Enrollment
289
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Carthage, TN
Smith County Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Smith County Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 470387001942
👥 S:T ratio 36
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 80
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Smith County Middle School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Tennessee median.
- #2 of 5
- public schools in Carthage · Resource Index
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.1:1
- students per teacher
- 289
- students enrolled
Smith County Middle School has class sizes near the Tennessee median. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Smith County Middle School ranks #2 of 5 public schools in Carthage, TN.
School address
District: Smith County · Tennessee
NCES ID 470387001942 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.1:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
+5% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Smith County Middle School compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at Smith County Middle School
Smith County Middle School is a mid-sized elementary school in Carthage, Tennessee, enrolling 289 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.1:1 puts it in the larger third of Tennessee schools by student-teacher ratio.
Enrollment of 289 puts it in the smaller third of Tennessee schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,838 scored Tennessee schools.
Its student body is predominantly White (81% of enrollment) (diversity index 33/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 578 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 8.0% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
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 12 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Smith County also operates Gordonsville High School (541 students) and Smith County High School (476 students) alongside Smith County Middle 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 Middle School compares
Smith County Middle 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 | 16.1:1 | ▲ 5% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 289 | top 79% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.1:1
Leaner classes than 37% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
289
Bigger than 31% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
16.1:1
students per teacher
- 5% above state mean
Top 68% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 32% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
8.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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
- 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 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.
Student-body diversity index 32.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 32.6, Smith County Middle School is less mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Smith County, which includes Smith County Middle 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 Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gordonsville High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Smith County High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Carthage Elementary | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Gordonsville Elementary School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Defeated Elementary | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Smith County Middle 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
- 476
- Students per teacher
- 9.5:1
- Resource Index
- 62/100
- 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
- 288
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
Similar elementary 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 (~289 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Smith County Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Smith County Middle 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 Middle School
How many students attend Smith County Middle School?
Smith County Middle School has 289 students enrolled. It is an 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 16.1:1, which is 5% higher than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 3% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
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% of enrollment, in Carthage, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Smith County Middle School?
Smith County Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 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 Middle School rank among public schools in Carthage?
By Resource Investment Index, Smith County Middle School ranks #2 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 Middle School a good school?
Smith County Middle School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Tennessee median. 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 Middle School, Smith County also operates Gordonsville High School (541 students), Smith County High School (476 students), and Carthage Elementary (465 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.