Enrollment
1,365
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Knoxville, TN
Karns High School
Federal NCES profile for Karns High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 470222000748
👥 S:T ratio 40
📚 AP courses 95
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 45
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Karns High School earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Tennessee median. It is also one of the largest schools in Tennessee.
- #11 of 14
- high schools in Knoxville · Resource Index
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15:1
- students per teacher
- 1,365
- students enrolled
Karns High School has class sizes near the Tennessee median. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Karns High School ranks #11 of 14 high schools in Knoxville, TN.
School address
District: Knox County · Tennessee
NCES ID 470222000748 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
91.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
-2% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Karns High School compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at Karns High School
Karns High School is a large high school in Knoxville, Tennessee, enrolling 1,365 students.
At 15:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Tennessee median, within a few percentage points of the 15.3:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Tennessee, bigger than 96% of state schools at 1,365 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,838 scored Tennessee schools.
Its student body is led by White (65%) and Hispanic or Latino (20%) (diversity index 53/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 19 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 273 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 41.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The federal civil-rights collection also records 12 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Knoxville's high schools, it stands alongside Farragut High School (2,073 students): Karns High School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (15:1 vs 18.3:1).
Knox County also operates Farragut High School (2,073 students) and Bearden High School (1,963 students) alongside Karns High School.
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 Karns High School compares
Karns High School on the metrics families compare, against Tennessee and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Tennessee | Tennessee avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15:1 | ▼ 2% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 1,365 | top 4% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15:1
Leaner classes than 47% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
1,365
Bigger than 95% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
15:1
students per teacher
- 2% below state mean
Top 52% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 48% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
41.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$10,538
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
Counselors5.0 FTE
Per 273 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 179 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 13.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 12 expulsions.
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 65.1%
Hispanic or Latino 19.9%
African American 7.8%
Two or More 5.4%
Asian 1.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 65.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 52.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 52.7, Karns High School is more mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
AP courses offered 19
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Knox County, which includes Karns High School.
$10,538
Per student
-3%
vs Tennessee
Avg $10,822
-36%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 49.9%
State 35.6%
Federal 14.6%
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 Karns High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Farragut High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bearden High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Hardin Valley Academy | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| West High School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Farragut Middle School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Karns High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,073
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 1,963
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 1,916
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 1,474
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 1,463
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
Similar high schools in Knoxville
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Farragut High School
Standard public school
2,073 students 18.3:1 students per teacher
Bearden High School
Standard public school
1,963 students 16:1 students per teacher
Hardin Valley Academy
Standard public school
1,916 students 15.3:1 students per teacher
West High School
Standard public school
1,474 students 16.9:1 students per teacher
Central High School
Standard public school
1,265 students 13.3:1 students per teacher
Halls High School
Standard public school
1,236 students 15.8:1 students per teacher
Similar high 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 (~1,365 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Karns High School's federal record.
- Compare Karns High School against another school. Compare schools
- Knox 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 Karns High School
How many students attend Karns High School?
Karns High School has 1,365 students enrolled. It is a high school in Knoxville, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Karns High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Karns High School is 15:1, which is 2% lower than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 4% 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 Karns High School?
The largest demographic group at Karns High School is White at 65.1% of enrollment, in Knoxville, TN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 52.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Karns High School?
Karns High School has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Karns High School rank among high schools in Knoxville?
By Resource Investment Index, Karns High School ranks #11 of 14 high schools in Knoxville, TN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Knoxville on the city page.
Is Karns High School a good school?
Karns High School earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Tennessee median. It is also one of the largest schools in Tennessee. 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 Knox County?
Besides Karns High School, Knox County also operates Farragut High School (2,073 students), Bearden High School (1,963 students), and Hardin Valley Academy (1,916 students). See the Knox 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.