Enrollment
391
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 470315001248
Discovery School — Murfreesboro, TN
Federal NCES profile for Discovery School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 53/100.
👥 Class size 29
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 22
📋 Attendance 91
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: Murfreesboro · 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)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.7:1
vs 15.6:1 Tennessee avg
+13% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Discovery School 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
Discovery School reports 391 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 22.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.7:1 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 391 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 3.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Murfreesboro spends $12,255 per pupil district-wide, below the Tennessee average of $12,324 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 40.5% from local sources (property taxes), 40.8% from the state, and 18.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (C-), 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 Discovery School 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 | 17.7:1 | ▲ 13% | 15.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 391 | top 38% | — | — |
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
17.7:1
students per teacher
— 13% above state mean
Top 84% in Tennessee — lower ratio than 16% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
3.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$12,255
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 391 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 391 Top 38% in Tennessee — larger than 62% of 1,844 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 22.0
Students per teacher 17.7:1 +13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 470315001248
Student demographics
White 73.9%
African American 9.5%
Two or More 7.4%
Hispanic or Latino 4.9%
Asian 4.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 73.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 391:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 3.8%
In-school suspensions 2
Out-of-school suspensions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Murfreesboro, which includes Discovery School.
$12,255
Per student
-1%
vs Tennessee
Avg $12,324
-37%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 40.5%
State 40.8%
Federal 18.7%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 946
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Enrollment
- 937
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Enrollment
- 937
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Enrollment
- 889
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Enrollment
- 867
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
Similar other schools in Murfreesboro
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Central Magnet School
Standard public school
1,222 students 17:1 students per teacher
Brown'S Chapel Elementary School
Standard public school
1,002 students 17.5:1 students per teacher
Barfield Elementary
Standard public school
969 students 17.2:1 students per teacher
Blackman Elementary School
Standard public school
954 students 18.2:1 students per teacher
Salem Elementary School
Standard public school
946 students 15.9:1 students per teacher
Black Fox Elementary
Standard public school
889 students 14.8:1 students per teacher
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 Discovery School
How many students attend Discovery School?
Discovery School has 391 students enrolled. It is a other school in Murfreesboro, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Discovery School?
The student-teacher ratio at Discovery School is 17.7:1, 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 Discovery School?
The largest demographic group at Discovery School is White at 73.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in Murfreesboro, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Discovery School?
Discovery School has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (C-) 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.