Enrollment
283
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Columbia, TN
J. R. Baker Elementary
Federal NCES profile for J. R. Baker Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 56/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 470276000961
👥 S:T ratio 56
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 43
📋 Attendance 53
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
J. R. Baker Elementary earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 90% of Tennessee schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Tennessee schools.
- #1 of 7
- schools in Columbia · Resource Index
- 56
- Resource Index · Higher
- 10.9:1
- small classes for Tennessee
- 283
- students enrolled
J. R. Baker Elementary has class sizes smaller than 90% of Tennessee schools. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, J. R. Baker Elementary ranks #1 of 7 schools in Columbia, TN.
School address
District: Maury County · Tennessee
NCES ID 470276000961 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.9:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
-29% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How J. R. Baker Elementary compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at J. R. Baker Elementary
J. R. Baker Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Columbia, Tennessee, enrolling 283 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 10.9:1, J. R. Baker Elementary is leaner than roughly 90% of Tennessee schools and 29% under the state's 15.3:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Enrollment of 283 puts it in the smaller third of Tennessee schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 91% of the 1,838 Tennessee schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Its student body is led by White (46%) and Hispanic or Latino (23%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 68/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 283 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 18.7% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 18.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Columbia's public schools, it stands alongside R Howell Elementary (587 students): J. R. Baker Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (10.9:1 vs 13.3:1).
Maury County also operates Columbia Central High School (1,401 students) and Whitthorne Middle School (951 students) alongside J. R. Baker 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 J. R. Baker Elementary compares
J. R. Baker 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 | 10.9:1 | ▼ 29% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 283 | top 80% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.9:1
Leaner classes than 84% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
283
Bigger than 30% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
10.9:1
students per teacher
- 29% below state mean
Top 10% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 90% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
18.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$10,063
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 283 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
19
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.2 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 46.3%
Hispanic or Latino 22.6%
African American 20.5%
Two or More 9.9%
Asian 0.7%
Largest group: White at 46.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 68.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 68.3, J. R. Baker Elementary is more mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Maury County, which includes J. R. Baker Elementary.
$10,063
Per student
-7%
vs Tennessee
Avg $10,822
-39%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 40.4%
State 41.6%
Federal 18.0%
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 J. R. Baker Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia Central High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Whitthorne Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Spring Hill High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Culleoka Unit School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Battle Creek Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to J. R. Baker Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,401
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 951
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 907
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 868
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 750
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
Similar other schools in Columbia
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
R Howell Elementary
Standard public school
587 students 13.3:1 students per teacher
J E Woodard Elementary
Standard public school
581 students 16.1:1 students per teacher
Riverside Elementary
Standard public school
380 students 13.1:1 students per teacher
J. Brown Elementary
Standard public school
336 students 11.6:1 students per teacher
Highland Park Elementary
Standard public school
308 students 11.8:1 students per teacher
Virtual Academy of Maury County
Standard public school
57 students 14.3:1 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 (~283 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~10.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on J. R. Baker Elementary's federal record.
- Compare J. R. Baker Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Maury 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 J. R. Baker Elementary
How many students attend J. R. Baker Elementary?
J. R. Baker Elementary has 283 students enrolled. It is a public school in Columbia, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at J. R. Baker Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at J. R. Baker Elementary is 10.9:1, which is 29% lower than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 31% 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 J. R. Baker Elementary?
The largest demographic group at J. R. Baker Elementary is White at 46.3% of enrollment, in Columbia, TN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 68.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for J. R. Baker Elementary?
J. R. Baker Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (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 J. R. Baker Elementary rank among schools in Columbia?
By Resource Investment Index, J. R. Baker Elementary ranks #1 of 7 schools in Columbia, TN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Columbia on the city page.
Is J. R. Baker Elementary a good school?
J. R. Baker Elementary earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 90% of Tennessee schools. It is also more 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 Maury County?
Besides J. R. Baker Elementary, Maury County also operates Columbia Central High School (1,401 students), Whitthorne Middle School (951 students), and Spring Hill High School (907 students). See the Maury 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.