Enrollment
487
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 470318002122 Charter school
Lead Academy — Nashville, TN
Federal NCES profile for Lead Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 26/100.
👥 Class size 42
📚 AP courses 30
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Davidson County · Tennessee
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.5:1
vs 15.6:1 Tennessee avg
-7% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lead Academy compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Lead Academy reports 487 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 33.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 7% below the Tennessee state mean of 15.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 9% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
The school offers 6 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 43.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Davidson County spends $17,219 per pupil district-wide, above the Tennessee average of $12,324 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 58.7% from local sources (property taxes), 26.4% from the state, and 14.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (F), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Lead Academy compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Tennessee state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Tennessee | Tennessee avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.5:1 | ▼ 7% | 15.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 487 | top 53% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Staffing depth
14.5:1
students per teacher
— 7% below state mean
Top 41% in Tennessee — lower ratio than 59% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
43.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$17,219
per pupil, district-wide
— above Tennessee avg of $12,324
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 45 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 8 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 487 Top 53% in Tennessee — larger than 47% of 1,844 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 33.0
Students per teacher 14.5:1 -7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 470318002122
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 63.2%
African American 29.4%
White 6.0%
Two or More 1.2%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 63.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 6
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 43.7%
In-school suspensions 4
Out-of-school suspensions 45
Expulsions 8
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Davidson County, which includes Lead Academy.
$17,219
Per student
+40%
vs Tennessee
Avg $12,324
-12%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 58.7%
State 26.4%
Federal 14.9%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,212
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,982
- Students per teacher
- 24.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,942
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,844
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,414
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
Similar high schools in Nashville
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
John Overton High
Standard public school
1,942 students 17.7:1 students per teacher
Mcgavock High
Standard public school
1,844 students 18.2:1 students per teacher
Hunters Lane High
Standard public school
1,414 students 16.3:1 students per teacher
Hillsboro High
Standard public school
1,224 students 18:1 students per teacher
Hillwood High
Standard public school
1,123 students 16.5:1 students per teacher
Glencliff High School
Standard public school
1,013 students 17.1:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Lead Academy
How many students attend Lead Academy?
Lead Academy has 487 students enrolled. It is a high school in Nashville, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lead Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Lead Academy is 14.5:1, which is 7% lower than the Tennessee average of 15.6:1 and 9% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lead Academy?
The largest demographic group at Lead Academy is Hispanic or Latino at 63.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Nashville, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lead Academy?
Lead Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.