Enrollment
250
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Cookeville, TN
Dodson Branch Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Dodson Branch Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 470207000662
👥 S:T ratio 52
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 50
📋 Attendance 64
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Dodson Branch Elementary earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 84% of Tennessee schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Tennessee schools.
- #2 of 10
- schools in Cookeville · Resource Index
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.9:1
- small classes for Tennessee
- 250
- students enrolled
Dodson Branch Elementary has class sizes smaller than 84% of Tennessee schools. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Dodson Branch Elementary ranks #2 of 10 schools in Cookeville, TN.
School address
District: Jackson County · Tennessee
NCES ID 470207000662 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.9:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
-22% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dodson Branch Elementary compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at Dodson Branch Elementary
Dodson Branch Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Cookeville, Tennessee, enrolling 250 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.9:1 puts it in the smaller third of Tennessee schools by student-teacher ratio.
Enrollment of 250 puts it in the smaller third of Tennessee schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 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 is strong, about 250 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
14.4% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 22.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Cookeville's public schools, it stands alongside Prescott South Elementary (535 students): Dodson Branch Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (11.9:1 vs 16.7:1).
Jackson County also operates Jackson County Middle School (411 students) and Jackson County High School (383 students) alongside Dodson Branch 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 Dodson Branch Elementary compares
Dodson Branch 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 | 11.9:1 | ▼ 22% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 250 | top 84% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.9:1
Leaner classes than 76% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
250
Bigger than 25% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
11.9:1
students per teacher
- 22% below state mean
Top 16% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 84% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
14.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$10,789
per pupil, district-wide
- below 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 250 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.0 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
White 95.2%
Hispanic or Latino 2.0%
Two or More 2.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Largest group: White at 95.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 9.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 9.3, Dodson Branch Elementary is less mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Jackson County, which includes Dodson Branch Elementary.
$10,789
Per student
0%
vs Tennessee
Avg $10,822
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 19.9%
State 57.4%
Federal 22.7%
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 Dodson Branch Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson County Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Jackson County High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Gainesboro Elementary | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Dodson Branch Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 411
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 383
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 345
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
Similar other schools in Cookeville
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Prescott South Elementary
Standard public school
535 students 16.7:1 students per teacher
Capshaw Elementary
Standard public school
515 students 17.8:1 students per teacher
Northeast Elementary
Standard public school
459 students 15.8:1 students per teacher
Cane Creek Elementary
Standard public school
447 students 16:1 students per teacher
Park View Elementary
Standard public school
416 students 13.4:1 students per teacher
Jere Whitson Elementary
Standard public school
339 students 14.1:1 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 (~250 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Dodson Branch Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Dodson Branch Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Jackson 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 Dodson Branch Elementary
How many students attend Dodson Branch Elementary?
Dodson Branch Elementary has 250 students enrolled. It is a public school in Cookeville, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dodson Branch Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Dodson Branch Elementary is 11.9:1, which is 22% lower than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 24% 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 Dodson Branch Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Dodson Branch Elementary is White at 95.2% of enrollment, in Cookeville, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dodson Branch Elementary?
Dodson Branch Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (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 Dodson Branch Elementary rank among schools in Cookeville?
By Resource Investment Index, Dodson Branch Elementary ranks #2 of 10 schools in Cookeville, TN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Cookeville on the city page.
Is Dodson Branch Elementary a good school?
Dodson Branch Elementary earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 84% of Tennessee schools. 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 Jackson County?
Besides Dodson Branch Elementary, Jackson County also operates Jackson County Middle School (411 students), Jackson County High School (383 students), and Gainesboro Elementary (345 students). See the Jackson 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.