Enrollment
937
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 470315002073
Scales Elementary School — Murfreesboro, TN
Federal NCES profile for Scales Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 40/100.
👥 Class size 33
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 6
📋 Attendance 52
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: Murfreesboro · 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)
63.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.7:1
vs 15.6:1 Tennessee avg
+7% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Scales Elementary 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
Scales Elementary School reports 937 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 63.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 7% above the Tennessee state mean of 15.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 5% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Counselor coverage works out to roughly 469 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 19.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Murfreesboro spends $12,255 per pupil district-wide, below the Tennessee average of $12,324 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 40.5% from local sources (property taxes), 40.8% from the state, and 18.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (D), 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 Scales Elementary 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 | 16.7:1 | ▲ 7% | 15.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 937 | top 89% | — | — |
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
16.7:1
students per teacher
— 7% above state mean
Top 75% in Tennessee — lower ratio than 25% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
19.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$12,255
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
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
Enrollment 937 Top 89% in Tennessee — larger than 11% of 1,844 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 63.0
Students per teacher 16.7:1 +7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 470315002073
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.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 469:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 19.4%
In-school suspensions 3
Out-of-school suspensions 13
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Murfreesboro, which includes Scales Elementary School.
$12,255
Per student
-1%
vs Tennessee
Avg $12,324
-37%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 946
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Enrollment
- 937
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Enrollment
- 889
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Enrollment
- 867
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Enrollment
- 844
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
Similar elementary schools in Murfreesboro
5 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Overall Creek Elementary
Standard public school
937 students 16.1:1 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 18.5:1 students per teacher
Bradley Academy - an Arts Integrated School
Standard public school
334 students 12.1:1 students per teacher
Homer Pittard Campus School
Standard public school
240 students 15.1:1 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 Scales Elementary School
How many students attend Scales Elementary School?
Scales Elementary School has 937 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Murfreesboro, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Scales Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Scales Elementary School is 16.7:1, which is 7% higher than the Tennessee average of 15.6:1 and 5% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Scales Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Scales Elementary School is White at 42.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in Murfreesboro, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Scales Elementary School?
Scales Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (D) 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.