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Dickson, Tennessee - 17 schools
An equity score of 39/100 ranks Dickson County #63 of 140 districts in Tennessee (state average 38). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $10,297 per pupil, Dickson County ranks #94 of 141 Tennessee districts by per-pupil spending (Tennessee districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
8,129
Total Enrollment
17
Schools
$10,297
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Middle
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Dickson County operates 17 public schools serving 8,129 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Tennessee. The school portfolio breaks down into 10 combined, 4 middle, 2 high, 1 elementary schools, a compact enough portfolio that families can compare every campus directly 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 Dickson County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $10,297 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 141 Tennessee districts by per-pupil spending. See how Tennessee compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 35.6% local, 45.5% state, and 18.9% federal, a balanced mix across local, state, and federal sources, spreading budget risk across funding cycles rather than concentrating it in one. The district's equity score is 39/100, ranked #63 of 140 in Tennessee against a state average of 38, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 2 of 17 schools offering Advanced Placement (8 AP courses district-wide), a 412:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 28.0% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 74.8% White, 10.0% Hispanic or Latino, 6.8% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Oakmont Elementary, with a diversity index of 59.8/100.
Its largest campus is Dickson County High School, enrolling 1,337 students (17% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Special Services, at 3 students, a 446x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Dickson County High School accounts for 16.4% of all Dickson County student enrollment
That concentration means Dickson County-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Dickson County school enrollment varies 446× across entities
Dickson County school enrollment ranges from 3 students (lowest) to 1,337 students (highest), a spread of 1,334 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.
Dickson County student-counselor ratio is 412:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)
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 Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Dickson County chronic absenteeism rate is 28.0% — near the typical range (US average ~28) — aligned with the national post-pandemic baseline of roughly 28% chronic absenteeism
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 Variation between sub-units within Dickson County is typically wider than the Dickson County-aggregate figure suggests.
Dickson County has 17 schools, including 2 high, 10 combined, 4 middle, 1 elementary. Total enrollment is 8,129 students.
How much does Dickson County spend per student?
Dickson County spends $10,297 per student. The district has an equity score of 39/100, ranking #63 in Tennessee.
What is the demographic composition of Dickson County?
Dickson County students are 74.8% White, 10.0% Hispanic or Latino, 6.8% African American, 0.7% Asian, averaged across 17 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Dickson County?
Dickson County has an equity score of 39/100, ranking #63 out of 140 districts in Tennessee.