Enrollment
289
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 470387001942
Smith County Middle School — Carthage, TN
Federal NCES profile for Smith County Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 44/100.
👥 Class size 27
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 80
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)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.2:1
vs 15.6:1 Tennessee avg
+17% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Smith County Middle 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 Middle School reports 289 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 18.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 17% 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 14% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Counselor coverage works out to roughly 578 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 8.0% 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 44/100 (D), 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 Smith County Middle 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 | 18.2:1 | ▲ 17% | 15.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 289 | top 21% | — | — |
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
18.2:1
students per teacher
— 17% above state mean
Top 87% in Tennessee — lower ratio than 13% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
8.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Per 578 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 12 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 289 Top 21% in Tennessee — larger than 79% of 1,844 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 18.0
Students per teacher 18.2:1 +17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 470387001942
Student demographics
White 81.3%
Hispanic or Latino 9.7%
Two or More 5.2%
African American 2.8%
Asian 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 81.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.5
Students per counselor 578:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 8.0%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 6
Expulsions 12
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Smith County, which includes Smith County Middle 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
- 476
- Students per teacher
- 10:1
- Enrollment
- 465
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Enrollment
- 311
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- 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 Middle School
How many students attend Smith County Middle School?
Smith County Middle School has 289 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Carthage, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Smith County Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Smith County Middle School is 18.2:1, which is 17% higher than the Tennessee average of 15.6:1 and 14% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Smith County Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Smith County Middle School is White at 81.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Carthage, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Smith County Middle School?
Smith County Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (D) based on 4 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.