Enrollment
476
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 470387001604
Smith County High School — Carthage, TN
Federal NCES profile for Smith County High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 51/100.
👥 Class size 60
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 52
📋 Attendance 63
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: Smith 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)
50.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10:1
vs 15.6:1 Tennessee avg
-36% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Smith County 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
Smith County High School reports 476 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 50.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 10:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 36% below the Tennessee state mean of 15.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 37% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Counselor coverage works out to roughly 238 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 14.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Smith County spends $10,754 per pupil district-wide, below the Tennessee average of $12,324 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 24.3% from local sources (property taxes), 58.3% from the state, and 17.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (C-), calculated from 5 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 Smith County 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 | 10:1 | ▼ 36% | 15.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 476 | top 52% | — | — |
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
10:1
students per teacher
— 36% below state mean
Top 6% in Tennessee — lower ratio than 94% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
14.7%
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
$10,754
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 238 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
54
in-school suspensions + 17 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 11.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 14.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 42 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 476 Top 52% in Tennessee — larger than 48% of 1,844 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 50.0
Students per teacher 10:1 -36% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 470387001604
Student demographics
White 85.1%
Hispanic or Latino 8.6%
Two or More 4.0%
African American 2.1%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: White at 85.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP program Not offered
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 238:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 14.7%
In-school suspensions 54
Out-of-school suspensions 17
Expulsions 42
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Smith County, which includes Smith County High School.
$10,754
Per student
-13%
vs Tennessee
Avg $12,324
-45%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 24.3%
State 58.3%
Federal 17.4%
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
- 541
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Enrollment
- 465
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Enrollment
- 311
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Enrollment
- 289
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Enrollment
- 288
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
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 Smith County High School
How many students attend Smith County High School?
Smith County High School has 476 students enrolled. It is a high school in Carthage, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Smith County High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Smith County High School is 10:1, which is 36% lower than the Tennessee average of 15.6:1 and 37% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Smith County High School?
The largest demographic group at Smith County High School is White at 85.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Carthage, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Smith County High School?
Smith County High School has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (C-) based on 5 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.