Enrollment
626
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Chattanooga, TN
East Lake Elementary
Federal NCES profile for East Lake Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 36/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 470159001276
👥 S:T ratio 47
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 69
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
East Lake Elementary earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 70% of Tennessee schools.
- #24 of 25
- schools in Chattanooga · Resource Index
- 36
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.3:1
- small classes for Tennessee
- 626
- students enrolled
East Lake Elementary has class sizes smaller than 70% of Tennessee schools. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, East Lake Elementary ranks #24 of 25 schools in Chattanooga, TN.
School address
District: Hamilton County · Tennessee
NCES ID 470159001276 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
47.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.3:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
-13% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How East Lake Elementary compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at East Lake Elementary
East Lake Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Chattanooga, Tennessee, enrolling 626 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13.3:1 puts it in the smaller third of Tennessee schools by student-teacher ratio.
Enrollment of 626 puts it in the larger 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 Hispanic or Latino (80% of enrollment) (diversity index 33/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 626 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
12.6% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 21.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Chattanooga's public schools, it stands alongside East Brainerd Elementary (1,177 students): East Lake Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13.3:1 vs 16.3:1).
Hamilton County also operates Signal Mountain Middle/High School (1,396 students) and The Howard School (1,329 students) alongside East Lake 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 East Lake Elementary compares
East Lake 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 | 13.3:1 | ▼ 13% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 626 | top 29% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.3:1
Leaner classes than 64% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
626
Bigger than 75% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
13.3:1
students per teacher
- 13% below state mean
Top 30% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 70% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
12.6%
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
$12,002
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 626 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
Hispanic or Latino 80.4%
African American 13.4%
White 3.8%
Two or More 2.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 80.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 33.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 33.4, East Lake Elementary is less mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Hamilton County, which includes East Lake Elementary.
$12,002
Per student
+11%
vs Tennessee
Avg $10,822
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 47.2%
State 31.6%
Federal 21.1%
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 East Lake Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Signal Mountain Middle/High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| The Howard School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| East Hamilton High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ooltewah High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| East Brainerd Elementary | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to East Lake Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,396
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 1,329
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 1,293
- Students per teacher
- 68.1:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 1,233
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 1,177
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
Similar other schools in Chattanooga
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
East Brainerd Elementary
Standard public school
1,177 students 16.3:1 students per teacher
Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts
Standard public school
979 students 18.1:1 students per teacher
East Ridge Elementary
Standard public school
959 students 13.9:1 students per teacher
Normal Park Museum Magnet School
Standard public school
877 students 16.5:1 students per teacher
Harrison Elementary
Standard public school
775 students 14.4:1 students per teacher
Chattanooga School for Arts and Sciences Upper
Standard public school
741 students 18.5:1 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 (~626 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on East Lake Elementary's federal record.
- Compare East Lake Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Hamilton 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 East Lake Elementary
How many students attend East Lake Elementary?
East Lake Elementary has 626 students enrolled. It is a public school in Chattanooga, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at East Lake Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at East Lake Elementary is 13.3:1, which is 13% lower than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 15% 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 East Lake Elementary?
The largest demographic group at East Lake Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 80.4% of enrollment, in Chattanooga, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for East Lake Elementary?
East Lake Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (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 East Lake Elementary rank among schools in Chattanooga?
By Resource Investment Index, East Lake Elementary ranks #24 of 25 schools in Chattanooga, TN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Chattanooga on the city page.
Is East Lake Elementary a good school?
East Lake Elementary earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 70% 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 Hamilton County?
Besides East Lake Elementary, Hamilton County also operates Signal Mountain Middle/High School (1,396 students), The Howard School (1,329 students), and East Hamilton High School (1,293 students). See the Hamilton 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.