Enrollment
293
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Benton, TN
Chilhowee Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Chilhowee Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 470345001444
👥 S:T ratio 44
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 41
📋 Attendance 45
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Chilhowee Middle School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Tennessee median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Tennessee schools.
- #3 of 4
- public schools in Benton · Resource Index
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14:1
- students per teacher
- 293
- students enrolled
Chilhowee Middle School has class sizes near the Tennessee median. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Chilhowee Middle School ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Benton, TN.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
-8% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Chilhowee Middle School compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at Chilhowee Middle School
Chilhowee Middle School is a mid-sized middle school in Benton, Tennessee, enrolling 293 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 14:1 puts it in the smaller third of Tennessee schools by student-teacher ratio.
Enrollment of 293 puts it in the smaller third of Tennessee schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,838 scored Tennessee schools.
Its student body is predominantly White (95% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 9/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 293 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.2% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 23.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 70 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 293 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 2 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Polk County also operates Benton Elementary (421 students) and Polk County High School (400 students) alongside Chilhowee Middle School.
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 Chilhowee Middle School compares
Chilhowee Middle School on the metrics families compare, against Tennessee and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Tennessee | Tennessee avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14:1 | ▼ 8% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 293 | top 78% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14:1
Leaner classes than 57% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
293
Bigger than 31% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
14:1
students per teacher
- 8% below state mean
Top 38% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 62% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
22.2%
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
$11,761
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 293 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
59
in-school suspensions + 11 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 20.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 23.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
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 95.2%
Hispanic or Latino 3.1%
African American 1.0%
Asian 0.3%
Two or More 0.3%
Largest group: White at 95.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 9.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 9.3, Chilhowee Middle School is less mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Polk County, which includes Chilhowee Middle School.
$11,761
Per student
+9%
vs Tennessee
Avg $10,822
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 23.3%
State 53.0%
Federal 23.7%
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 Chilhowee Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benton Elementary | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Polk County High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| South Polk Elementary | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Copper Basin Elementary School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Copper Basin High School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Chilhowee Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 421
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 400
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 347
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 321
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 231
- Students per teacher
- 8.9:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
Similar middle 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 (~293 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Chilhowee Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Chilhowee Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Polk 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 Chilhowee Middle School
How many students attend Chilhowee Middle School?
Chilhowee Middle School has 293 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Benton, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Chilhowee Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Chilhowee Middle School is 14:1, which is 8% lower than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 11% 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 Chilhowee Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Chilhowee Middle School is White at 95.2% of enrollment, in Benton, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Chilhowee Middle School?
Chilhowee Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (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 Chilhowee Middle School rank among public schools in Benton?
By Resource Investment Index, Chilhowee Middle School ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Benton, TN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Benton on the city page.
Is Chilhowee Middle School a good school?
Chilhowee Middle School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Tennessee median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Polk County?
Besides Chilhowee Middle School, Polk County also operates Benton Elementary (421 students), Polk County High School (400 students), and South Polk Elementary (347 students). See the Polk 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.