Enrollment
937
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Murfreesboro, TN
Scales Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Scales Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 470315002073
👥 S:T ratio 40
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 6
📋 Attendance 52
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Scales Elementary School earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Tennessee median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Tennessee schools.
- #5 of 6
- elementary schools in Murfreesboro · Resource Index
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.9:1
- students per teacher
- 937
- students enrolled
Scales Elementary School has class sizes near the Tennessee median. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Scales Elementary School ranks #5 of 6 elementary schools in Murfreesboro, TN.
School address
District: Murfreesboro · Tennessee
NCES ID 470315002073 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
63.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.9:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
-3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Scales Elementary School compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at Scales Elementary School
Scales Elementary School is a large elementary school in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, enrolling 937 students.
At 14.9:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Tennessee median, within a few percentage points of the 15.3:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Enrollment of 937 puts it in the larger third of Tennessee schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,838 scored Tennessee schools.
Its student body is led by White (43%) and Hispanic or Latino (25%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 71/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 469 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 19.4% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 18.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Murfreesboro's elementary schools, it stands alongside Overall Creek Elementary (937 students): Scales Elementary School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (14.9:1 vs 15.6:1).
Murfreesboro also operates Salem Elementary School (946 students) and Overall Creek Elementary (937 students) alongside Scales Elementary 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 Scales Elementary School compares
Scales Elementary 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 | 14.9:1 | ▼ 3% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 937 | top 11% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.9:1
Leaner classes than 48% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
937
Bigger than 90% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
14.9:1
students per teacher
- 3% below state mean
Top 51% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 49% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
19.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$11,342
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 469 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 13 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.7 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 42.5%
Hispanic or Latino 24.8%
African American 19.6%
Two or More 8.4%
Asian 4.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 42.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 71.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 71.1, Scales Elementary School is more mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Murfreesboro, which includes Scales Elementary School.
$11,342
Per student
+5%
vs Tennessee
Avg $10,822
-32%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 40.5%
State 40.8%
Federal 18.7%
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 Scales Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salem Elementary School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Overall Creek Elementary | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Black Fox Elementary | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Erma Siegel Elementary | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Cason Lane Academy | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Scales Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 946
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 937
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 889
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 867
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 844
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
Similar elementary schools in Murfreesboro
5 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Overall Creek Elementary
Standard public school
937 students 15.6:1 students per teacher
Buchanan Elementary
Standard public school
475 students 16.4:1 students per teacher
Mcfadden School of Excellence
Standard public school
386 students 18.4:1 students per teacher
Bradley Academy - an Arts Integrated School
Standard public school
334 students 11.9:1 students per teacher
Homer Pittard Campus School
Standard public school
240 students 15:1 students per teacher
Similar elementary 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 (~937 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Scales Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Scales Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Murfreesboro'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 Scales Elementary School
How many students attend Scales Elementary School?
Scales Elementary School has 937 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Murfreesboro, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Scales Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Scales Elementary School is 14.9:1, which is 3% lower than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 5% 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 Scales Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Scales Elementary School is White at 42.5% of enrollment, in Murfreesboro, TN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 71.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Scales Elementary School?
Scales Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (typical 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 Scales Elementary School rank among elementary schools in Murfreesboro?
By Resource Investment Index, Scales Elementary School ranks #5 of 6 elementary schools in Murfreesboro, TN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Murfreesboro on the city page.
Is Scales Elementary School a good school?
Scales Elementary School earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Tennessee median. It is also more 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 Murfreesboro?
Besides Scales Elementary School, Murfreesboro also operates Salem Elementary School (946 students), Overall Creek Elementary (937 students), and Black Fox Elementary (889 students). See the Murfreesboro 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.