Enrollment
1,048
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Cunningham, TN
Montgomery Central High
Federal NCES profile for Montgomery Central High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 44/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 470303001209
👥 S:T ratio 26
📚 AP courses 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 48
📋 Attendance 28
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Montgomery Central High earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 88% of Tennessee schools.
- #2 of 3
- public schools in Cunningham · Resource Index
- 44
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.4:1
- large classes for Tennessee
- 1,048
- students enrolled
Montgomery Central High has class sizes larger than 88% of Tennessee schools. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Montgomery Central High ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Cunningham, TN.
School address
District: Montgomery County · Tennessee
NCES ID 470303001209 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
57.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.4:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
+20% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Montgomery Central High compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at Montgomery Central High
Montgomery Central High is a large high school in Cunningham, Tennessee, enrolling 1,048 students.
Class loads run heavy: 18.4:1 is larger than about 88% of Tennessee schools and 20% 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 92% of state schools at 1,048 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 (73%) and African American (11%) (diversity index 44/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 10 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 262 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 28.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 18.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 250 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 1,048 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 25 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Montgomery County also operates West Creek High (1,600 students) and Clarksville High (1,530 students) alongside Montgomery Central High.
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 Montgomery Central High compares
Montgomery Central High on the metrics families compare, against Tennessee and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Tennessee | Tennessee avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18.4:1 | ▲ 20% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 1,048 | top 8% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.4:1
Leaner classes than 22% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,048
Bigger than 92% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
18.4:1
students per teacher
- 20% above state mean
Top 88% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 12% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
28.9%
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
$10,208
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
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 262 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
158
in-school suspensions + 92 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 15.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 23.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 25 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 73.0%
African American 11.0%
Hispanic or Latino 8.8%
Two or More 6.2%
Asian 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 73.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 44.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 44.3, Montgomery Central High is more mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
AP courses offered 10
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Montgomery County, which includes Montgomery Central High.
$10,208
Per student
-6%
vs Tennessee
Avg $10,822
-38%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 33.3%
State 48.0%
Federal 18.7%
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 Montgomery Central High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Creek High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Clarksville High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Rossview High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Northwest High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Northeast High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Montgomery Central High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,600
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 1,530
- Students per teacher
- 18.7:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 1,529
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 1,441
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 1,335
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
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 (~1,048 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Montgomery Central High's federal record.
- Compare Montgomery Central High against another school. Compare schools
- Montgomery 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 Montgomery Central High
How many students attend Montgomery Central High?
Montgomery Central High has 1,048 students enrolled. It is a high school in Cunningham, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Montgomery Central High?
The student-teacher ratio at Montgomery Central High is 18.4:1, which is 20% higher than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 17% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Montgomery Central High?
The largest demographic group at Montgomery Central High is White at 73.0% of enrollment, in Cunningham, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Montgomery Central High?
Montgomery Central High has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 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 Montgomery Central High rank among public schools in Cunningham?
By Resource Investment Index, Montgomery Central High ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Cunningham, 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 Cunningham on the city page.
Is Montgomery Central High a good school?
Montgomery Central High earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 88% 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 Montgomery County?
Besides Montgomery Central High, Montgomery County also operates West Creek High (1,600 students), Clarksville High (1,530 students), and Rossview High (1,529 students). See the Montgomery 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.