Enrollment
1,396
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Signal Mountain, TN
Signal Mountain Middle/High School
Federal NCES profile for Signal Mountain Middle/High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 50/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 470159000523
👥 S:T ratio 34
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 30
📋 Attendance 65
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Signal Mountain Middle/High School earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 73% of Tennessee schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Tennessee.
- 50
- Resource Index · Higher
- 16.6:1
- large classes for Tennessee
- 1,396
- students enrolled
Signal Mountain Middle/High School has class sizes larger than 73% of Tennessee schools. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Hamilton County · Tennessee
NCES ID 470159000523 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
84.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.6:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
+8% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Signal Mountain Middle/High School compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at Signal Mountain Middle/High School
Signal Mountain Middle/High School is a large combined-grade school in Signal Mountain, Tennessee, enrolling 1,396 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.6:1 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 96% of state schools at 1,396 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,838 scored Tennessee schools.
Its student body is predominantly White (84% of enrollment) (diversity index 28/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 349 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
14.0% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
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 4 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Hamilton County also operates The Howard School (1,329 students) and East Hamilton High School (1,293 students) alongside Signal Mountain Middle/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 Signal Mountain Middle/High School compares
Signal Mountain Middle/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 | 16.6:1 | ▲ 8% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 1,396 | top 4% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.6:1
Leaner classes than 33% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,396
Bigger than 95% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
16.6:1
students per teacher
- 8% above state mean
Top 73% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 27% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
14.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$12,002
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
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 349 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
63
in-school suspensions + 24 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 4 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 84.2%
Two or More 6.6%
Hispanic or Latino 6.2%
Asian 1.6%
African American 1.3%
Largest group: White at 84.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 28.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 28.2, Signal Mountain Middle/High School is less mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
AP courses offered 2
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Hamilton County, which includes Signal Mountain Middle/High School.
$12,002
Per student
+11%
vs Tennessee
Avg $10,822
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 47.2%
State 31.6%
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 Signal Mountain Middle/High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Howard School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| East Hamilton High School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ooltewah High School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| East Brainerd Elementary | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Soddy Daisy High School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Signal Mountain Middle/High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,329
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 1,293
- Students per teacher
- 68.1:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 1,233
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 1,177
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 1,122
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
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 (~1,396 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Signal Mountain Middle/High School's federal record.
- Compare Signal Mountain Middle/High School against another school. Compare schools
- Hamilton 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 Signal Mountain Middle/High School
How many students attend Signal Mountain Middle/High School?
Signal Mountain Middle/High School has 1,396 students enrolled. It is a public school in Signal Mountain, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Signal Mountain Middle/High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Signal Mountain Middle/High School is 16.6:1, which is 8% higher than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 6% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Signal Mountain Middle/High School?
The largest demographic group at Signal Mountain Middle/High School is White at 84.2% of enrollment, in Signal Mountain, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Signal Mountain Middle/High School?
Signal Mountain Middle/High School has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Signal Mountain Middle/High School a good school?
Signal Mountain Middle/High School earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 73% 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 Hamilton County?
Besides Signal Mountain Middle/High School, Hamilton County also operates The Howard School (1,329 students), East Hamilton High School (1,293 students), and Ooltewah High School (1,233 students). See the Hamilton 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.