Enrollment
391
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Murfreesboro, TN
Discovery School
Federal NCES profile for Discovery School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 53/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 470315001248
👥 S:T ratio 29
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 22
📋 Attendance 91
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Discovery School earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 84% of Tennessee schools.
- #2 of 17
- schools in Murfreesboro · Resource Index
- 53
- Resource Index · Higher
- 17.8:1
- large classes for Tennessee
- 391
- students enrolled
Discovery School has class sizes larger than 84% of Tennessee schools. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Discovery School ranks #2 of 17 schools in Murfreesboro, TN.
School address
District: Murfreesboro · Tennessee
NCES ID 470315001248 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.8:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
+16% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Discovery School compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at Discovery School
Discovery School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, enrolling 391 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 17.8:1 puts it in the larger third of Tennessee schools by student-teacher ratio.
With 391 students, its enrollment sits close to the Tennessee median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,838 scored Tennessee schools.
Its student body is led by White (74%) and African American (10%) (diversity index 44/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 391 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance holds up well here: only 3.8% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Its district draws 18.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Murfreesboro's public schools, it stands alongside Central Magnet School (1,222 students): Discovery School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (17.8:1 vs 17.2:1).
Murfreesboro also operates Salem Elementary School (946 students) and Scales Elementary School (937 students) alongside Discovery 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 Discovery School compares
Discovery 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 | 17.8:1 | ▲ 16% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 391 | top 62% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.8:1
Leaner classes than 26% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
391
Bigger than 46% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
17.8:1
students per teacher
- 16% above state mean
Top 84% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 16% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
3.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 5%, comfortably under the pre-pandemic national baseline for chronic absenteeism.
Funding equity
$11,342
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 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
- 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 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.
Student-body diversity index 43.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 43.5, Discovery School is more mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Murfreesboro, which includes Discovery School.
$11,342
Per student
+5%
vs Tennessee
Avg $10,822
-32%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Discovery School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salem Elementary School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Scales Elementary School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Overall Creek Elementary | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Black Fox Elementary | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Erma Siegel Elementary | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Discovery School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 946
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 937
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 937
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 889
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 867
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
Similar other schools in Murfreesboro
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Central Magnet School
Standard public school
1,222 students 17.2:1 students per teacher
Brown's Chapel Elementary School
Standard public school
1,002 students 20.9:1 students per teacher
Barfield Elementary
Standard public school
969 students 17.3:1 students per teacher
Blackman Elementary School
Standard public school
954 students 16.2:1 students per teacher
Salem Elementary School
Standard public school
946 students 15.5:1 students per teacher
Black Fox Elementary
Standard public school
889 students 16.2:1 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 (~391 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Discovery School's federal record.
- Compare Discovery School against another school. Compare schools
- Murfreesboro'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 Discovery School
How many students attend Discovery School?
Discovery School has 391 students enrolled. It is a public school in Murfreesboro, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Discovery School?
The student-teacher ratio at Discovery School is 17.8:1, which is 16% higher than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 13% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Discovery School?
The largest demographic group at Discovery School is White at 73.9% of enrollment, in Murfreesboro, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Discovery School?
Discovery School has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (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 Discovery School rank among schools in Murfreesboro?
By Resource Investment Index, Discovery School ranks #2 of 17 schools in Murfreesboro, TN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Murfreesboro on the city page.
Is Discovery School a good school?
Discovery School earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 84% 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 Murfreesboro?
Besides Discovery School, Murfreesboro also operates Salem Elementary School (946 students), Scales Elementary School (937 students), and Overall Creek Elementary (937 students). See the Murfreesboro 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.