Enrollment
1,253
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Powell, TN
Powell High School
Federal NCES profile for Powell High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 30/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 470222000755
👥 S:T ratio 35
📚 AP courses 50
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 37
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Powell High School earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 70% of Tennessee schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Tennessee.
- #4 of 5
- public schools in Powell · Resource Index
- 30
- Resource Index · Lower
- 16.3:1
- large classes for Tennessee
- 1,253
- students enrolled
Powell High School has class sizes larger than 70% of Tennessee schools. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Powell High School ranks #4 of 5 public schools in Powell, TN.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
77.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.3:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
+7% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Powell High School compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at Powell High School
Powell High School is a large high school in Powell, Tennessee, enrolling 1,253 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.3:1 puts it in the larger third of Tennessee schools by student-teacher ratio.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Tennessee, bigger than 95% of state schools at 1,253 students.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 93% of the 1,838 Tennessee schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Its student body is led by White (66%) and Hispanic or Latino (19%) (diversity index 52/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 10 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 313 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 48.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The federal civil-rights collection also records 17 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Knox County also operates Farragut High School (2,073 students) and Bearden High School (1,963 students) alongside Powell 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 Powell High School compares
Powell 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 | 16.3:1 | ▲ 7% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 1,253 | top 5% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.3:1
Leaner classes than 36% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
1,253
Bigger than 94% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
16.3:1
students per teacher
- 7% above state mean
Top 70% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 30% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
48.5%
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
$10,538
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 313 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 206 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 16.4 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 65.8%
Hispanic or Latino 18.7%
African American 8.1%
Two or More 5.6%
Asian 1.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 65.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 52.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 52.2, Powell High School is more mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
AP courses offered 10
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Knox County, which includes Powell High School.
$10,538
Per student
-3%
vs Tennessee
Avg $10,822
-36%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 49.9%
State 35.6%
Federal 14.6%
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 Powell High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Farragut High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bearden High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Hardin Valley Academy | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| West High School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Farragut Middle School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Powell High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,073
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 1,963
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 1,916
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 1,474
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 1,463
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
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 (~1,253 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Powell High School's federal record.
- Compare Powell High School against another school. Compare schools
- Knox 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 Powell High School
How many students attend Powell High School?
Powell High School has 1,253 students enrolled. It is a high school in Powell, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Powell High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Powell High School is 16.3:1, which is 7% higher than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Powell High School?
The largest demographic group at Powell High School is White at 65.8% of enrollment, in Powell, TN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 52.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Powell High School?
Powell High School has a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (lower 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 Powell High School rank among public schools in Powell?
By Resource Investment Index, Powell High School ranks #4 of 5 public schools in Powell, 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 Powell on the city page.
Is Powell High School a good school?
Powell High School earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 70% of Tennessee schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Tennessee. 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 Knox County?
Besides Powell High School, Knox County also operates Farragut High School (2,073 students), Bearden High School (1,963 students), and Hardin Valley Academy (1,916 students). See the Knox 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.