Enrollment
535
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Smithville, TN
Smithville Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Smithville Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 470099000324
👥 S:T ratio 54
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 38
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Smithville Elementary earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 86% of Tennessee schools.
- #1 of 4
- public schools in Smithville · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.6:1
- small classes for Tennessee
- 535
- students enrolled
Smithville Elementary has class sizes smaller than 86% of Tennessee schools. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Smithville Elementary ranks #1 of 4 public schools in Smithville, TN.
School address
District: Dekalb County · Tennessee
NCES ID 470099000324 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
46.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.6:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
-24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Smithville Elementary compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at Smithville Elementary
Smithville Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Smithville, Tennessee, enrolling 535 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 11.6:1, Smithville Elementary is leaner than roughly 86% of Tennessee schools and 24% under the state's 15.3:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
With 535 students, its enrollment sits close to the Tennessee median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,838 scored Tennessee schools.
Its student body is led by White (78%) and Hispanic or Latino (17%) (diversity index 36/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 24.7% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 19.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Dekalb County also operates De Kalb County High School (781 students) and Northside Elementary (544 students) alongside Smithville Elementary.
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 Smithville Elementary compares
Smithville Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Tennessee and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Tennessee | Tennessee avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.6:1 | ▼ 24% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 535 | top 40% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.6:1
Leaner classes than 79% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
535
Bigger than 66% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
11.6:1
students per teacher
- 24% below state mean
Top 14% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 86% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
24.7%
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
$9,893
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
Counselors0.0 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
White 77.9%
Hispanic or Latino 17.4%
Two or More 3.2%
African American 0.9%
Asian 0.6%
Largest group: White at 77.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 36.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 36.2, Smithville Elementary is less mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dekalb County, which includes Smithville Elementary.
$9,893
Per student
-9%
vs Tennessee
Avg $10,822
-40%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 19.8%
State 61.0%
Federal 19.2%
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 Smithville Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| De Kalb County High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Northside Elementary | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Dekalb Middle School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Dekalb West Elementary | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Smithville Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 781
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 544
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 534
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 466
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
Similar other 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 (~535 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Smithville Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Smithville Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Dekalb 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 Smithville Elementary
How many students attend Smithville Elementary?
Smithville Elementary has 535 students enrolled. It is a public school in Smithville, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Smithville Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Smithville Elementary is 11.6:1, which is 24% lower than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 26% 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 Smithville Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Smithville Elementary is White at 77.9% of enrollment, in Smithville, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Smithville Elementary?
Smithville Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (typical 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 Smithville Elementary rank among public schools in Smithville?
By Resource Investment Index, Smithville Elementary ranks #1 of 4 public schools in Smithville, 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 Smithville on the city page.
Is Smithville Elementary a good school?
Smithville Elementary earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 86% 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 Dekalb County?
Besides Smithville Elementary, Dekalb County also operates De Kalb County High School (781 students), Northside Elementary (544 students), and Dekalb Middle School (534 students). See the Dekalb 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.