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Carthage, Tennessee - 9 schools
An equity score of 29/100 ranks Smith County #105 of 140 districts in Tennessee (state average 38). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $10,034 per pupil, Smith County ranks #110 of 141 Tennessee districts by per-pupil spending (Tennessee districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
3,061
Total Enrollment
9
Schools
$10,034
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Elementary
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Smith County operates 9 public schools serving 3,061 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Tennessee. The school portfolio breaks down into 6 combined, 2 elementary, 1 high 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 Smith County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $10,034 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 24.3% local, 58.3% state, and 17.4% 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 29/100, ranked #105 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 1 of 9 schools offering Advanced Placement (6 AP courses district-wide), a 627.1:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 9.1% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 87.0% White, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 1.4% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Carthage Elementary, with a diversity index of 33.0/100.
Its largest campus is Gordonsville High School, enrolling 541 students (18% of the district's total enrollment).
Gordonsville High School accounts for 17.7% of all Smith County student enrollment
That concentration means Smith 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.
Smith County school enrollment varies 2.6× across entities
Smith County school enrollment ranges from 208 students (lowest) to 541 students (highest), a spread of 333 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.
Smith County student-counselor ratio is 627:1 — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)
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 Values this far above typical often signal acute resource constraints or a structurally different scale than most peers — worth reading alongside the underlying counts, not the ratio alone.
Smith County chronic absenteeism rate is 9.1% — well below typical (typically associated with unusually small scale or exceptionally high per-unit investment)
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 Values this far below typical often correlate with unusually small scale or population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se — worth checking whether the underlying denominator is itself an outlier.
Smith County has 9 schools, including 6 combined, 1 high, 2 elementary. Total enrollment is 3,061 students.
How much does Smith County spend per student?
Smith County spends $10,034 per student. The district has an equity score of 29/100, ranking #105 in Tennessee.
What is the demographic composition of Smith County?
Smith County students are 87.0% White, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 1.4% African American, 0.7% Asian, averaged across 9 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Smith County?
Smith County has an equity score of 29/100, ranking #105 out of 140 districts in Tennessee.