Enrollment
1,280
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Nashville, TN
Martin Luther King Jr School
Federal NCES profile for Martin Luther King Jr School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 44/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 470318001962
👥 S:T ratio 15
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 53
📋 Attendance 78
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Martin Luther King Jr School earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 95% of Tennessee schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Tennessee.
- #18 of 49
- schools in Nashville · Resource Index
- 44
- Resource Index · Typical
- 21.3:1
- large classes for Tennessee
- 1,280
- students enrolled
Martin Luther King Jr School has class sizes larger than 95% of Tennessee schools. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Martin Luther King Jr School ranks #18 of 49 schools in Nashville, TN.
School address
District: Davidson County · Tennessee
NCES ID 470318001962 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
60.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.3:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
+39% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Martin Luther King Jr School compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at Martin Luther King Jr School
Martin Luther King Jr School is a large combined-grade school in Nashville, Tennessee, enrolling 1,280 students.
Class loads run heavy: 21.3:1 is larger than about 95% of Tennessee schools and 39% above the 15.3:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Tennessee, bigger than 95% of state schools at 1,280 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,838 scored Tennessee schools.
Its student body is led by White (48%) and African American (32%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 65/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 233 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance holds up well here: only 8.8% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
The surrounding Davidson County spends $15,421 per pupil, 42% above the Tennessee average, a better-resourced district than most.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 6 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Nashville's public schools, it stands alongside Valor Flagship Academy (1,402 students): Martin Luther King Jr School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (21.3:1 vs 17.3:1).
Davidson County also operates Antioch High School (2,212 students) and Cane Ridge High School (1,982 students) alongside Martin Luther King Jr 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 Martin Luther King Jr School compares
Martin Luther King Jr 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 | 21.3:1 | ▲ 39% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 1,280 | top 5% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
21.3:1
Leaner classes than 12% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,280
Bigger than 95% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
21.3:1
students per teacher
- 39% above state mean
Top 95% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 5% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
8.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$15,421
per pupil, district-wide
- above Tennessee avg of $10,822
Somewhat 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
- 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 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.
Student-body diversity index 64.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 64.9, Martin Luther King Jr School is more mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
AP courses offered 24
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Davidson County, which includes Martin Luther King Jr School.
$15,421
Per student
+42%
vs Tennessee
Avg $10,822
-7%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Martin Luther King Jr School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antioch High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Cane Ridge High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| John Overton High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Mcgavock High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Hunters Lane High | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Martin Luther King Jr School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,212
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 1,982
- Students per teacher
- 24.8:1
- Resource Index
- 20/100
- Enrollment
- 1,942
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 1,844
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 1,414
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Resource Index
- 18/100
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 13:1 students per teacher
Stratford Stem Magnet School
Standard public school
810 students 14.5:1 students per teacher
Harpeth Valley Elementary
Standard public school
803 students 21.1:1 students per teacher
Una Elementary
Standard public school
796 students 16.6:1 students per teacher
May Werthan Shayne Elementary School
Standard public school
779 students 17.7:1 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 (~1,280 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Martin Luther King Jr School's federal record.
- Compare Martin Luther King Jr School against another school. Compare schools
- Davidson 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 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 public 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 21.3:1, which is 39% higher than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 36% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
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% of enrollment, in Nashville, TN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 64.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Martin Luther King Jr School?
Martin Luther King Jr School has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 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 Martin Luther King Jr School rank among schools in Nashville?
By Resource Investment Index, Martin Luther King Jr School ranks #18 of 49 schools in Nashville, TN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Nashville on the city page.
Is Martin Luther King Jr School a good school?
Martin Luther King Jr School earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 95% of Tennessee schools. 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 Davidson County?
Besides Martin Luther King Jr School, Davidson County also operates Antioch High School (2,212 students), Cane Ridge High School (1,982 students), and John Overton High (1,942 students). See the Davidson 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.