Enrollment
465
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 470387001596
Carthage Elementary — Carthage, TN
Federal NCES profile for Carthage Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 34/100.
👥 Class size 34
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 71
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Smith County · Tennessee
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.5:1
vs 15.6:1 Tennessee avg
+6% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Carthage Elementary compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Carthage Elementary reports 465 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 27.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 6% above the Tennessee state mean of 15.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 4% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Counselor coverage works out to roughly 930 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 11.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Smith County spends $10,754 per pupil district-wide, below the Tennessee average of $12,324 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 24.3% from local sources (property taxes), 58.3% from the state, and 17.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (F), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Carthage Elementary compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Tennessee state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Tennessee | Tennessee avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.5:1 | ▲ 6% | 15.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 465 | top 50% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Staffing depth
16.5:1
students per teacher
— 6% above state mean
Top 72% in Tennessee — lower ratio than 28% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
11.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$10,754
per pupil, district-wide
— below Tennessee avg of $12,324
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Per 930 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
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
Enrollment 465 Top 50% in Tennessee — larger than 50% of 1,844 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 27.0
Students per teacher 16.5:1 +6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 470387001596
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.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.5
Students per counselor 930:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 11.6%
In-school suspensions 4
Out-of-school suspensions 7
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Smith County, which includes Carthage Elementary.
$10,754
Per student
-13%
vs Tennessee
Avg $12,324
-45%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 541
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Enrollment
- 476
- Students per teacher
- 10:1
- Enrollment
- 311
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Enrollment
- 289
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Enrollment
- 288
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
Similar other schools in Carthage
2 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Carthage Elementary
How many students attend Carthage Elementary?
Carthage Elementary has 465 students enrolled. It is a other school in Carthage, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Carthage Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Carthage Elementary is 16.5:1, which is 6% higher than the Tennessee average of 15.6:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Carthage Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Carthage Elementary is White at 81.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Carthage, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Carthage Elementary?
Carthage Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.