Enrollment
491
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Somerville, TN
Buckley-Carpenter Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Buckley-Carpenter Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 50/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 470117002364
👥 S:T ratio 37
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 45
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Buckley-Carpenter Elementary School earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Tennessee median.
- #2 of 4
- public schools in Somerville · Resource Index
- 50
- Resource Index · Higher
- 15.8:1
- students per teacher
- 491
- students enrolled
Buckley-Carpenter Elementary School has class sizes near the Tennessee median. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Buckley-Carpenter Elementary School ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Somerville, TN.
School address
District: Fayette County Public Schools · Tennessee
NCES ID 470117002364 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.8:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
+3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Buckley-Carpenter Elementary School compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at Buckley-Carpenter Elementary School
Buckley-Carpenter Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Somerville, Tennessee, enrolling 491 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.8:1 puts it in the larger third of Tennessee schools by student-teacher ratio.
With 491 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 African American (57%) and White (35%) (diversity index 54/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.2% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 27.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Somerville's public schools, it stands alongside Wilder Youth Development Center (32 students): Buckley-Carpenter Elementary School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (15.8:1 vs 3.6:1).
Fayette County Public Schools also operates Fayette Ware Comprehensive High School (724 students) and Oakland Elementary (621 students) alongside Buckley-Carpenter Elementary 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 Buckley-Carpenter Elementary School compares
Buckley-Carpenter Elementary 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 | 15.8:1 | ▲ 3% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 491 | top 46% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.8:1
Leaner classes than 40% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
491
Bigger than 60% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
15.8:1
students per teacher
- 3% above state mean
Top 63% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 37% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
22.2%
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
$11,140
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
23
in-school suspensions + 27 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.2 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
African American 57.4%
White 35.2%
Hispanic or Latino 3.7%
Two or More 3.5%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 57.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 54.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 54.4, Buckley-Carpenter Elementary School is more mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fayette County Public Schools, which includes Buckley-Carpenter Elementary School.
$11,140
Per student
+3%
vs Tennessee
Avg $10,822
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 28.6%
State 44.3%
Federal 27.1%
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 Buckley-Carpenter Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fayette Ware Comprehensive High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Oakland Elementary | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| West Junior High School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Southwest Elementary | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| East Jr. High School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Buckley-Carpenter Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 724
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 621
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 340
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 294
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 243
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
Similar other schools in Somerville
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 (~491 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Buckley-Carpenter Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Buckley-Carpenter Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Fayette County Public 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 Buckley-Carpenter Elementary School
How many students attend Buckley-Carpenter Elementary School?
Buckley-Carpenter Elementary School has 491 students enrolled. It is a public school in Somerville, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Buckley-Carpenter Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Buckley-Carpenter Elementary School is 15.8:1, which is 3% higher than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 1% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Buckley-Carpenter Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Buckley-Carpenter Elementary School is African American at 57.4% of enrollment, in Somerville, TN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 54.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Buckley-Carpenter Elementary School?
Buckley-Carpenter Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Buckley-Carpenter Elementary School rank among public schools in Somerville?
By Resource Investment Index, Buckley-Carpenter Elementary School ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Somerville, 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 Somerville on the city page.
Is Buckley-Carpenter Elementary School a good school?
Buckley-Carpenter Elementary School earns 50/100 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 Fayette County Public Schools?
Besides Buckley-Carpenter Elementary School, Fayette County Public Schools also operates Fayette Ware Comprehensive High School (724 students), Oakland Elementary (621 students), and West Junior High School (340 students). See the Fayette County Public 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.