Enrollment
545
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Lebanon, TN
Byars Dowdy Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Byars Dowdy Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 470237000862
👥 S:T ratio 41
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 60
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Byars Dowdy Elementary earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Tennessee median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Tennessee schools.
- #3 of 9
- schools in Lebanon · Resource Index
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.7:1
- students per teacher
- 545
- students enrolled
Byars Dowdy Elementary has class sizes near the Tennessee median. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Byars Dowdy Elementary ranks #3 of 9 schools in Lebanon, TN.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
37.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.7:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
-4% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Byars Dowdy Elementary compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at Byars Dowdy Elementary
Byars Dowdy Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Lebanon, Tennessee, enrolling 545 students.
At 14.7:1, 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 545 students, its enrollment sits close to the Tennessee median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,838 scored Tennessee schools.
Its student body is led by White (48%) and Hispanic or Latino (30%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 66/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 545 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
16.1% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 17.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Lebanon's public schools, it stands alongside Southside Elementary (806 students): Byars Dowdy Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (14.7:1 vs 16.8:1).
Lebanon also operates Sam Houston Elementary (759 students) and Walter J. Baird Middle School (757 students) alongside Byars Dowdy 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 Byars Dowdy Elementary compares
Byars Dowdy 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 | 14.7:1 | ▼ 4% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 545 | top 38% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.7:1
Leaner classes than 50% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
545
Bigger than 67% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
14.7:1
students per teacher
- 4% below state mean
Top 47% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 53% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
16.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$10,806
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 545 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
25
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.5 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 47.9%
Hispanic or Latino 30.3%
African American 14.1%
Two or More 6.4%
Asian 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: White at 47.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 65.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 65.5, Byars Dowdy Elementary is more mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lebanon, which includes Byars Dowdy Elementary.
$10,806
Per student
0%
vs Tennessee
Avg $10,822
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 44.5%
State 37.7%
Federal 17.8%
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 Byars Dowdy Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Houston Elementary | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Walter J. Baird Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Jones Brummett Elementary School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Castle Heights Elementary | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Winfree Bryant Middle School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Byars Dowdy Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 759
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 757
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 740
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 657
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 589
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
Similar other schools in Lebanon
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Southside Elementary
Standard public school
806 students 16.8:1 students per teacher
Sam Houston Elementary
Standard public school
759 students 17.3:1 students per teacher
Carroll Oakland Elementary
Standard public school
741 students 15.4:1 students per teacher
Jones Brummett Elementary School
Standard public school
740 students 18:1 students per teacher
Castle Heights Elementary
Standard public school
657 students 15.6:1 students per teacher
Coles Ferry Elementary
Standard public school
581 students 14.9:1 students per teacher
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 (~545 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Byars Dowdy Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Byars Dowdy Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Lebanon'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 Byars Dowdy Elementary
How many students attend Byars Dowdy Elementary?
Byars Dowdy Elementary has 545 students enrolled. It is a public school in Lebanon, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Byars Dowdy Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Byars Dowdy Elementary is 14.7:1, which is 4% lower than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 6% 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 Byars Dowdy Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Byars Dowdy Elementary is White at 47.9% of enrollment, in Lebanon, TN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 65.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Byars Dowdy Elementary?
Byars Dowdy Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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 Byars Dowdy Elementary rank among schools in Lebanon?
By Resource Investment Index, Byars Dowdy Elementary ranks #3 of 9 schools in Lebanon, TN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Lebanon on the city page.
Is Byars Dowdy Elementary a good school?
Byars Dowdy Elementary earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Tennessee median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Lebanon?
Besides Byars Dowdy Elementary, Lebanon also operates Sam Houston Elementary (759 students), Walter J. Baird Middle School (757 students), and Jones Brummett Elementary School (740 students). See the Lebanon 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.