Enrollment
123
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Cookeville, TN
Putnam County Vital
Federal NCES profile for Putnam County Vital, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 470348002281
👥 S:T ratio 59
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 33
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Putnam County Vital earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 92% of Tennessee schools.
- #5 of 10
- schools in Cookeville · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 10.3:1
- small classes for Tennessee
- 123
- students enrolled
Putnam County Vital has class sizes smaller than 92% of Tennessee schools. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Putnam County Vital ranks #5 of 10 schools in Cookeville, TN.
School address
District: Putnam County · Tennessee
NCES ID 470348002281 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
12.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.3:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
-33% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Putnam County Vital compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at Putnam County Vital
Putnam County Vital is a small combined-grade school in Cookeville, Tennessee, enrolling 123 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 10.3:1, Putnam County Vital is leaner than roughly 92% of Tennessee schools and 33% under the state's 15.3:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 93% of Tennessee schools, with 123 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,838 scored Tennessee schools.
Its student body is predominantly White (82% of enrollment) (diversity index 32/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 26.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 22.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Cookeville's public schools, it stands alongside Prescott South Elementary (535 students): Putnam County Vital is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (10.3:1 vs 16.7:1).
Putnam County also operates Cookeville High School (2,241 students) and Upperman High School (899 students) alongside Putnam County Vital.
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 Putnam County Vital compares
Putnam County Vital on the metrics families compare, against Tennessee and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Tennessee | Tennessee avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 10.3:1 | ▼ 33% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 123 | top 93% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.3:1
Leaner classes than 87% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
123
Bigger than 12% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
10.3:1
students per teacher
- 33% below state mean
Top 8% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 92% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
26.8%
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
$10,052
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
Counselors0.0 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 82.1%
Hispanic or Latino 7.3%
African American 5.7%
Two or More 4.9%
Largest group: White at 82.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 31.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 31.5, Putnam County Vital is less mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
AP courses offered 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Putnam County, which includes Putnam County Vital.
$10,052
Per student
-7%
vs Tennessee
Avg $10,822
-39%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 31.5%
State 45.8%
Federal 22.7%
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 Putnam County Vital Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cookeville High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Upperman High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Upperman Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Prescott South Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Avery Trace Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Putnam County Vital's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,241
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 899
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 851
- Students per teacher
- 19.8:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 813
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 724
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
Similar other schools in Cookeville
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Prescott South Elementary
Standard public school
535 students 16.7:1 students per teacher
Capshaw Elementary
Standard public school
515 students 17.8:1 students per teacher
Northeast Elementary
Standard public school
459 students 15.8:1 students per teacher
Cane Creek Elementary
Standard public school
447 students 16:1 students per teacher
Park View Elementary
Standard public school
416 students 13.4:1 students per teacher
Jere Whitson Elementary
Standard public school
339 students 14.1:1 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 (~123 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~10.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Putnam County Vital's federal record.
- Compare Putnam County Vital against another school. Compare schools
- Putnam 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 Putnam County Vital
How many students attend Putnam County Vital?
Putnam County Vital has 123 students enrolled. It is a public school in Cookeville, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Putnam County Vital?
The student-teacher ratio at Putnam County Vital is 10.3:1, which is 33% lower than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 34% 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 Putnam County Vital?
The largest demographic group at Putnam County Vital is White at 82.1% of enrollment, in Cookeville, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Putnam County Vital?
Putnam County Vital has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Putnam County Vital rank among schools in Cookeville?
By Resource Investment Index, Putnam County Vital ranks #5 of 10 schools in Cookeville, TN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Cookeville on the city page.
Is Putnam County Vital a good school?
Putnam County Vital earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 92% 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 Putnam County?
Besides Putnam County Vital, Putnam County also operates Cookeville High School (2,241 students), Upperman High School (899 students), and Upperman Middle School (851 students). See the Putnam 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.