Enrollment
1,280
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 470318001962
Martin Luther King Jr School — Nashville, TN
Federal NCES profile for Martin Luther King Jr School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 45/100.
👥 Class size 19
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 53
📋 Attendance 78
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)
60.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.2:1
vs 15.6:1 Tennessee avg
+29% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Martin Luther King Jr School 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
Martin Luther King Jr School reports 1,280 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 60.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 20.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 29% above the Tennessee state mean of 15.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 27% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Counselor coverage works out to roughly 233 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 8.8% 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 45/100 (D), 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 Martin Luther King Jr School 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 | 20.2:1 | ▲ 29% | 15.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 1,280 | top 95% | — | — |
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
20.2:1
students per teacher
— 29% above state mean
Top 95% in Tennessee — lower ratio than 5% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
8.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
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
Counselors5.5 FTE
Per 233 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 25 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 6 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 1,280 Top 95% in Tennessee — larger than 5% of 1,844 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 60.0
Students per teacher 20.2:1 +29% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 470318001962
Student demographics
White 48.4%
African American 32.0%
Hispanic or Latino 9.1%
Asian 6.7%
Two or More 3.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 48.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 24
Counselors (FTE) 5.5
Students per counselor 233:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 8.8%
In-school suspensions 9
Out-of-school suspensions 25
Expulsions 6
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Davidson County, which includes Martin Luther King Jr School.
$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 other schools in Nashville
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Valor Flagship Academy
Standard public school
1,402 students 17.3:1 students per teacher
Lead Southeast
Standard public school
833 students 12.9:1 students per teacher
Stratford Stem Magnet School
Standard public school
810 students 14.1:1 students per teacher
Harpeth Valley Elementary
Standard public school
803 students 16:1 students per teacher
Una Elementary
Standard public school
796 students 15.6:1 students per teacher
May Werthan Shayne Elementary School
Standard public school
779 students 16.7:1 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 Martin Luther King Jr School
How many students attend Martin Luther King Jr School?
Martin Luther King Jr School has 1,280 students enrolled. It is a other school in Nashville, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Martin Luther King Jr School?
The student-teacher ratio at Martin Luther King Jr School is 20.2:1, which is 29% higher than the Tennessee average of 15.6:1 and 27% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Martin Luther King Jr School?
The largest demographic group at Martin Luther King Jr School is White at 48.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Nashville, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Martin Luther King Jr School?
Martin Luther King Jr School has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.