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.
Ripley, Tennessee - 7 schools
An equity score of 61/100 ranks Lauderdale County #7 of 140 districts in Tennessee (state average 38). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $11,506 per pupil, Lauderdale County ranks #28 of 141 Tennessee districts by per-pupil spending (Tennessee districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
3,413
Total Enrollment
7
Schools
$11,506
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Lauderdale County operates 7 public schools serving 3,413 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Tennessee. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 combined, 2 high, 2 middle, 1 elementary schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Lauderdale County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $11,506 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 141 Tennessee districts by per-pupil spending. See how Tennessee compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 18.0% local, 55.2% state, and 26.8% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 61/100, ranked #7 of 140 in Tennessee against a state average of 38, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 2 of 7 schools offering Advanced Placement (4 AP courses district-wide), a 338.5:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 23.3% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 52.4% White, 38.0% African American, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Ripley Primary, with a diversity index of 58.4/100.
Its largest campus is Halls Elementary School, enrolling 655 students (20% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Halls Junior High School, at 143 students, a 5x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Halls Elementary School accounts for 19.2% of all Lauderdale County student enrollment
That concentration means Lauderdale County-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: combined. 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.
Lauderdale County school enrollment varies 4.6× across entities
Lauderdale County school enrollment ranges from 143 students (lowest) to 655 students (highest), a spread of 512 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio, most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Lauderdale County student-counselor ratio is 339:1 — near the typical range (US average ~408) — within the typical range for U.S. public districts
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 Lauderdale County is typically wider than the Lauderdale County-aggregate figure suggests.
Lauderdale County chronic absenteeism rate is 23.3% — 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 Lauderdale County is typically wider than the Lauderdale County-aggregate figure suggests.
Lauderdale County has 7 schools, including 2 combined, 2 high, 2 middle, 1 elementary. Total enrollment is 3,413 students.
How much does Lauderdale County spend per student?
Lauderdale County spends $11,506 per student. The district has an equity score of 61/100, ranking #7 in Tennessee.
What is the demographic composition of Lauderdale County?
Lauderdale County students are 52.4% White, 38.0% African American, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 0.2% Asian, averaged across 7 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Lauderdale County?
Lauderdale County has an equity score of 61/100, ranking #7 out of 140 districts in Tennessee.