Enrollment
1,229
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Knoxville, TN
Bearden Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Bearden Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 26/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 470222000770
👥 S:T ratio 35
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 18
📋 Attendance 21
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Bearden Middle School earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Tennessee median. It is also one of the largest schools in Tennessee.
- #11 of 14
- middle schools in Knoxville · Resource Index
- 26
- Resource Index · Lower
- 16.2:1
- students per teacher
- 1,229
- students enrolled
Bearden Middle School has class sizes near the Tennessee median. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Bearden Middle School ranks #11 of 14 middle schools in Knoxville, TN.
School address
District: Knox County · Tennessee
NCES ID 470222000770 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
76.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.2:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
+6% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bearden Middle School compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at Bearden Middle School
Bearden Middle School is a large middle school in Knoxville, Tennessee, enrolling 1,229 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.2:1 puts it in the larger third of Tennessee schools by student-teacher ratio.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Tennessee, bigger than 95% of state schools at 1,229 students.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 93% of the 1,838 Tennessee schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Its student body is led by White (57%) and Hispanic or Latino (20%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 61/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 410 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The federal civil-rights collection also records 14 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Knoxville's middle schools, it stands alongside Farragut Middle School (1,463 students): Bearden Middle School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (16.2:1 vs 18.1:1).
Knox County also operates Farragut High School (2,073 students) and Bearden High School (1,963 students) alongside Bearden Middle School.
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 Bearden Middle School compares
Bearden Middle School on the metrics families compare, against Tennessee and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Tennessee | Tennessee avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.2:1 | ▲ 6% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 1,229 | top 5% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.2:1
Leaner classes than 36% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
1,229
Bigger than 94% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
16.2:1
students per teacher
- 6% above state mean
Top 69% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 31% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
31.7%
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
$10,538
per pupil, district-wide
- below 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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 410 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 157 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 12.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 14 expulsions.
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
White 56.5%
Hispanic or Latino 20.0%
African American 15.5%
Two or More 6.1%
Asian 1.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 56.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 61.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 61.3, Bearden Middle School is more mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Knox County, which includes Bearden Middle School.
$10,538
Per student
-3%
vs Tennessee
Avg $10,822
-36%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 49.9%
State 35.6%
Federal 14.6%
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 Bearden Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Farragut High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bearden High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Hardin Valley Academy | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| West High School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Farragut Middle School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Bearden Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,073
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 1,963
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 1,916
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 1,474
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 1,463
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
Similar middle schools in Knoxville
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Farragut Middle School
Standard public school
1,463 students 18.1:1 students per teacher
West Valley Middle School
Standard public school
1,125 students 17.3:1 students per teacher
Hardin Valley Middle School
Standard public school
1,061 students 18.6:1 students per teacher
Halls Middle School
Standard public school
945 students 15.2:1 students per teacher
Karns Middle School
Standard public school
900 students 15:1 students per teacher
South Doyle Middle School
Standard public school
830 students 13.2:1 students per teacher
Similar middle 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 (~1,229 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Bearden Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Bearden Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Knox 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 Bearden Middle School
How many students attend Bearden Middle School?
Bearden Middle School has 1,229 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Knoxville, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bearden Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Bearden Middle School is 16.2:1, which is 6% higher than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 3% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bearden Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Bearden Middle School is White at 56.5% of enrollment, in Knoxville, TN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 61.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bearden Middle School?
Bearden Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (lower 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 Bearden Middle School rank among middle schools in Knoxville?
By Resource Investment Index, Bearden Middle School ranks #11 of 14 middle schools in Knoxville, TN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all middle schools in Knoxville on the city page.
Is Bearden Middle School a good school?
Bearden Middle School earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Tennessee median. It is also one of the largest schools in Tennessee. 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 Knox County?
Besides Bearden Middle School, Knox County also operates Farragut High School (2,073 students), Bearden High School (1,963 students), and Hardin Valley Academy (1,916 students). See the Knox 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.