Enrollment
400
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Benton, TN
Polk County High School
Federal NCES profile for Polk County High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 39/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 470345001900
👥 S:T ratio 47
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 60
📋 Attendance 49
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Polk County High School earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 70% of Tennessee schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Tennessee schools.
- #2 of 4
- public schools in Benton · Resource Index
- 39
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.3:1
- small classes for Tennessee
- 400
- students enrolled
Polk County High School has class sizes smaller than 70% of Tennessee schools. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Polk County High School ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Benton, TN.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.3:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
-13% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Polk County High School compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at Polk County High School
Polk County High School is a mid-sized high school in Benton, Tennessee, enrolling 400 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13.3:1 puts it in the smaller third of Tennessee schools by student-teacher ratio.
With 400 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 predominantly White (94% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 11/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 200 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.5% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 23.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 84 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 400 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 17 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Polk County also operates Benton Elementary (421 students) and South Polk Elementary (347 students) alongside Polk County 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 Polk County High School compares
Polk County 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 | 13.3:1 | ▼ 13% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 400 | top 60% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.3:1
Leaner classes than 64% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
400
Bigger than 47% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
13.3:1
students per teacher
- 13% below state mean
Top 30% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 70% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
20.5%
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
$11,761
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 200 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
66
in-school suspensions + 18 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 16.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 21.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 17 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 94.3%
Hispanic or Latino 3.5%
Asian 1.0%
African American 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Two or More 0.3%
Largest group: White at 94.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 10.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 10.9, Polk County High School is less mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Polk County, which includes Polk County High School.
$11,761
Per student
+9%
vs Tennessee
Avg $10,822
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 23.3%
State 53.0%
Federal 23.7%
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 Polk County High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benton Elementary | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| South Polk Elementary | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Copper Basin Elementary School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Chilhowee Middle School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Copper Basin High School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Polk County High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 421
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 347
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 321
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 293
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 231
- Students per teacher
- 8.9:1
- 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 (~400 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Polk County High School's federal record.
- Compare Polk County High School against another school. Compare schools
- Polk 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 Polk County High School
How many students attend Polk County High School?
Polk County High School has 400 students enrolled. It is a high school in Benton, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Polk County High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Polk County High School is 13.3:1, which is 13% lower than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 15% 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 Polk County High School?
The largest demographic group at Polk County High School is White at 94.3% of enrollment, in Benton, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Polk County High School?
Polk County High School has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (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 Polk County High School rank among public schools in Benton?
By Resource Investment Index, Polk County High School ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Benton, 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 Benton on the city page.
Is Polk County High School a good school?
Polk County High School earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 70% of Tennessee schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Polk County?
Besides Polk County High School, Polk County also operates Benton Elementary (421 students), South Polk Elementary (347 students), and Copper Basin Elementary School (321 students). See the Polk 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.