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 62/100.

2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 470387001604
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Compiled from official source data by .
0/100100/10062/100
👥 S:T ratio
62
🌟 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 62/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 94% of Tennessee schools.

#1 of 5
public schools in Carthage · Resource Index
62
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

Carthage, TN 37030
District: Smith County · Tennessee

NCES ID 470387001604 Verify on NCES CCD record →

CCD year-over-year · 2022-23 → 2023-24

-8 students YoY

Smith County High School held near 493 students from 2022-23 to 2023-24 (-8 headcount).

Teacher FTE lost 50.1 → 43.5 across the same CCD years.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data public-school universe (2022-23, 2023-24).

Steady CCD campus

-8 students YoY 470387001604 · Carthage, TN High · SMALL · TRAD

476 enr · 9.5:1 · RII 62

Nearest enrollment peer: Gordonsville High School (541 students)

Smith County High School held near 493 students from 2022-23 to 2023-24 (-8 headcount). Teacher FTE lost 50.1 → 43.5 across the same CCD years. Read with this school → · District book → · Tennessee schools → · Find another →

Smith County High School in the enrollment neighbourhood

Fall enrollment among this campus and nearest district peers

students

What this shows Smith County High School reports 476 students on the CCD universe file.

Source U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data (Public School Universe) As of 2024-25

How Smith County High School compares

Smith County High School held steady on CCD headcount: ratios and free-lunch share vs 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 methodology

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
$10,329
per pupil, district-wide - below Tennessee avg of $11,532
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.

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

District finance for Smith County reports $10,329 per pupil (NCES F-33) - open the district page for the full revenue mix.

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

Smith County · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Nationwide high schools with similar size or staffing

Out-of-state peers matched by enrollment and by student-teacher ratio, not the same-city or same-district lists above.

Similar enrollment (~476 students)

Similar student-teacher ratio (~9.5:1)

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. CCD year-over-year: 501 (2022-23) → 493 (2023-24), nearly flat (-8).

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 62/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, gifted-program reporting, counselor availability, chronic absenteeism. 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.

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.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2022-23) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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Compiled from official source data by .