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Benton, Tennessee - 7 schools
An equity score of 58/100 ranks Polk County #9 of 140 districts in Tennessee (state average 38). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $11,761 per pupil, Polk County ranks #22 of 141 Tennessee districts by per-pupil spending (Tennessee districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
2,148
Total Enrollment
7
Schools
$11,761
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Polk County operates 7 public schools serving 2,148 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Tennessee. The school portfolio breaks down into 5 combined, 1 high, 1 middle 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 Polk County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $11,761 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 23.3% local, 53.0% state, and 23.7% 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 58/100, ranked #9 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.
a 350.1:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 20.3% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 95.0% White, 2.4% Hispanic or Latino, 1.2% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Benton Elementary, with a diversity index of 14.7/100.
Its largest campus is Benton Elementary, enrolling 421 students (19% of the district's total enrollment).
Benton Elementary accounts for 19.5% of all Polk County student enrollment
That concentration means Polk 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.
Polk County school enrollment varies 2.9× across entities
Polk County school enrollment ranges from 147 students (lowest) to 421 students (highest), a spread of 274 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.
Polk County student-counselor ratio is 350:1 — 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.
Polk County chronic absenteeism rate is 20.3% — 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 Polk County is typically wider than the Polk County-aggregate figure suggests.
Polk County has 7 schools, including 5 combined, 1 high, 1 middle. Total enrollment is 2,148 students.
How much does Polk County spend per student?
Polk County spends $11,761 per student. The district has an equity score of 58/100, ranking #9 in Tennessee.
What is the demographic composition of Polk County?
Polk County students are 95.0% White, 2.4% Hispanic or Latino, 1.2% African American, 0.3% Asian, averaged across 7 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Polk County?
Polk County has an equity score of 58/100, ranking #9 out of 140 districts in Tennessee.