Enrollment
465
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Carthage, TN
Carthage Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Carthage Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 33/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 470387001596
👥 S:T ratio 31
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 71
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Carthage Elementary earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 79% of Tennessee schools.
- #2 of 3
- schools in Carthage · Resource Index
- 33
- Resource Index · Typical
- 17.2:1
- large classes for Tennessee
- 465
- students enrolled
Carthage Elementary has class sizes larger than 79% of Tennessee schools. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Carthage Elementary ranks #2 of 3 schools in Carthage, TN.
School address
District: Smith County · Tennessee
NCES ID 470387001596 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.2:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
+12% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Carthage Elementary compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at Carthage Elementary
Carthage Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Carthage, Tennessee, enrolling 465 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 17.2:1 puts it in the larger third of Tennessee schools by student-teacher ratio.
With 465 students, its enrollment sits close to the Tennessee median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,838 scored Tennessee schools.
Its student body is predominantly White (81% of enrollment) (diversity index 33/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 930 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
11.6% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 17.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Carthage's public schools, it stands alongside Defeated Elementary (288 students): Carthage Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (17.2:1 vs 15.2:1).
Smith County also operates Gordonsville High School (541 students) and Smith County High School (476 students) alongside Carthage 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 Carthage Elementary compares
Carthage 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 | 17.2:1 | ▲ 12% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 465 | top 50% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.2:1
Leaner classes than 29% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
465
Bigger than 57% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
17.2:1
students per teacher
- 12% above state mean
Top 79% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 21% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
11.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$10,034
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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.4 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 81.1%
Two or More 8.6%
Hispanic or Latino 6.9%
African American 2.2%
Asian 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 81.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 33.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 33.0, Carthage Elementary is less mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Smith County, which includes Carthage Elementary.
$10,034
Per student
-7%
vs Tennessee
Avg $10,822
-40%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 24.3%
State 58.3%
Federal 17.4%
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 Carthage Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gordonsville High School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Smith County High School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Gordonsville Elementary School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Smith County Middle School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Defeated Elementary | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Carthage Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 541
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 476
- Students per teacher
- 9.5:1
- Resource Index
- 62/100
- Enrollment
- 311
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 289
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 288
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
Similar other schools in Carthage
2 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 (~465 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~17.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Carthage Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Carthage Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Smith 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 Carthage Elementary
How many students attend Carthage Elementary?
Carthage Elementary has 465 students enrolled. It is a public school in Carthage, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Carthage Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Carthage Elementary is 17.2:1, which is 12% higher than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 10% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Carthage Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Carthage Elementary is White at 81.1% of enrollment, in Carthage, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Carthage Elementary?
Carthage Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (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 Carthage Elementary rank among schools in Carthage?
By Resource Investment Index, Carthage Elementary ranks #2 of 3 schools in Carthage, TN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Carthage on the city page.
Is Carthage Elementary a good school?
Carthage Elementary earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 79% 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 Smith County?
Besides Carthage Elementary, Smith County also operates Gordonsville High School (541 students), Smith County High School (476 students), and Gordonsville Elementary School (311 students). See the Smith 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.