Enrollment
979
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Chattanooga, TN
Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts
Federal NCES profile for Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 470159000763
👥 S:T ratio 28
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 97
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 86% of Tennessee schools.
- #11 of 25
- schools in Chattanooga · Resource Index
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 18.1:1
- large classes for Tennessee
- 979
- students enrolled
Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts has class sizes larger than 86% of Tennessee schools. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts ranks #11 of 25 schools in Chattanooga, TN.
School address
District: Hamilton County · Tennessee
NCES ID 470159000763 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
54.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.1:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
+18% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts
Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts is a large combined-grade school in Chattanooga, Tennessee, enrolling 979 students.
Class loads run heavy: 18.1:1 is larger than about 86% of Tennessee schools and 18% above the 15.3:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Tennessee, bigger than 91% of state schools at 979 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,838 scored Tennessee schools.
Its student body is led by White (62%) and African American (19%) (diversity index 56/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 979 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 1.3% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Its district draws 21.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Chattanooga's public schools, it stands alongside East Brainerd Elementary (1,177 students): Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (18.1:1 vs 16.3:1).
Hamilton County also operates Signal Mountain Middle/High School (1,396 students) and The Howard School (1,329 students) alongside Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts.
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 Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts compares
Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts on the metrics families compare, against Tennessee and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Tennessee | Tennessee avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18.1:1 | ▲ 18% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 979 | top 9% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.1:1
Leaner classes than 24% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
979
Bigger than 91% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
18.1:1
students per teacher
- 18% above state mean
Top 86% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 14% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
1.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 5%, comfortably under the pre-pandemic national baseline for chronic absenteeism.
Funding equity
$12,002
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 979 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 19 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.7 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 62.3%
African American 19.1%
Two or More 8.8%
Asian 5.8%
Hispanic or Latino 3.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 62.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 56.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 56.3, Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts is more mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Hamilton County, which includes Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts.
$12,002
Per student
+11%
vs Tennessee
Avg $10,822
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 47.2%
State 31.6%
Federal 21.1%
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 Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Signal Mountain Middle/High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| The Howard School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| East Hamilton High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ooltewah High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| East Brainerd Elementary | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,396
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 1,329
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 1,293
- Students per teacher
- 68.1:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 1,233
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 1,177
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
Similar other schools in Chattanooga
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
East Brainerd Elementary
Standard public school
1,177 students 16.3:1 students per teacher
East Ridge Elementary
Standard public school
959 students 13.9:1 students per teacher
Normal Park Museum Magnet School
Standard public school
877 students 16.5:1 students per teacher
Harrison Elementary
Standard public school
775 students 14.4:1 students per teacher
Chattanooga School for Arts and Sciences Upper
Standard public school
741 students 18.5:1 students per teacher
Chatt High Center for Creative Arts
Standard public school
717 students 17.9:1 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 (~979 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts's federal record.
- Compare Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts against another school. Compare schools
- Hamilton 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 Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts
How many students attend Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts?
Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts has 979 students enrolled. It is a public school in Chattanooga, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts?
The student-teacher ratio at Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts is 18.1:1, which is 18% higher than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 15% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts?
The largest demographic group at Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts is White at 62.3% of enrollment, in Chattanooga, TN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 56.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts?
Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (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 Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts rank among schools in Chattanooga?
By Resource Investment Index, Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts ranks #11 of 25 schools in Chattanooga, TN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Chattanooga on the city page.
Is Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts a good school?
Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 86% 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 Hamilton County?
Besides Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts, Hamilton County also operates Signal Mountain Middle/High School (1,396 students), The Howard School (1,329 students), and East Hamilton High School (1,293 students). See the Hamilton 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.