Enrollment
511
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Chattanooga, TN
Orchard Knob Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Orchard Knob Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 470159000800
👥 S:T ratio 43
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 49
📋 Attendance 18
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Orchard Knob Elementary earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Tennessee median.
- #14 of 25
- schools in Chattanooga · Resource Index
- 45
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.2:1
- students per teacher
- 511
- students enrolled
Orchard Knob Elementary has class sizes near the Tennessee median. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Orchard Knob Elementary ranks #14 of 25 schools in Chattanooga, TN.
School address
District: Hamilton County · Tennessee
NCES ID 470159000800 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.2:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
-7% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Orchard Knob Elementary compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at Orchard Knob Elementary
Orchard Knob Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Chattanooga, Tennessee, enrolling 511 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 14.2:1 puts it in the smaller third of Tennessee schools by student-teacher ratio.
With 511 students, its enrollment sits close to the Tennessee median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,838 scored Tennessee schools.
Its student body is led by African American (67%) and Hispanic or Latino (24%) (diversity index 49/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 256 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 32.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 21.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Chattanooga's public schools, it stands alongside East Brainerd Elementary (1,177 students): Orchard Knob Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (14.2:1 vs 16.3:1).
Hamilton County also operates Signal Mountain Middle/High School (1,396 students) and The Howard School (1,329 students) alongside Orchard Knob Elementary.
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 Orchard Knob Elementary compares
Orchard Knob Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Tennessee and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Tennessee | Tennessee avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.2:1 | ▼ 7% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 511 | top 44% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.2:1
Leaner classes than 55% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
511
Bigger than 63% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
14.2:1
students per teacher
- 7% below state mean
Top 40% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 60% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
32.7%
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
$12,002
per pupil, district-wide
- above 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 256 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
15
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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
African American 66.5%
Hispanic or Latino 24.3%
Two or More 5.7%
White 3.5%
Largest group: African American at 66.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 49.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 49.4, Orchard Knob Elementary is more mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Hamilton County, which includes Orchard Knob Elementary.
$12,002
Per student
+11%
vs Tennessee
Avg $10,822
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 47.2%
State 31.6%
Federal 21.1%
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 Orchard Knob Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Signal Mountain Middle/High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| The Howard School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| East Hamilton High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ooltewah High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| East Brainerd Elementary | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Orchard Knob Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,396
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 1,329
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 1,293
- Students per teacher
- 68.1:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 1,233
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 1,177
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
Similar other schools in Chattanooga
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
East Brainerd Elementary
Standard public school
1,177 students 16.3:1 students per teacher
Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts
Standard public school
979 students 18.1:1 students per teacher
East Ridge Elementary
Standard public school
959 students 13.9:1 students per teacher
Normal Park Museum Magnet School
Standard public school
877 students 16.5:1 students per teacher
Harrison Elementary
Standard public school
775 students 14.4:1 students per teacher
Chattanooga School for Arts and Sciences Upper
Standard public school
741 students 18.5:1 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 (~511 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Orchard Knob Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Orchard Knob Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Hamilton 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 Orchard Knob Elementary
How many students attend Orchard Knob Elementary?
Orchard Knob Elementary has 511 students enrolled. It is a public school in Chattanooga, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Orchard Knob Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Orchard Knob Elementary is 14.2:1, which is 7% lower than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 10% 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 Orchard Knob Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Orchard Knob Elementary is African American at 66.5% of enrollment, in Chattanooga, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Orchard Knob Elementary?
Orchard Knob Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Orchard Knob Elementary rank among schools in Chattanooga?
By Resource Investment Index, Orchard Knob Elementary ranks #14 of 25 schools in Chattanooga, TN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Chattanooga on the city page.
Is Orchard Knob Elementary a good school?
Orchard Knob Elementary earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Tennessee median. 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 Hamilton County?
Besides Orchard Knob Elementary, Hamilton County also operates Signal Mountain Middle/High School (1,396 students), The Howard School (1,329 students), and East Hamilton High School (1,293 students). See the Hamilton 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.