Enrollment
900
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Knoxville, TN
Karns Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Karns Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 25/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 470222000749
👥 S:T ratio 40
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 10
📋 Attendance 21
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Karns Middle School earns 25/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Tennessee median.
- #13 of 14
- middle schools in Knoxville · Resource Index
- 25
- Resource Index · Lower
- 15:1
- students per teacher
- 900
- students enrolled
Karns Middle School has class sizes near the Tennessee median. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Karns Middle School ranks #13 of 14 middle schools in Knoxville, TN.
School address
District: Knox County · Tennessee
NCES ID 470222000749 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
60.0
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 Middle School compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at Karns Middle School
Karns Middle School is a large middle school in Knoxville, Tennessee, enrolling 900 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.
Enrollment of 900 puts it in the larger third of Tennessee schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 94% of the 1,838 Tennessee schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Its student body is led by White (69%) and Hispanic or Latino (15%) (diversity index 49/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 450 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Knoxville's middle schools, it stands alongside Farragut Middle School (1,463 students): Karns Middle School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (15:1 vs 18.1:1).
Knox County also operates Farragut High School (2,073 students) and Bearden High School (1,963 students) alongside Karns Middle 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 Middle School compares
Karns Middle 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 | 900 | top 12% | - | - |
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.
900
Bigger than 89% 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
31.8%
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 450 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 68 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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 69.2%
Hispanic or Latino 14.8%
African American 7.2%
Two or More 6.7%
Asian 1.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 69.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 48.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 48.9, Karns Middle School is more mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Knox County, which includes Karns Middle 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 Middle 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 | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Farragut Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Karns Middle 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 middle schools in Knoxville
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Farragut Middle School
Standard public school
1,463 students 18.1:1 students per teacher
Bearden Middle School
Standard public school
1,229 students 16.2:1 students per teacher
West Valley Middle School
Standard public school
1,125 students 17.3:1 students per teacher
Hardin Valley Middle School
Standard public school
1,061 students 18.6:1 students per teacher
Halls Middle School
Standard public school
945 students 15.2:1 students per teacher
South Doyle Middle School
Standard public school
830 students 13.2:1 students per teacher
Similar middle 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 (~900 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Karns Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Karns Middle 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 Middle School
How many students attend Karns Middle School?
Karns Middle School has 900 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Knoxville, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Karns Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Karns Middle 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 Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Karns Middle School is White at 69.2% of enrollment, in Knoxville, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Karns Middle School?
Karns Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (lower 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 Karns Middle School rank among middle schools in Knoxville?
By Resource Investment Index, Karns Middle School ranks #13 of 14 middle 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 middle schools in Knoxville on the city page.
Is Karns Middle School a good school?
Karns Middle School earns 25/100 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 Knox County?
Besides Karns Middle 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.