Enrollment
347
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Old Fort, TN
South Polk Elementary
Federal NCES profile for South Polk Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 470345001445
👥 S:T ratio 37
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 31
📋 Attendance 68
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
South Polk Elementary earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Tennessee median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Tennessee schools.
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.8:1
- students per teacher
- 347
- students enrolled
South Polk Elementary has class sizes near the Tennessee median. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Polk County · Tennessee
NCES ID 470345001445 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.8:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
+3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How South Polk Elementary compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at South Polk Elementary
South Polk Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Old Fort, Tennessee, enrolling 347 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.8:1 puts it in the larger third of Tennessee schools by student-teacher ratio.
Enrollment of 347 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 5/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 347 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
13.0% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 23.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Polk County also operates Benton Elementary (421 students) and Polk County High School (400 students) alongside South Polk 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 Polk Elementary compares
South Polk 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 | 15.8:1 | ▲ 3% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 347 | top 69% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.8:1
Leaner classes than 40% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
347
Bigger than 39% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
15.8:1
students per teacher
- 3% above state mean
Top 63% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 37% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
13.0%
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
$11,761
per pupil, district-wide
- above 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 347 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.6 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 97.4%
Hispanic or Latino 1.2%
African American 0.6%
Two or More 0.6%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: White at 97.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 5.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 5.1, South Polk Elementary is less mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Polk County, which includes South Polk Elementary.
$11,761
Per student
+9%
vs Tennessee
Avg $10,822
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 23.3%
State 53.0%
Federal 23.7%
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 Polk Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benton Elementary | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Polk County High School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Copper Basin Elementary School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Chilhowee Middle School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Copper Basin High School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to South Polk Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 421
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 400
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 321
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 293
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 231
- Students per teacher
- 8.9:1
- 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 (~347 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on South Polk Elementary's federal record.
- Compare South Polk Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Polk 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 Polk Elementary
How many students attend South Polk Elementary?
South Polk Elementary has 347 students enrolled. It is a public school in Old Fort, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South Polk Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at South Polk Elementary is 15.8:1, which is 3% higher than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 1% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of South Polk Elementary?
The largest demographic group at South Polk Elementary is White at 97.4% of enrollment, in Old Fort, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for South Polk Elementary?
South Polk Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (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 Polk Elementary a good school?
South Polk Elementary earns 41/100 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 Polk County?
Besides South Polk Elementary, Polk County also operates Benton Elementary (421 students), Polk County High School (400 students), and Copper Basin Elementary School (321 students). See the Polk 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.