Enrollment
321
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Memphis, TN
Cherokee Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Cherokee Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 31/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 470014801030
👥 S:T ratio 60
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 36
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cherokee Elementary earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 93% of Tennessee schools.
- #51 of 101
- schools in Memphis · Resource Index
- 31
- Resource Index · Lower
- 10:1
- small classes for Tennessee
- 321
- students enrolled
Cherokee Elementary has class sizes smaller than 93% of Tennessee schools. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Cherokee Elementary ranks #51 of 101 schools in Memphis, TN.
School address
District: Memphis-Shelby County Schools · Tennessee
NCES ID 470014801030 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
-35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cherokee Elementary compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cherokee Elementary
Cherokee Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Memphis, Tennessee, enrolling 321 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 10:1, Cherokee Elementary is leaner than roughly 93% of Tennessee schools and 35% under the state's 15.3:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Enrollment of 321 puts it in the smaller third of Tennessee schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,838 scored Tennessee schools.
Its student body is predominantly African American (87% of enrollment) (diversity index 23/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 321 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 66.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Memphis-Shelby County Schools spends $13,650 per pupil, 26% above the Tennessee average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 28.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Memphis's public schools, it stands alongside Snowden Elementary/Middle (1,384 students): Cherokee Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (10:1 vs 16.9:1).
Memphis-Shelby County Schools also operates Cordova High School (2,251 students) and White Station High (2,046 students) alongside Cherokee 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 Cherokee Elementary compares
Cherokee 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 | 10:1 | ▼ 35% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 321 | top 73% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10:1
Leaner classes than 89% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
321
Bigger than 35% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
10:1
students per teacher
- 35% below state mean
Top 7% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 93% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
66.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$13,650
per pupil, district-wide
- above Tennessee avg of $10,822
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 321 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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
African American 86.9%
Hispanic or Latino 12.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Two or More 0.3%
Largest group: African American at 86.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 22.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 22.9, Cherokee Elementary is less mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Memphis-Shelby County Schools, which includes Cherokee Elementary.
$13,650
Per student
+26%
vs Tennessee
Avg $10,822
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 34.5%
State 37.0%
Federal 28.5%
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.
How Cherokee Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cordova High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| White Station High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Germantown High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Southwind High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Whitehaven High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Cherokee Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,251
- Students per teacher
- 22.1:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 2,046
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,719
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 1,675
- Students per teacher
- 26.6:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 1,509
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
Similar other schools in Memphis
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Snowden Elementary/Middle
Standard public school
1,384 students 16.9:1 students per teacher
Belle Forest Community School
Standard public school
1,027 students 17.4:1 students per teacher
Early Childhood Programs
Standard public school
938 students 62.5:1 students per teacher
Treadwell Elementary
Standard public school
921 students 14.9:1 students per teacher
Richland Elementary
Standard public school
907 students 15.9:1 students per teacher
Parkway Village Elementary
Standard public school
856 students 13.6:1 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 (~321 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~10:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cherokee Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Cherokee Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Memphis-Shelby County Schools'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 Cherokee Elementary
How many students attend Cherokee Elementary?
Cherokee Elementary has 321 students enrolled. It is a public school in Memphis, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cherokee Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Cherokee Elementary is 10:1, which is 35% lower than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 36% 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 Cherokee Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Cherokee Elementary is African American at 86.9% of enrollment, in Memphis, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cherokee Elementary?
Cherokee Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (lower 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 Cherokee Elementary rank among schools in Memphis?
By Resource Investment Index, Cherokee Elementary ranks #51 of 101 schools in Memphis, TN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Memphis on the city page.
Is Cherokee Elementary a good school?
Cherokee Elementary earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 93% 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 Memphis-Shelby County Schools?
Besides Cherokee Elementary, Memphis-Shelby County Schools also operates Cordova High School (2,251 students), White Station High (2,046 students), and Germantown High (1,719 students). See the Memphis-Shelby County Schools 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.