Enrollment
147
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Benton, TN
Polk Innovative Learning Academy
Federal NCES profile for Polk Innovative Learning Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 53/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 470345002599
👥 S:T ratio 58
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 41
📋 Attendance 85
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Polk Innovative Learning Academy earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 91% of Tennessee schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Tennessee schools.
- #1 of 4
- public schools in Benton · Resource Index
- 53
- Resource Index · Higher
- 10.5:1
- small classes for Tennessee
- 147
- students enrolled
Polk Innovative Learning Academy has class sizes smaller than 91% of Tennessee schools. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Polk Innovative Learning Academy ranks #1 of 4 public schools in Benton, TN.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
14.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.5:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
-31% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Polk Innovative Learning Academy compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at Polk Innovative Learning Academy
Polk Innovative Learning Academy is a small combined-grade school in Benton, Tennessee, enrolling 147 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 10.5:1, Polk Innovative Learning Academy is leaner than roughly 91% of Tennessee schools and 31% under the state's 15.3:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 92% of Tennessee schools, with 147 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,838 scored Tennessee schools.
Its student body is predominantly White (95% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 9/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 294 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance holds up well here: only 6.1% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Its district draws 23.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Benton's public schools, it stands alongside Benton Elementary (421 students): Polk Innovative Learning Academy is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (10.5:1 vs 15.6:1).
Polk County also operates Benton Elementary (421 students) and Polk County High School (400 students) alongside Polk Innovative Learning Academy.
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 Innovative Learning Academy compares
Polk Innovative Learning Academy on the metrics families compare, against Tennessee and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Tennessee | Tennessee avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 10.5:1 | ▼ 31% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 147 | top 92% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.5:1
Leaner classes than 86% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
147
Bigger than 14% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
10.5:1
students per teacher
- 31% below state mean
Top 9% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 91% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
6.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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
White 95.2%
Hispanic or Latino 2.0%
African American 1.4%
Two or More 1.4%
Largest group: White at 95.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 9.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 9.3, Polk Innovative Learning Academy is less mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Polk County, which includes Polk Innovative Learning Academy.
$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 Innovative Learning Academy Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benton Elementary | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Polk County High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| South Polk Elementary | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Copper Basin Elementary School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Chilhowee Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Polk Innovative Learning Academy'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
- 400
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- 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
Similar other schools in Benton
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 (~147 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Polk Innovative Learning Academy's federal record.
- Compare Polk Innovative Learning Academy 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 Innovative Learning Academy
How many students attend Polk Innovative Learning Academy?
Polk Innovative Learning Academy has 147 students enrolled. It is a public school in Benton, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Polk Innovative Learning Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Polk Innovative Learning Academy is 10.5:1, which is 31% lower than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 33% 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 Innovative Learning Academy?
The largest demographic group at Polk Innovative Learning Academy is White at 95.2% of enrollment, in Benton, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Polk Innovative Learning Academy?
Polk Innovative Learning Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (higher 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 Polk Innovative Learning Academy rank among public schools in Benton?
By Resource Investment Index, Polk Innovative Learning Academy ranks #1 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 Innovative Learning Academy a good school?
Polk Innovative Learning Academy earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 91% 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 Innovative Learning Academy, Polk County also operates Benton Elementary (421 students), Polk County High School (400 students), and South Polk Elementary (347 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.