Enrollment
514
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 470057000228
Cheatham Co Central — Ashland City, TN
Federal NCES profile for Cheatham Co Central, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 32/100.
👥 Class size 30
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 49
📋 Attendance 0
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: Cheatham 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)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.6:1
vs 15.6:1 Tennessee avg
+13% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cheatham Co Central 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
Cheatham Co Central reports 514 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 33.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 13% 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 11% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Counselor coverage works out to roughly 257 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 41.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Cheatham County spends $10,582 per pupil district-wide, below the Tennessee average of $12,324 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 27.8% from local sources (property taxes), 56.7% from the state, and 15.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (F), calculated from 5 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 Cheatham Co Central 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 | 17.6:1 | ▲ 13% | 15.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 514 | top 57% | — | — |
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
17.6:1
students per teacher
— 13% above state mean
Top 83% in Tennessee — lower ratio than 17% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
41.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$10,582
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 257 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
8
in-school suspensions + 15 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 13 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 514 Top 57% in Tennessee — larger than 43% of 1,844 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 33.0
Students per teacher 17.6:1 +13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 470057000228
Student demographics
White 75.3%
Hispanic or Latino 13.4%
Two or More 5.4%
African American 4.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: White at 75.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP program Not offered
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 257:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 41.8%
In-school suspensions 8
Out-of-school suspensions 15
Expulsions 13
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cheatham County, which includes Cheatham Co Central.
$10,582
Per student
-14%
vs Tennessee
Avg $12,324
-46%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 27.8%
State 56.7%
Federal 15.5%
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
- 672
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Enrollment
- 635
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Enrollment
- 566
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Enrollment
- 502
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Enrollment
- 432
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
Similar high schools in Ashland City
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) 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 Cheatham Co Central
How many students attend Cheatham Co Central?
Cheatham Co Central has 514 students enrolled. It is a high school in Ashland City, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cheatham Co Central?
The student-teacher ratio at Cheatham Co Central is 17.6:1, which is 13% higher than the Tennessee average of 15.6:1 and 11% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cheatham Co Central?
The largest demographic group at Cheatham Co Central is White at 75.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Ashland City, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cheatham Co Central?
Cheatham Co Central has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (F) based on 5 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.