Enrollment
290
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Bolivar, TN
Bolivar Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Bolivar Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 470165000540
👥 S:T ratio 52
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 42
📋 Attendance 20
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Bolivar Middle School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 82% of Tennessee schools.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Bolivar · Resource Index
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.1:1
- small classes for Tennessee
- 290
- students enrolled
Bolivar Middle School has class sizes smaller than 82% of Tennessee schools. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Bolivar Middle School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Bolivar, TN.
School address
District: Hardeman County Schools · Tennessee
NCES ID 470165000540 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.1:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
-21% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bolivar Middle School compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at Bolivar Middle School
Bolivar Middle School is a mid-sized middle school in Bolivar, Tennessee, enrolling 290 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.1:1 puts it in the smaller third of Tennessee schools by student-teacher ratio.
Enrollment of 290 puts it in the smaller third of Tennessee schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,838 scored Tennessee schools.
Its student body is led by African American (71%) and White (19%) (diversity index 45/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 290 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 32.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 23.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 130 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 290 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 2 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Hardeman County Schools also operates Bolivar Elementary (670 students) and Central High School (663 students) alongside Bolivar 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 Bolivar Middle School compares
Bolivar 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 | 12.1:1 | ▼ 21% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 290 | top 78% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.1:1
Leaner classes than 75% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
290
Bigger than 31% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
12.1:1
students per teacher
- 21% below state mean
Top 18% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 82% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
32.1%
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
$11,428
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 290 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
78
in-school suspensions + 52 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 26.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 44.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 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
African American 71.0%
White 19.3%
Two or More 5.9%
Hispanic or Latino 3.1%
Asian 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: African American at 71.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 45.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 45.4, Bolivar Middle School is more mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Hardeman County Schools, which includes Bolivar Middle School.
$11,428
Per student
+6%
vs Tennessee
Avg $10,822
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 25.2%
State 51.5%
Federal 23.3%
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 Bolivar Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bolivar Elementary | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Central High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Middleton High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Middleton Elementary | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Toone Elementary | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Bolivar Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 670
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 663
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 410
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 349
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 217
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
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 (~290 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Bolivar Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Bolivar Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Hardeman County Schools'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 Bolivar Middle School
How many students attend Bolivar Middle School?
Bolivar Middle School has 290 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Bolivar, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bolivar Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Bolivar Middle School is 12.1:1, which is 21% lower than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 23% 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 Bolivar Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Bolivar Middle School is African American at 71.0% of enrollment, in Bolivar, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bolivar Middle School?
Bolivar Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (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 Bolivar Middle School rank among public schools in Bolivar?
By Resource Investment Index, Bolivar Middle School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Bolivar, 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 Bolivar on the city page.
Is Bolivar Middle School a good school?
Bolivar Middle School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 82% of Tennessee schools. 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 Hardeman County Schools?
Besides Bolivar Middle School, Hardeman County Schools also operates Bolivar Elementary (670 students), Central High School (663 students), and Middleton High School (410 students). See the Hardeman County Schools 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.