Enrollment
1,604
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Shelbyville, TN
Shelbyville Central High School
Federal NCES profile for Shelbyville Central High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 34/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 470018000036
👥 S:T ratio 31
📚 AP courses 80
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 20
📋 Attendance 11
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Shelbyville Central High School earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 79% of Tennessee schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Tennessee.
- #8 of 8
- public schools in Shelbyville · Resource Index
- 34
- Resource Index · Typical
- 17.2:1
- large classes for Tennessee
- 1,604
- students enrolled
Shelbyville Central High School has class sizes larger than 79% of Tennessee schools. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Shelbyville Central High School ranks #8 of 8 public schools in Shelbyville, TN.
School address
District: Bedford County · Tennessee
NCES ID 470018000036 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
93.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.2:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
+12% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Shelbyville Central High School compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at Shelbyville Central High School
Shelbyville Central High School is a large high school in Shelbyville, Tennessee, enrolling 1,604 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 17.2:1 puts it in the larger third of Tennessee schools by student-teacher ratio.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Tennessee, bigger than 98% of state schools at 1,604 students.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 96% of the 1,838 Tennessee schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (48%) and White (34%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 64/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 16 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 401 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 35.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 21.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 21 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Bedford County also operates Harris Middle School (977 students) and Community Elementary School (650 students) alongside Shelbyville Central High 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 Shelbyville Central High School compares
Shelbyville Central High 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 | 17.2:1 | ▲ 12% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 1,604 | top 2% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.2:1
Leaner classes than 29% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,604
Bigger than 97% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
17.2:1
students per teacher
- 12% above state mean
Top 79% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 21% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
35.7%
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
$9,064
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
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 401 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
195
in-school suspensions + 78 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 12.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 17.0 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
Hispanic or Latino 48.1%
White 33.7%
African American 11.2%
Two or More 5.9%
Asian 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 48.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 63.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 63.9, Shelbyville Central High School is more mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
AP courses offered 16
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bedford County, which includes Shelbyville Central High School.
$9,064
Per student
-16%
vs Tennessee
Avg $10,822
-45%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 19.1%
State 59.8%
Federal 21.1%
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 Shelbyville Central High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harris Middle School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Community Elementary School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Learning Way Elementary | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Liberty Elementary | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Cascade Elementary | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Shelbyville Central High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 977
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 650
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 638
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 631
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 621
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
Similar high 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 (~1,604 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~17.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Shelbyville Central High School's federal record.
- Compare Shelbyville Central High School against another school. Compare schools
- Bedford 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 Shelbyville Central High School
How many students attend Shelbyville Central High School?
Shelbyville Central High School has 1,604 students enrolled. It is a high school in Shelbyville, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Shelbyville Central High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Shelbyville Central High School is 17.2:1, which is 12% higher than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 10% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Shelbyville Central High School?
The largest demographic group at Shelbyville Central High School is Hispanic or Latino at 48.1% of enrollment, in Shelbyville, TN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 63.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Shelbyville Central High School?
Shelbyville Central High School has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Shelbyville Central High School rank among public schools in Shelbyville?
By Resource Investment Index, Shelbyville Central High School ranks #8 of 8 public schools in Shelbyville, TN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Shelbyville on the city page.
Is Shelbyville Central High School a good school?
Shelbyville Central High School earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 79% of Tennessee schools. It is also one of the largest 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 Bedford County?
Besides Shelbyville Central High School, Bedford County also operates Harris Middle School (977 students), Community Elementary School (650 students), and Learning Way Elementary (638 students). See the Bedford 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.