Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. District totals are aggregated directly from the schools reporting under this district in the source records. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.
Nashville, Tennessee - 158 schools
An equity score of 27/100 ranks Davidson County #113 of 140 districts in Tennessee (state average 38). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $15,421 per pupil, Davidson County ranks #2 of 141 Tennessee districts by per-pupil spending (Tennessee districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
Davidson County operates 158 public schools serving 80,651 students, placing it among the largest districts in Tennessee. The school portfolio breaks down into 74 combined, 41 elementary, 26 high, 17 middle schools, giving families in a major system a clear picture of grade-band coverage across a large portfolio before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Coffee County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $15,421 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, among the top 15 of 141 Tennessee districts by per-pupil spending. See how Tennessee compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 58.7% local, 26.4% state, and 14.9% federal, a local-revenue-heavy mix that leaves the district more exposed to property-tax swings and local ballot measures than state-funded peers. The district's equity score is 27/100, ranked #113 of 140 in Tennessee against a state average of 38, notably less even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 23 of 158 schools offering Advanced Placement (155 AP courses district-wide), a 318.2:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 33.7% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 39.9% African American, 31.3% Hispanic or Latino, 22.1% White across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is H. G. Hill Middle, with a diversity index of 72.8/100.
Its largest campus is Antioch High School, enrolling 2,212 students (3% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Transitions at Bass, at 18 students, a 123x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Davidson County school enrollment ranges from 18 students (lowest) to 2,212 students (highest), a spread of 2,194 students. That ratio is an extreme outlier spread — among the widest gaps observed anywhere in this dataset. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Variation between sub-units within Davidson County is typically wider than the Davidson County-aggregate figure suggests.
Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection NCES Civil Rights Data Collection
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22
This district scores below average on funding equity. High reliance on local revenue or lower spending may contribute.
Average demographic composition across 158 schools in Davidson County.
Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.
Average Simpson diversity index across Davidson County's schools, above the Tennessee average of 38.3.
Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.
The Tennessee districts closest to this one in total enrollment.
| District | Enrollment | Spending | Funding Mix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knox County | Similar size | Lower spending | Similar funding mix |
| Memphis-Shelby County Schools | Larger | Similar spending | Less locally funded |
| Rutherford County | Smaller | Lower spending | Less locally funded |
| Hamilton County | Smaller | Lower spending | Less locally funded |
| Williamson County | Smaller | Lower spending | Similar funding mix |
Comparisons are relative to Davidson County's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.
Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.
See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.
Compare vs Memphis-Shelby County Schools →Davidson County has 158 schools, including 26 high, 74 combined, 41 elementary, 17 middle. Total enrollment is 80,651 students.
Davidson County spends $15,421 per student. The district has an equity score of 27/100, ranking #113 in Tennessee.
Davidson County students are 39.9% African American, 31.3% Hispanic or Latino, 22.1% White, 2.4% Asian, averaged across 158 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
Davidson County has an equity score of 27/100, ranking #113 out of 140 districts in Tennessee.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.