Enrollment
319
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Madison, TN
Smithson Craighead Academy
Federal NCES profile for Smithson Craighead Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 23/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 470318001941Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 20
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 20
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Smithson Craighead Academy earns 23/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 93% of Tennessee schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Tennessee schools.
- #6 of 8
- public schools in Madison · Resource Index
- 23
- Resource Index · Lower
- 19.9:1
- large classes for Tennessee
- 319
- students enrolled
Smithson Craighead Academy has class sizes larger than 93% of Tennessee schools. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Smithson Craighead Academy ranks #6 of 8 public schools in Madison, TN.
School address
District: Davidson County · Tennessee
NCES ID 470318001941 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
16.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.9:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
+30% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Smithson Craighead Academy compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at Smithson Craighead Academy
Smithson Craighead Academy is a mid-sized charter elementary school in Madison, Tennessee, enrolling 319 students.
Class loads run heavy: 19.9:1 is larger than about 93% of Tennessee schools and 30% above the 15.3:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Enrollment of 319 puts it in the smaller third of Tennessee schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 96% of the 1,838 Tennessee schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (49%) and African American (40%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 59/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 32.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Davidson County spends $15,421 per pupil, 42% above the Tennessee average, a better-resourced district than most.
Among Madison's elementary schools, it stands alongside Neely's Bend: a Lead Public School (367 students): Smithson Craighead Academy is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (19.9:1 vs 20.4:1).
Davidson County also operates Antioch High School (2,212 students) and Cane Ridge High School (1,982 students) alongside Smithson Craighead Academy.
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 Smithson Craighead Academy compares
Smithson Craighead Academy on the metrics families compare, against Tennessee and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Tennessee | Tennessee avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 19.9:1 | ▲ 30% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 319 | top 74% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19.9:1
Leaner classes than 16% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
319
Bigger than 35% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
19.9:1
students per teacher
- 30% above state mean
Top 93% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 7% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
32.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$15,421
per pupil, district-wide
- above Tennessee avg of $10,822
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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
Hispanic or Latino 49.2%
African American 39.5%
White 8.2%
Two or More 2.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 49.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 59.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 59.4, Smithson Craighead Academy is more mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Davidson County, which includes Smithson Craighead Academy.
$15,421
Per student
+42%
vs Tennessee
Avg $10,822
-7%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 58.7%
State 26.4%
Federal 14.9%
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 Smithson Craighead Academy Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antioch High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Cane Ridge High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| John Overton High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Mcgavock High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Hunters Lane High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Smithson Craighead Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,212
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 1,982
- Students per teacher
- 24.8:1
- Resource Index
- 20/100
- Enrollment
- 1,942
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 1,844
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 1,414
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Resource Index
- 18/100
Similar elementary schools in Madison
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 (~319 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~19.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Smithson Craighead Academy's federal record.
- Compare Smithson Craighead Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Davidson 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 Smithson Craighead Academy
How many students attend Smithson Craighead Academy?
Smithson Craighead Academy has 319 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Madison, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Smithson Craighead Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Smithson Craighead Academy is 19.9:1, which is 30% higher than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 27% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Smithson Craighead Academy?
The largest demographic group at Smithson Craighead Academy is Hispanic or Latino at 49.2% of enrollment, in Madison, TN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 59.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Smithson Craighead Academy?
Smithson Craighead Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 23/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Smithson Craighead Academy rank among public schools in Madison?
By Resource Investment Index, Smithson Craighead Academy ranks #6 of 8 public schools in Madison, 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 Madison on the city page.
Is Smithson Craighead Academy a good school?
Smithson Craighead Academy earns 23/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 93% of Tennessee schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Davidson County?
Besides Smithson Craighead Academy, Davidson County also operates Antioch High School (2,212 students), Cane Ridge High School (1,982 students), and John Overton High (1,942 students). See the Davidson 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.