Enrollment
176
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Cosby, TN
Smoky Mountain Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Smoky Mountain Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 470075000284
👥 S:T ratio 46
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 65
📋 Attendance 45
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Smoky Mountain Elementary earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Tennessee median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Tennessee schools.
- #3 of 4
- public schools in Cosby · Resource Index
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.5:1
- students per teacher
- 176
- students enrolled
Smoky Mountain Elementary has class sizes near the Tennessee median. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Smoky Mountain Elementary ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Cosby, TN.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
13.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.5:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
-12% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Smoky Mountain Elementary compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at Smoky Mountain Elementary
Smoky Mountain Elementary is a small combined-grade school in Cosby, Tennessee, enrolling 176 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of Tennessee schools by student-teacher ratio.
Enrollment of 176 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 (97% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 6/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 176 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.2% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 23.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Cosby's public schools, it stands alongside Jones Cove Elementary (102 students): Smoky Mountain Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (13.5:1 vs 8.5:1).
Cocke County also operates Cocke Co High School (1,074 students) and Edgemont Elementary (541 students) alongside Smoky Mountain 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 Smoky Mountain Elementary compares
Smoky Mountain 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 | 13.5:1 | ▼ 12% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 176 | top 90% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.5:1
Leaner classes than 62% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
176
Bigger than 17% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
13.5:1
students per teacher
- 12% below state mean
Top 32% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 68% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
22.2%
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
$10,484
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 176 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
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 97.2%
African American 1.1%
Hispanic or Latino 0.6%
Asian 0.6%
Two or More 0.6%
Largest group: White at 97.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 5.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 5.5, Smoky Mountain Elementary is less mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cocke County, which includes Smoky Mountain Elementary.
$10,484
Per student
-3%
vs Tennessee
Avg $10,822
-37%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 25.1%
State 51.6%
Federal 23.4%
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 Smoky Mountain Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cocke Co High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Edgemont Elementary | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Parrottsville Elementary | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Cosby Elementary | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Northwest Elementary | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Smoky Mountain Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,074
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 541
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 512
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 429
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 422
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
Similar other schools in Cosby
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 (~176 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Smoky Mountain Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Smoky Mountain Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Cocke 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 Smoky Mountain Elementary
How many students attend Smoky Mountain Elementary?
Smoky Mountain Elementary has 176 students enrolled. It is a public school in Cosby, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Smoky Mountain Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Smoky Mountain Elementary is 13.5:1, which is 12% lower than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 14% 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 Smoky Mountain Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Smoky Mountain Elementary is White at 97.2% of enrollment, in Cosby, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Smoky Mountain Elementary?
Smoky Mountain Elementary 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 Smoky Mountain Elementary rank among public schools in Cosby?
By Resource Investment Index, Smoky Mountain Elementary ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Cosby, 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 Cosby on the city page.
Is Smoky Mountain Elementary a good school?
Smoky Mountain Elementary earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Tennessee median. It is also less 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 Cocke County?
Besides Smoky Mountain Elementary, Cocke County also operates Cocke Co High School (1,074 students), Edgemont Elementary (541 students), and Parrottsville Elementary (512 students). See the Cocke 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.