Enrollment
475
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Murfreesboro, TN
Buchanan Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Buchanan Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 50/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 470369001509
👥 S:T ratio 34
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 5
📋 Attendance 90
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Buchanan Elementary earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 71% of Tennessee schools.
- #3 of 6
- elementary schools in Murfreesboro · Resource Index
- 50
- Resource Index · Higher
- 16.4:1
- large classes for Tennessee
- 475
- students enrolled
Buchanan Elementary has class sizes larger than 71% of Tennessee schools. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Buchanan Elementary ranks #3 of 6 elementary schools in Murfreesboro, TN.
School address
District: Rutherford County · Tennessee
NCES ID 470369001509 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.4:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
+7% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Buchanan Elementary compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at Buchanan Elementary
Buchanan Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, enrolling 475 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.4:1 puts it in the larger third of Tennessee schools by student-teacher ratio.
With 475 students, its enrollment sits close to the Tennessee median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,838 scored Tennessee schools.
Its student body is led by White (62%) and Hispanic or Latino (20%) (diversity index 57/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 475 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 4.0% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Among Murfreesboro's elementary schools, it stands alongside Scales Elementary School (937 students): Buchanan Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (16.4:1 vs 14.9:1).
Rutherford County also operates Stewarts Creek High School (2,474 students) and Blackman High School (2,301 students) alongside Buchanan 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 Buchanan Elementary compares
Buchanan 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 | 16.4:1 | ▲ 7% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 475 | top 48% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.4:1
Leaner classes than 35% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
475
Bigger than 58% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
16.4:1
students per teacher
- 7% above state mean
Top 71% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 29% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
4.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 5%, comfortably under the pre-pandemic national baseline for chronic absenteeism.
Funding equity
$10,141
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 475 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.3 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 61.9%
Hispanic or Latino 20.0%
Two or More 8.8%
African American 5.5%
Asian 3.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 61.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 56.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 56.5, Buchanan Elementary is more mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Rutherford County, which includes Buchanan Elementary.
$10,141
Per student
-6%
vs Tennessee
Avg $10,822
-39%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 41.9%
State 45.4%
Federal 12.7%
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 Buchanan Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stewarts Creek High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Blackman High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Riverdale High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Smyrna High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Rockvale High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Buchanan Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,474
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 2,301
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 2,275
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 2,266
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 2,126
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
Similar elementary schools in Murfreesboro
5 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Scales Elementary School
Standard public school
937 students 14.9:1 students per teacher
Overall Creek Elementary
Standard public school
937 students 15.6:1 students per teacher
Mcfadden School of Excellence
Standard public school
386 students 18.4:1 students per teacher
Bradley Academy - an Arts Integrated School
Standard public school
334 students 11.9:1 students per teacher
Homer Pittard Campus School
Standard public school
240 students 15:1 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 (~475 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Buchanan Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Buchanan Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Rutherford 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 Buchanan Elementary
How many students attend Buchanan Elementary?
Buchanan Elementary has 475 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Murfreesboro, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Buchanan Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Buchanan Elementary is 16.4:1, which is 7% higher than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Buchanan Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Buchanan Elementary is White at 61.9% of enrollment, in Murfreesboro, TN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 56.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Buchanan Elementary?
Buchanan Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (higher 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 Buchanan Elementary rank among elementary schools in Murfreesboro?
By Resource Investment Index, Buchanan Elementary ranks #3 of 6 elementary schools in Murfreesboro, 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 Murfreesboro on the city page.
Is Buchanan Elementary a good school?
Buchanan Elementary earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 71% 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 Rutherford County?
Besides Buchanan Elementary, Rutherford County also operates Stewarts Creek High School (2,474 students), Blackman High School (2,301 students), and Riverdale High School (2,275 students). See the Rutherford 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.