Enrollment
50
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Knoxville, TN
Ridgedale Alternative School
Federal NCES profile for Ridgedale Alternative School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 70/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 470222000805
👥 S:T ratio 90
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 90
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Ridgedale Alternative School earns 70/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 99% of Tennessee schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in Tennessee.
- #1 of 41
- schools in Knoxville · Resource Index
- 70
- Resource Index · Higher
- 2.6:1
- small classes for Tennessee
- 50
- students enrolled
Ridgedale Alternative School has class sizes smaller than 99% of Tennessee schools. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Ridgedale Alternative School ranks #1 of 41 schools in Knoxville, TN.
School address
District: Knox County · Tennessee
NCES ID 470222000805 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
2.6:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
-83% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ridgedale Alternative School compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at Ridgedale Alternative School
Ridgedale Alternative School is a small combined-grade school in Knoxville, Tennessee, enrolling 50 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 2.6:1, Ridgedale Alternative School is leaner than roughly 99% of Tennessee schools and 83% under the state's 15.3:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 97% of Tennessee schools, with 50 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 99% of the 1,838 Tennessee schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Its student body is led by White (66%) and African American (22%) (diversity index 51/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 50 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Discipline events run high: 27 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 50 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 21 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Knoxville's public schools, it stands alongside Northshore Elementary School (1,051 students): Ridgedale Alternative School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (2.6:1 vs 15.2:1).
Knox County also operates Farragut High School (2,073 students) and Bearden High School (1,963 students) alongside Ridgedale Alternative 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 Ridgedale Alternative School compares
Ridgedale Alternative 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 | 2.6:1 | ▼ 83% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 50 | top 97% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
2.6:1
Leaner classes than 100% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
50
Bigger than 5% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
2.6:1
students per teacher
- 83% below state mean
Top 1% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 99% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 50 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 27 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 54.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 21 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 66.0%
African American 22.0%
Hispanic or Latino 4.0%
Asian 4.0%
Two or More 4.0%
Largest group: White at 66.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 51.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 51.1, Ridgedale Alternative School is more mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Knox County, which includes Ridgedale Alternative 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 Ridgedale Alternative 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 | Higher S:T ratio |
| Hardin Valley Academy | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| West High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Farragut Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Ridgedale Alternative 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 other schools in Knoxville
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Northshore Elementary School
Standard public school
1,051 students 15.2:1 students per teacher
Cedar Bluff Elementary
Standard public school
1,047 students 12.8:1 students per teacher
Karns Elementary
Standard public school
931 students 11.5:1 students per teacher
Farragut Primary
Standard public school
923 students 14.7:1 students per teacher
Hardin Valley Elementary
Standard public school
907 students 10.7:1 students per teacher
Tennessee Virtual Junior High School
Standard public school
856 students 24.5:1 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 (~50 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Ridgedale Alternative School's federal record.
- Compare Ridgedale Alternative 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 Ridgedale Alternative School
How many students attend Ridgedale Alternative School?
Ridgedale Alternative School has 50 students enrolled. It is an alternative school in Knoxville, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ridgedale Alternative School?
The student-teacher ratio at Ridgedale Alternative School is 2.6:1, which is 83% lower than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 83% 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 Ridgedale Alternative School?
The largest demographic group at Ridgedale Alternative School is White at 66.0% of enrollment, in Knoxville, TN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 51.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ridgedale Alternative School?
Ridgedale Alternative School has a Resource Investment Index of 70/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Ridgedale Alternative School rank among schools in Knoxville?
By Resource Investment Index, Ridgedale Alternative School ranks #1 of 41 schools in Knoxville, TN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Knoxville on the city page.
Is Ridgedale Alternative School a good school?
Ridgedale Alternative School earns 70/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 99% of Tennessee schools. It is also one of the smallest 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 Ridgedale Alternative 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.