Enrollment
624
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Loretto, TN
South Lawrence Elementary
Federal NCES profile for South Lawrence Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 470234000852
👥 S:T ratio 32
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 69
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
South Lawrence Elementary earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 76% of Tennessee schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Tennessee schools.
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.9:1
- large classes for Tennessee
- 624
- students enrolled
South Lawrence Elementary has class sizes larger than 76% of Tennessee schools. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Lawrence County · Tennessee
NCES ID 470234000852 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
37.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.9:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
+10% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How South Lawrence Elementary compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at South Lawrence Elementary
South Lawrence Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Loretto, Tennessee, enrolling 624 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.9:1 puts it in the larger third of Tennessee schools by student-teacher ratio.
Enrollment of 624 puts it in the larger 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 (96% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 8/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 624 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
12.3% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 22.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Lawrence County also operates Lawrence Co High School (1,087 students) and Summertown Elementary (621 students) alongside South Lawrence 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 South Lawrence Elementary compares
South Lawrence 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 | 16.9:1 | ▲ 10% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 624 | top 29% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.9:1
Leaner classes than 31% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
624
Bigger than 75% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
16.9:1
students per teacher
- 10% above state mean
Top 76% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 24% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
12.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$9,908
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 624 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
51
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 8.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.7 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 95.7%
Hispanic or Latino 2.1%
African American 1.4%
Two or More 0.5%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: White at 95.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 8.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 8.3, South Lawrence Elementary is less mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lawrence County, which includes South Lawrence Elementary.
$9,908
Per student
-8%
vs Tennessee
Avg $10,822
-40%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 24.1%
State 53.4%
Federal 22.5%
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 South Lawrence Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lawrence Co High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Summertown Elementary | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| E O Coffman Middle School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Leoma Elementary | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ethridge Elementary | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to South Lawrence Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,087
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 621
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 586
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 538
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 516
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
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 (~624 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on South Lawrence Elementary's federal record.
- Compare South Lawrence Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Lawrence 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 South Lawrence Elementary
How many students attend South Lawrence Elementary?
South Lawrence Elementary has 624 students enrolled. It is a public school in Loretto, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South Lawrence Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at South Lawrence Elementary is 16.9:1, which is 10% higher than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 8% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of South Lawrence Elementary?
The largest demographic group at South Lawrence Elementary is White at 95.7% of enrollment, in Loretto, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for South Lawrence Elementary?
South Lawrence Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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).
Is South Lawrence Elementary a good school?
South Lawrence Elementary earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 76% of Tennessee schools. 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 Lawrence County?
Besides South Lawrence Elementary, Lawrence County also operates Lawrence Co High School (1,087 students), Summertown Elementary (621 students), and E O Coffman Middle School (586 students). See the Lawrence 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.