 students) and Carter County itself.
Where the money came from
$60,271,000 in revenue: 53.6% state, 24.9% local and 21.5% federal. Total spending including $3,233,000 of capital outlay was $58,935,000, or $12,371 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.
- State$32,307,000 54%
- Local$14,990,000 25%
- Federal$12,974,000 22%
Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures for elementary and secondary education divided by fall membership; the state median covers 124 districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022. Revenue by source (TOTALREV, TFEDREV, TSTREV, TLOCREV).
Enrollment fell from 2022-23 to 2023-24
4,764 students in 2022-23, 4,630 students in 2023-24, counted across the schools that reported each year.
Teachers and students per teacher
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 4,764 | 351.3 | 13.6 |
| 2023-24 | 4,630 | 335.4 | 13.8 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24; sums over the schools reporting each year.
$18,647,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $3,914 per student
Carter County School District booked $18,647,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 351 full-time teachers in its Common Core of Data district staff file for 2022-23 (the school files behind the staffing figures on this page count teachers separately, so the two can differ), or $53,088 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 21 in 100 Tennessee districts with a figure (state median $57,379, 141 districts). It is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, so the result can differ widely from the average salary the district publishes (its salary schedule gives pay); benefits are left out, and states book salaries differently, so compare districts within one state. For pay, the National Education Association put the average Tennessee teacher salary at $53,619 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).
| Program | Teacher salaries | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Regular programs | $14,984,000 | 80.4% |
| Special education | $2,531,000 | 13.6% |
| Vocational | $1,065,000 | 5.7% |
| Other programs | $67,000 | 0.4% |
Teacher salaries per student, fiscal years 2018-19 to 2022-23
The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $3,636 in 2018-19, $3,638 in 2019-20, $3,632 in 2020-21, $4,000 in 2021-22, $3,914 in 2022-23.
Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal years 2019 to 2023: teacher salaries in regular, special, vocational and other programs (Z35 to Z38) and fall membership (V33); NCES Common Core of Data LEA staff file 2022-23, teachers (full-time equivalent).
State test results, 2021-22
In 2021-22, the students tested in Carter County School District scored proficient or above: 32-33% in reading and 24-26% in math, against 35% in reading and 35% in math across Tennessee. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within Tennessee, not across states. Where a state published results by grade only, the grades tested are combined, weighted by the students tested in each.
| Subject | This district | Tennessee | Students tested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading and language arts | 32-33% | 35% | 1,972 |
| Math | 24-26% | 35% | 1,969 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22, all students, from ED Data Express (the Data Rescue Project archive; ED has no 2022-23 result for this district): ED shows district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.
Graduation rate, class of 2023
75% of the 397 students in Carter County School District's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 87.3% across Tennessee. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out, and counts those who earned a regular diploma by 2023. Every state computes it the same way under federal law, though each sets its own diploma requirements.
| This district | Tennessee | |
|---|---|---|
| Four-year graduation rate | 75% | 87.3% |
| Students in the class | 397 | 71,510 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students, from ED Data Express: ED shows district rates as ranges (for example 90-94%) and leaves out small classes.
7 elementary schools, 2,575 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hampton Elementary | 662 | 13.6 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Happy Valley Elementary | 506 | 15.0 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Hunter Elementary | 498 | 13.6 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Central Elementary | 267 | 11.5 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Cloudland Elementary School | 262 | 13.9 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Unaka Elementary | 194 | 13.8 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Valley Forge Elementary | 186 | 12.5 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
1 middle school, 354 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Happy Valley Middle School | 354 | 18.4 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
5 high schools, 1,398 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Happy Valley High School | 449 | 15.0 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Hampton High School | 368 | 14.4 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Unaka High School | 284 | 12.0 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Cloudland High School | 236 | 11.0 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Siam Learning Center | 61 | 18.4 | All free (CEP) | Eligible, no program |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
1 other school, 123 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carter County Online Academy | 123 | 9.8 | All free (CEP) | Eligible, no program |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
2 more schools on file: small, closed or in an earlier directory
These records carry fewer federal fields than a full school page needs, so each is summarized here with what NCES reports.
Keenburg Elementary
School in Elizabethton; 212 students; 12.3 students per teacher.
Little Milligan
School in Butler; last listed in the 2024-25 NCES directory (closed); 119 students; 12.2 students per teacher.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 and earlier directories: the last year each school was listed, its students and its teachers.
Contact Carter County School District
- Website: carterk12.org
- Phone: (423) 547-4000
- Office: 139 Keenburg RD, Elizabethton, TN 37643
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, local education agency directory 2024-25. Enrollment, boundaries and school assignment are the district's to confirm.
What to look at next about Carter County School District
- Tennessee districts by spending per studentCarter County School District ranks 54 of 124 Tennessee districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($11,526).#54 of 124
- Every school district in TennesseeCarter County School District is the number 51 by size of 148 Tennessee districts, with 4,764 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#51 of 148
- Arlington Community SchoolsThe next larger Tennessee district: 4,803 students in fall 2022, $10,924 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$10,924
- Coffee CountyThe next smaller Tennessee district: 4,395 students in fall 2022, $11,597 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$11,597
- Compare Carter County School District with Arlington Community SchoolsEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
- Happy Valley High School, its largest high school449 students in 2024-25, 15.0 per teacher.449
- Teacher salary spending across TennesseeCarter County School District spent $53,088 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $57,379); spending, not a salary.$53,088
- Find the school district for an addressA home's district decides which public schools it can enroll in.
Source: NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student and fall 2022 membership; ranks among the state's districts that reported them); NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools).
Questions about Carter County School District
How many schools and students are in Carter County School District?
14 schools were open in 2024-25 (7 elementary, 1 middle, 5 high, 1 other), enrolling 4,450 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.How much does Carter County School District spend per student?
$11,526 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), which leaves out construction and debt; the Tennessee median for districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 is $11,310 and the U.S. figure is $16,260. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $11,729 per student, up 1.8% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).Where does Carter County School District's money come from?
$60,271,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 53.6% state, 24.9% local and 21.5% federal (NCES F-33).How many children in Carter County School District live in poverty?
The Census Bureau estimates that 1,084 of the 5,512 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 19.7%, were in families in poverty (Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). It is a model-based estimate for everyone living in the district, not a count of its students; the free-meal shares in the school tables are counts of enrolled students.How much does Carter County School District spend on teacher salaries?
$18,647,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $3,914 per student. Divided by the 351 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $53,088 per teacher, more than 21 in 100 Tennessee districts (state median $57,379). That is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, and the result can differ widely from the average salary a district publishes. The district's salary schedule gives pay. For pay, the National Education Association put the average Tennessee teacher salary at $53,619 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).How do students in Carter County School District do on state tests?
In 2021-22, the students tested in Carter County School District scored proficient or above: 32-33% in reading and 24-26% in math, against 35% in reading and 35% in math across Tennessee. Tennessee's own test sets what proficient means, so results compare within the state, not across states. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22.What is the graduation rate in Carter County School District?
75% of the 397 students in Carter County School District's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 87.3% across Tennessee. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23.What is Carter County School District's NCES district ID?
4700510. Each of its schools' 12-digit NCES IDs begins with these seven digits.
Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.
Sources
Every federal file behind this record
- NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
- NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
- Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
- EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
- EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23: the class of 2023 for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
- EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22: reading and math proficiency for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
- NCES Digest of Education Statistics, table 211.60 (2021-22): the state's average teacher salary, from the National Education Association. nces.ed.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024: children aged 5 to 17 and those in families in poverty, by school district. census.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2023-24: per pupil current spending for 2023-24 and 2022-23. census.gov
- NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances Per pupil current spending by school system · FY 2023-24
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey Revenue and expenditures by district · FY 2022-23
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25