Enrollment
339
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Cookeville, TN
Jere Whitson Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Jere Whitson Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 470348001453
👥 S:T ratio 44
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 32
📋 Attendance 60
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Jere Whitson Elementary earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Tennessee median.
- #5 of 10
- schools in Cookeville · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.1:1
- students per teacher
- 339
- students enrolled
Jere Whitson Elementary has class sizes near the Tennessee median. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Jere Whitson Elementary ranks #5 of 10 schools in Cookeville, TN.
School address
District: Putnam County · Tennessee
NCES ID 470348001453 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.1:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
-8% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Jere Whitson Elementary compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at Jere Whitson Elementary
Jere Whitson Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Cookeville, Tennessee, enrolling 339 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 14.1:1 puts it in the smaller third of Tennessee schools by student-teacher ratio.
Enrollment of 339 puts it in the smaller third of Tennessee schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,838 scored Tennessee schools.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (66%) and White (29%) (diversity index 48/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 339 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
16.2% 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): Jere Whitson Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (14.1:1 vs 16.7:1).
Putnam County also operates Cookeville High School (2,241 students) and Upperman High School (899 students) alongside Jere Whitson 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 Jere Whitson Elementary compares
Jere Whitson 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 | 14.1:1 | ▼ 8% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 339 | top 71% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.1:1
Leaner classes than 56% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
339
Bigger than 38% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
14.1:1
students per teacher
- 8% below state mean
Top 39% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 61% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
16.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$10,052
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 339 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 65.8%
White 28.6%
African American 3.2%
Asian 2.1%
Two or More 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 65.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 48.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 48.4, Jere Whitson Elementary is more mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Putnam County, which includes Jere Whitson Elementary.
$10,052
Per student
-7%
vs Tennessee
Avg $10,822
-39%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 31.5%
State 45.8%
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 Jere Whitson Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cookeville High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Upperman High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Upperman Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Prescott South Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Avery Trace Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Jere Whitson Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,241
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 899
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 851
- Students per teacher
- 19.8:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 813
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 724
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
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
Sycamore Elementary
Standard public school
337 students 14:1 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 (~339 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Jere Whitson Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Jere Whitson Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Putnam 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 Jere Whitson Elementary
How many students attend Jere Whitson Elementary?
Jere Whitson Elementary has 339 students enrolled. It is a public school in Cookeville, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Jere Whitson Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Jere Whitson Elementary is 14.1:1, which is 8% lower than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 10% 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 Jere Whitson Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Jere Whitson Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 65.8% of enrollment, in Cookeville, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Jere Whitson Elementary?
Jere Whitson Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (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 Jere Whitson Elementary rank among schools in Cookeville?
By Resource Investment Index, Jere Whitson Elementary ranks #5 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 Jere Whitson Elementary a good school?
Jere Whitson Elementary earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Tennessee median. 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 Putnam County?
Besides Jere Whitson Elementary, Putnam County also operates Cookeville High School (2,241 students), Upperman High School (899 students), and Upperman Middle School (851 students). See the Putnam 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.