Enrollment
349
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Chattanooga, TN
Barger Academy
Federal NCES profile for Barger Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 470159000731
👥 S:T ratio 44
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 30
📋 Attendance 45
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Barger Academy earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Tennessee median.
- #4 of 7
- elementary schools in Chattanooga · Resource Index
- 47
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14:1
- students per teacher
- 349
- students enrolled
Barger Academy has class sizes near the Tennessee median. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Barger Academy ranks #4 of 7 elementary schools in Chattanooga, TN.
School address
District: Hamilton County · Tennessee
NCES ID 470159000731 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
-8% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Barger Academy compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at Barger Academy
Barger Academy is a mid-sized elementary school in Chattanooga, Tennessee, enrolling 349 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 14:1 puts it in the smaller third of Tennessee schools by student-teacher ratio.
Enrollment of 349 puts it in the smaller third of Tennessee schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,838 scored Tennessee schools.
Its student body is led by African American (67%) and Hispanic or Latino (16%) (diversity index 52/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 349 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.8% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 21.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Chattanooga's elementary schools, it stands alongside East Side Elementary (553 students): Barger Academy is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (14:1 vs 10.6:1).
Hamilton County also operates Signal Mountain Middle/High School (1,396 students) and The Howard School (1,329 students) alongside Barger Academy.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Barger Academy compares
Barger Academy on the metrics families compare, against Tennessee and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Tennessee | Tennessee avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14:1 | ▼ 8% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 349 | top 69% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14:1
Leaner classes than 57% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
349
Bigger than 40% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
14:1
students per teacher
- 8% below state mean
Top 38% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 62% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
21.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$12,002
per pupil, district-wide
- above Tennessee avg of $10,822
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 349 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 13 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
African American 66.5%
Hispanic or Latino 16.0%
Two or More 9.5%
White 7.7%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: African American at 66.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 51.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 51.7, Barger Academy is more mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Hamilton County, which includes Barger Academy.
$12,002
Per student
+11%
vs Tennessee
Avg $10,822
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 47.2%
State 31.6%
Federal 21.1%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Barger Academy Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Signal Mountain Middle/High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| The Howard School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| East Hamilton High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ooltewah High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| East Brainerd Elementary | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Barger Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,396
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 1,329
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 1,293
- Students per teacher
- 68.1:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 1,233
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 1,177
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
Similar elementary schools in Chattanooga
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
East Side Elementary
Standard public school
553 students 10.6:1 students per teacher
Bess T Shepherd Elementary
Standard public school
546 students 14.8:1 students per teacher
Chattanooga Charter School of Excellence
Standard public school
468 students 16.7:1 students per teacher
Chattanooga School for the Arts and Science Lower
Standard public school
388 students 16.2:1 students per teacher
Alpine Crest Elementary
Standard public school
302 students 17.8:1 students per teacher
Dupont Elementary
Standard public school
268 students 13.4:1 students per teacher
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Tennessee, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~349 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Barger Academy's federal record.
- Compare Barger Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Hamilton County's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Barger Academy
How many students attend Barger Academy?
Barger Academy has 349 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Chattanooga, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Barger Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Barger Academy is 14:1, which is 8% lower than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 11% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Barger Academy?
The largest demographic group at Barger Academy is African American at 66.5% of enrollment, in Chattanooga, TN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 51.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Barger Academy?
Barger Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Barger Academy rank among elementary schools in Chattanooga?
By Resource Investment Index, Barger Academy ranks #4 of 7 elementary schools in Chattanooga, TN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Chattanooga on the city page.
Is Barger Academy a good school?
Barger Academy earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Tennessee median. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Hamilton County?
Besides Barger Academy, Hamilton County also operates Signal Mountain Middle/High School (1,396 students), The Howard School (1,329 students), and East Hamilton High School (1,293 students). See the Hamilton County district page for the complete list.
Related tools
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. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.