Enrollment
1,396
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 470159000523
Signal Mountain Middle/High School — Signal Mountain, TN
Federal NCES profile for Signal Mountain Middle/High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 50/100.
👥 Class size 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 30
📋 Attendance 65
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: Hamilton 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)
84.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.3:1
vs 15.6:1 Tennessee avg
+4% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Signal Mountain Middle/High 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
Signal Mountain Middle/High School reports 1,396 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 84.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 4% 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 3% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Counselor coverage works out to roughly 349 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 14.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Hamilton County spends $12,591 per pupil district-wide, above the Tennessee average of $12,324 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 47.2% from local sources (property taxes), 31.6% from the state, and 21.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (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 Signal Mountain Middle/High 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 | 16.3:1 | ▲ 4% | 15.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 1,396 | top 96% | — | — |
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
16.3:1
students per teacher
— 4% above state mean
Top 69% in Tennessee — lower ratio than 31% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
14.0%
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
$12,591
per pupil, district-wide
— above Tennessee avg of $12,324
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints 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
Enrollment 1,396 Top 96% in Tennessee — larger than 4% of 1,844 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 84.0
Students per teacher 16.3:1 +4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 470159000523
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.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 2
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 4.0
Students per counselor 349:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 14.0%
In-school suspensions 63
Out-of-school suspensions 24
Expulsions 4
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Hamilton County, which includes Signal Mountain Middle/High School.
$12,591
Per student
+2%
vs Tennessee
Avg $12,324
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,329
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,293
- Students per teacher
- 66.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,233
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,177
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,122
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
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 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 other 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 16.3:1, which is 4% higher than the Tennessee average of 15.6:1 and 3% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
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%. The school serves a diverse student body 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 (C-) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.