Enrollment
476
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Carthage, TN
Smith County High School
Federal NCES profile for Smith County High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 52/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 470387001604
👥 S:T ratio 62
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 52
📋 Attendance 63
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Smith County High School earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 94% of Tennessee schools.
- #1 of 5
- public schools in Carthage · Resource Index
- 52
- Resource Index · Higher
- 9.5:1
- small classes for Tennessee
- 476
- students enrolled
Smith County High School has class sizes smaller than 94% of Tennessee schools. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Smith County High School ranks #1 of 5 public schools in Carthage, TN.
School address
District: Smith County · Tennessee
NCES ID 470387001604 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
50.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.5:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
-38% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Smith County High School compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at Smith County High School
Smith County High School is a mid-sized high school in Carthage, Tennessee, enrolling 476 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 9.5:1, Smith County High School is leaner than roughly 94% of Tennessee schools and 38% under the state's 15.3:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
With 476 students, its enrollment sits close to the Tennessee median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 96% of the 1,838 Tennessee schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Its student body is predominantly White (85% of enrollment) (diversity index 27/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 238 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
14.7% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 17.4% 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 42 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Smith County also operates Gordonsville High School (541 students) and Carthage Elementary (465 students) alongside Smith County 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 Smith County High School compares
Smith County 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 | 9.5:1 | ▼ 38% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 476 | top 48% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.5:1
Leaner classes than 91% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
476
Bigger than 59% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
9.5:1
students per teacher
- 38% below state mean
Top 6% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 94% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
14.7%
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
$10,034
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
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
- 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 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.
Student-body diversity index 26.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 26.6, Smith County High School is less mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Smith County, which includes Smith County High School.
$10,034
Per student
-7%
vs Tennessee
Avg $10,822
-40%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Smith County High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gordonsville High School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Carthage Elementary | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Gordonsville Elementary School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Smith County Middle School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Defeated Elementary | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Smith County High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 541
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 465
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 311
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 289
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 288
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
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 (~476 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~9.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Smith County High School's federal record.
- Compare Smith County High School against another school. Compare schools
- Smith 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 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 9.5:1, which is 38% lower than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 39% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. 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% of enrollment, in Carthage, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Smith County High School?
Smith County High School has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Smith County High School rank among public schools in Carthage?
By Resource Investment Index, Smith County High School ranks #1 of 5 public schools in Carthage, 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 Carthage on the city page.
Is Smith County High School a good school?
Smith County High School earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 94% of Tennessee schools. 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 Smith County?
Besides Smith County High School, Smith County also operates Gordonsville High School (541 students), Carthage Elementary (465 students), and Gordonsville Elementary School (311 students). See the Smith 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.