Enrollment
673
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Selmer, TN
Mcnairy Central High School
Federal NCES profile for Mcnairy Central High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 36/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 470288001000
👥 S:T ratio 52
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 33
📋 Attendance 14
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mcnairy Central High School earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 83% of Tennessee schools.
- #3 of 4
- public schools in Selmer · Resource Index
- 36
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12:1
- small classes for Tennessee
- 673
- students enrolled
Mcnairy Central High School has class sizes smaller than 83% of Tennessee schools. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Mcnairy Central High School ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Selmer, TN.
School address
District: Mcnairy County · Tennessee
NCES ID 470288001000 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
56.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
-22% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mcnairy Central High School compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mcnairy Central High School
Mcnairy Central High School is a mid-sized high school in Selmer, Tennessee, enrolling 673 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12:1 puts it in the smaller third of Tennessee schools by student-teacher ratio.
Enrollment of 673 puts it in the larger third of Tennessee schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,838 scored Tennessee schools.
Its student body is predominantly White (84% of enrollment) (diversity index 28/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 337 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 34.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 20.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 10 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Mcnairy County also operates Adamsville Elementary (710 students) and Selmer Elementary (548 students) alongside Mcnairy Central 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 Mcnairy Central High School compares
Mcnairy Central 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 | 12:1 | ▼ 22% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 673 | top 24% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12:1
Leaner classes than 75% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
673
Bigger than 78% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
12:1
students per teacher
- 22% below state mean
Top 17% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 83% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
34.5%
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
$10,521
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 337 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
55
in-school suspensions + 28 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 8.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 12.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 10 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 84.0%
African American 10.0%
Hispanic or Latino 3.4%
Two or More 2.2%
Asian 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 84.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 28.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 28.3, Mcnairy Central High School is less mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mcnairy County, which includes Mcnairy Central High School.
$10,521
Per student
-3%
vs Tennessee
Avg $10,822
-37%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 19.9%
State 60.0%
Federal 20.2%
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 Mcnairy Central High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adamsville Elementary | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Selmer Elementary | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Adamsville High School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Bethel Springs Elementary | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Ramer Elementary | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mcnairy Central High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 710
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 548
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 460
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 415
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 355
- Students per teacher
- 11.5:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
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 (~673 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mcnairy Central High School's federal record.
- Compare Mcnairy Central High School against another school. Compare schools
- Mcnairy 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 Mcnairy Central High School
How many students attend Mcnairy Central High School?
Mcnairy Central High School has 673 students enrolled. It is a high school in Selmer, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mcnairy Central High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Mcnairy Central High School is 12:1, which is 22% lower than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 24% 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 Mcnairy Central High School?
The largest demographic group at Mcnairy Central High School is White at 84.0% of enrollment, in Selmer, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mcnairy Central High School?
Mcnairy Central High School has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Mcnairy Central High School rank among public schools in Selmer?
By Resource Investment Index, Mcnairy Central High School ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Selmer, TN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Selmer on the city page.
Is Mcnairy Central High School a good school?
Mcnairy Central High School earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 83% of Tennessee schools. 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 Mcnairy County?
Besides Mcnairy Central High School, Mcnairy County also operates Adamsville Elementary (710 students), Selmer Elementary (548 students), and Adamsville High School (460 students). See the Mcnairy 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.