Enrollment
50
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 470222000805
Ridgedale Alternative School — Knoxville, TN
Federal NCES profile for Ridgedale Alternative School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 51/100.
👥 Class size 85
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 90
📋 Attendance 0
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Knox County · Tennessee
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
3.7:1
vs 15.6:1 Tennessee avg
-76% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ridgedale Alternative School compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Ridgedale Alternative School reports 50 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 19.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 3.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 76% below the Tennessee state mean of 15.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 77% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Counselor coverage works out to roughly 50 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 100.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Knox County spends $11,040 per pupil district-wide, below the Tennessee average of $12,324 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 49.9% from local sources (property taxes), 35.6% from the state, and 14.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (C-), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Ridgedale Alternative School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Tennessee state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Tennessee | Tennessee avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 3.7:1 | ▼ 76% | 15.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 50 | top 3% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Staffing depth
3.7:1
students per teacher
— 76% below state mean
Top 1% in Tennessee — lower ratio than 99% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
100.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$11,040
per pupil, district-wide
— below Tennessee avg of $12,324
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints 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
Enrollment 50 Top 3% in Tennessee — larger than 97% of 1,844 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 19.0
Students per teacher 3.7:1 -76% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 470222000805
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.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 50:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 100.0%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 27
Expulsions 21
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Knox County, which includes Ridgedale Alternative School.
$11,040
Per student
-10%
vs Tennessee
Avg $12,324
-43%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,073
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,963
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,916
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,474
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Enrollment
- 1,463
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
Similar other schools in Knoxville
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Northshore Elementary School
Standard public school
1,051 students 15.9:1 students per teacher
Cedar Bluff Elementary
Standard public school
1,047 students 15:1 students per teacher
Karns Elementary
Standard public school
931 students 14.9:1 students per teacher
Farragut Primary
Standard public school
923 students 16:1 students per teacher
Hardin Valley Elementary
Standard public school
907 students 16.6:1 students per teacher
Tennessee Virtual Junior High School
Standard public school
856 students 26.7:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Ridgedale Alternative School
How many students attend Ridgedale Alternative School?
Ridgedale Alternative School has 50 students enrolled. It is a other school in Knoxville, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ridgedale Alternative School?
The student-teacher ratio at Ridgedale Alternative School is 3.7:1, which is 76% lower than the Tennessee average of 15.6:1 and 77% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. 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%. The school serves a diverse student body in Knoxville, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ridgedale Alternative School?
Ridgedale Alternative School has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (C-) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.