Enrollment
421
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Benton, TN
Benton Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Benton Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 32/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 470345001439
👥 S:T ratio 38
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 60
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Benton Elementary earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Tennessee median.
- #4 of 4
- public schools in Benton · Resource Index
- 32
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.6:1
- students per teacher
- 421
- students enrolled
Benton Elementary has class sizes near the Tennessee median. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Benton Elementary ranks #4 of 4 public schools in Benton, TN.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.6:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
+2% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Benton Elementary compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at Benton Elementary
Benton Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Benton, Tennessee, enrolling 421 students.
At 15.6:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Tennessee median, within a few percentage points of the 15.3:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
With 421 students, its enrollment sits close to the Tennessee median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,838 scored Tennessee schools.
Its student body is predominantly White (92% of enrollment) (diversity index 15/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 842 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
16.2% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 23.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Benton's public schools, it stands alongside Polk Innovative Learning Academy (147 students): Benton Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (15.6:1 vs 10.5:1).
Polk County also operates Polk County High School (400 students) and South Polk Elementary (347 students) alongside Benton Elementary.
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 Benton Elementary compares
Benton Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Tennessee and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Tennessee | Tennessee avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.6:1 | ▲ 2% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 421 | top 57% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.6:1
Leaner classes than 41% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
421
Bigger than 51% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
15.6:1
students per teacher
- 2% above state mean
Top 60% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 40% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
16.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$11,761
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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.5 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
White 92.2%
Hispanic or Latino 4.8%
African American 2.4%
Asian 0.5%
Two or More 0.2%
Largest group: White at 92.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 14.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 14.7, Benton Elementary is less mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Polk County, which includes Benton Elementary.
$11,761
Per student
+9%
vs Tennessee
Avg $10,822
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 23.3%
State 53.0%
Federal 23.7%
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 Benton Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polk County High School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| South Polk Elementary | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Copper Basin Elementary School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Chilhowee Middle School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Copper Basin High School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Benton Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 400
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 347
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 321
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 293
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 231
- Students per teacher
- 8.9:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
Similar other schools in Benton
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other 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 (~421 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Benton Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Benton Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Polk 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 Benton Elementary
How many students attend Benton Elementary?
Benton Elementary has 421 students enrolled. It is a public school in Benton, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Benton Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Benton Elementary is 15.6:1, which is 2% higher than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 1% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Benton Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Benton Elementary is White at 92.2% of enrollment, in Benton, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Benton Elementary?
Benton Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (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 Benton Elementary rank among public schools in Benton?
By Resource Investment Index, Benton Elementary ranks #4 of 4 public schools in Benton, TN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Benton on the city page.
Is Benton Elementary a good school?
Benton Elementary earns 32/100 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 Polk County?
Besides Benton Elementary, Polk County also operates Polk County High School (400 students), South Polk Elementary (347 students), and Copper Basin Elementary School (321 students). See the Polk 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.