Enrollment
739
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Chattanooga, TN
Brainerd High School
Federal NCES profile for Brainerd High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 34/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 470159000626
👥 S:T ratio 40
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 51
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Brainerd High School earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Tennessee median.
- #3 of 8
- high schools in Chattanooga · Resource Index
- 34
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.1:1
- students per teacher
- 739
- students enrolled
Brainerd High School has class sizes near the Tennessee median. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Brainerd High School ranks #3 of 8 high schools in Chattanooga, TN.
School address
District: Hamilton County · Tennessee
NCES ID 470159000626 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
49.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.1:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
-1% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Brainerd High School compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at Brainerd High School
Brainerd High School is a mid-sized high school in Chattanooga, Tennessee, enrolling 739 students.
At 15.1:1, 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.
Enrollment of 739 puts it in the larger 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 (68%) and Hispanic or Latino (22%) (diversity index 49/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 246 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 57.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data 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.
Discipline events run high: 292 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 739 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 83 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Chattanooga's high schools, it stands alongside The Howard School (1,329 students): Brainerd High School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (15.1:1 vs 14.4:1).
Hamilton County also operates Signal Mountain Middle/High School (1,396 students) and The Howard School (1,329 students) alongside Brainerd High 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 Brainerd High School compares
Brainerd High 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 | 15.1:1 | ▼ 1% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 739 | top 19% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.1:1
Leaner classes than 46% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
739
Bigger than 82% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
15.1:1
students per teacher
- 1% below state mean
Top 54% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 46% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
57.5%
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 246 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
113
in-school suspensions + 179 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 15.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 39.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 83 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 67.8%
Hispanic or Latino 21.5%
Two or More 6.5%
White 4.1%
Asian 0.1%
Largest group: African American at 67.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 48.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 48.8, Brainerd High School is more mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Hamilton County, which includes Brainerd High School.
$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 Brainerd High School 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 | Similar S:T ratio |
| East Brainerd Elementary | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Brainerd High School'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 high schools in Chattanooga
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
The Howard School
Standard public school
1,329 students 14.4:1 students per teacher
East Ridge High School
Standard public school
867 students 14.4:1 students per teacher
Red Bank High School
Standard public school
772 students 14.3:1 students per teacher
Tyner Academy
Standard public school
632 students 15:1 students per teacher
Stem School Chattanooga
Standard public school
296 students 17.4:1 students per teacher
Hamilton County Collegiate High at Chattanooga State
Standard public school
141 students 28.2:1 students per teacher
Similar high 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 (~739 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Brainerd High School's federal record.
- Compare Brainerd High School 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 Brainerd High School
How many students attend Brainerd High School?
Brainerd High School has 739 students enrolled. It is a high school in Chattanooga, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Brainerd High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Brainerd High School is 15.1:1, which is 1% lower than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 4% 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 Brainerd High School?
The largest demographic group at Brainerd High School is African American at 67.8% of enrollment, in Chattanooga, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Brainerd High School?
Brainerd High School has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Brainerd High School rank among high schools in Chattanooga?
By Resource Investment Index, Brainerd High School ranks #3 of 8 high 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 high schools in Chattanooga on the city page.
Is Brainerd High School a good school?
Brainerd High School earns 34/100 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 Brainerd High School, 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.