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Murfreesboro, Tennessee - 50 schools
An equity score of 18/100 ranks Rutherford County #134 of 140 districts in Tennessee (state average 38). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $10,141 per pupil, Rutherford County ranks #103 of 141 Tennessee districts by per-pupil spending (Tennessee districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
50,707
Total Enrollment
50
Schools
$10,141
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Middle
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Rutherford County operates 50 public schools serving 50,707 students, placing it among the larger districts in Tennessee. The school portfolio breaks down into 25 combined, 11 middle, 9 high, 5 elementary schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage across a sizeable 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 Rutherford County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $10,141 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 41.9% local, 45.4% state, and 12.7% 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 18/100, ranked #134 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 12 of 50 schools offering Advanced Placement (100 AP courses district-wide), a 468.9:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 10.1% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 48.9% White, 24.1% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Rock Springs Elementary, with a diversity index of 72.9/100.
Its largest campus is Stewarts Creek High School, enrolling 2,474 students (5% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Smyrna West Alternative School, at 47 students, a 53x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Rutherford County school enrollment varies 53× across entities
Rutherford County school enrollment ranges from 47 students (lowest) to 2,474 students (highest), a spread of 2,427 students. That ratio is among the widest observed and reflects extreme enrollment heterogeneity, the district operates both small specialty programs and large comprehensive campuses inside a single budgeting unit. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Rutherford County student-counselor ratio is 469:1 — 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.
Rutherford County chronic absenteeism rate is 10.1% — low (typically associated with lower-than-average attendance disruption; districts in this range often have attendance interventions, robust transportation, or smaller catchments that reduce barriers)
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 Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.
Rutherford County has 50 schools, including 9 high, 11 middle, 25 combined, 5 elementary. Total enrollment is 50,707 students.
How much does Rutherford County spend per student?
Rutherford County spends $10,141 per student. The district has an equity score of 18/100, ranking #134 in Tennessee.
What is the demographic composition of Rutherford County?
Rutherford County students are 48.9% White, 24.1% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% African American, 4.3% Asian, averaged across 50 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Rutherford County?
Rutherford County has an equity score of 18/100, ranking #134 out of 140 districts in Tennessee.