Enrollment
361
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Cowan, TN
South Middle School
Federal NCES profile for South Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 51/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 470129000405
👥 S:T ratio 37
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 28
📋 Attendance 69
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
South Middle School earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Tennessee median.
- 51
- Resource Index · Higher
- 15.7:1
- students per teacher
- 361
- students enrolled
South Middle School has class sizes near the Tennessee median. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Franklin County · Tennessee
NCES ID 470129000405 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.7:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
+3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How South Middle School compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at South Middle School
South Middle School is a mid-sized middle school in Cowan, Tennessee, enrolling 361 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.7:1 puts it in the larger third of Tennessee schools by student-teacher ratio.
Enrollment of 361 puts it in the smaller third of Tennessee schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,838 scored Tennessee schools.
Its student body is predominantly White (83% of enrollment) (diversity index 30/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 361 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
12.5% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 20.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 101 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 361 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Franklin County also operates Franklin Co High School (1,144 students) and Huntland School (631 students) alongside South 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 South Middle School compares
South 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 | 15.7:1 | ▲ 3% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 361 | top 67% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.7:1
Leaner classes than 41% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
361
Bigger than 41% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
15.7:1
students per teacher
- 3% above state mean
Top 61% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 39% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
12.5%
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
$10,515
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 361 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
67
in-school suspensions + 34 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 18.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 28.0 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 83.1%
African American 8.9%
Hispanic or Latino 4.4%
Two or More 3.3%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: White at 83.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 29.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 29.8, South 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 Franklin County, which includes South Middle School.
$10,515
Per student
-3%
vs Tennessee
Avg $10,822
-37%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 32.9%
State 46.9%
Federal 20.2%
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 South Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin Co High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Huntland School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| North Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Clark Memorial School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Decherd Elementary | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to South Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,144
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 631
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
- Enrollment
- 557
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 539
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 436
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
Similar middle 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 (~361 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on South Middle School's federal record.
- Compare South Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Franklin 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 Middle School
How many students attend South Middle School?
South Middle School has 361 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Cowan, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at South Middle School is 15.7:1, which is 3% higher than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 0% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of South Middle School?
The largest demographic group at South Middle School is White at 83.1% of enrollment, in Cowan, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for South Middle School?
South Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (higher 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 Middle School a good school?
South Middle School earns 51/100 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 Franklin County?
Besides South Middle School, Franklin County also operates Franklin Co High School (1,144 students), Huntland School (631 students), and North Middle School (557 students). See the Franklin 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.