Enrollment
553
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Chattanooga, TN
East Side Elementary
Federal NCES profile for East Side Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 50/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 470159001103
👥 S:T ratio 58
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 71
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
East Side Elementary earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 91% of Tennessee schools.
- #3 of 7
- elementary schools in Chattanooga · Resource Index
- 50
- Resource Index · Higher
- 10.6:1
- small classes for Tennessee
- 553
- students enrolled
East Side Elementary has class sizes smaller than 91% of Tennessee schools. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, East Side Elementary ranks #3 of 7 elementary schools in Chattanooga, TN.
School address
District: Hamilton County · Tennessee
NCES ID 470159001103 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
52.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.6:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
-31% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How East Side Elementary compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at East Side Elementary
East Side Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Chattanooga, Tennessee, enrolling 553 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 10.6:1, East Side Elementary is leaner than roughly 91% of Tennessee schools and 31% under the state's 15.3:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
With 553 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 Hispanic or Latino (77%) and African American (17%) (diversity index 38/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 553 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
11.6% 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 elementary schools, it stands alongside Bess T Shepherd Elementary (546 students): East Side Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (10.6:1 vs 14.8:1).
Hamilton County also operates Signal Mountain Middle/High School (1,396 students) and The Howard School (1,329 students) alongside East Side 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 Side Elementary compares
East Side 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 | 10.6:1 | ▼ 31% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 553 | top 37% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.6:1
Leaner classes than 85% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
553
Bigger than 68% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
10.6:1
students per teacher
- 31% below state mean
Top 9% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 91% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
11.6%
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 553 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 13 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.4 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 77.0%
African American 17.2%
Two or More 3.8%
White 2.0%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 77.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 37.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 37.6, East Side Elementary is about as mixed as the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Hamilton County, which includes East Side 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 Side 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 | Higher 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 Side 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 elementary schools in Chattanooga
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Bess T Shepherd Elementary
Standard public school
546 students 14.8:1 students per teacher
Chattanooga Charter School of Excellence
Standard public school
468 students 16.7:1 students per teacher
Chattanooga School for the Arts and Science Lower
Standard public school
388 students 16.2:1 students per teacher
Barger Academy
Standard public school
349 students 14:1 students per teacher
Alpine Crest Elementary
Standard public school
302 students 17.8:1 students per teacher
Dupont Elementary
Standard public school
268 students 13.4:1 students per teacher
Similar elementary 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 (~553 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on East Side Elementary's federal record.
- Compare East Side 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 Side Elementary
How many students attend East Side Elementary?
East Side Elementary has 553 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Chattanooga, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at East Side Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at East Side Elementary is 10.6:1, which is 31% lower than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 32% 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 Side Elementary?
The largest demographic group at East Side Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 77.0% of enrollment, in Chattanooga, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for East Side Elementary?
East Side Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (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 East Side Elementary rank among elementary schools in Chattanooga?
By Resource Investment Index, East Side Elementary ranks #3 of 7 elementary 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 elementary schools in Chattanooga on the city page.
Is East Side Elementary a good school?
East Side Elementary earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 91% 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 Side 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.