Enrollment
352
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Shelbyville, TN
South Side Elementary
Federal NCES profile for South Side Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 34/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 470018000044
👥 S:T ratio 58
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 30
📋 Attendance 20
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
South Side Elementary earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 92% of Tennessee schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Tennessee schools.
- #2 of 6
- schools in Shelbyville · Resource Index
- 34
- Resource Index · Typical
- 10.4:1
- small classes for Tennessee
- 352
- students enrolled
South Side Elementary has class sizes smaller than 92% of Tennessee schools. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, South Side Elementary ranks #2 of 6 schools in Shelbyville, TN.
School address
District: Bedford County · Tennessee
NCES ID 470018000044 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.4:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
-32% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How South Side Elementary compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at South Side Elementary
South Side Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Shelbyville, Tennessee, enrolling 352 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 10.4:1, South Side Elementary is leaner than roughly 92% of Tennessee schools and 32% under the state's 15.3:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Enrollment of 352 puts it in the smaller third of Tennessee schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,838 scored Tennessee schools.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (49%) and White (34%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 63/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 352 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 32.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 21.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Shelbyville's public schools, it stands alongside Learning Way Elementary (638 students): South Side Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (10.4:1 vs 13.3:1).
Bedford County also operates Shelbyville Central High School (1,604 students) and Harris Middle School (977 students) alongside South Side 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 Side Elementary compares
South Side 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 | 10.4:1 | ▼ 32% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 352 | top 68% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.4:1
Leaner classes than 87% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
352
Bigger than 40% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
10.4:1
students per teacher
- 32% below state mean
Top 8% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 92% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
32.1%
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
$9,064
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 352 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.4 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
Hispanic or Latino 49.4%
White 33.5%
African American 8.2%
Two or More 8.0%
Asian 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 49.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 63.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 63.1, South Side Elementary is more mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bedford County, which includes South Side Elementary.
$9,064
Per student
-16%
vs Tennessee
Avg $10,822
-45%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 19.1%
State 59.8%
Federal 21.1%
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 Side Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shelbyville Central High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Harris Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Community Elementary School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Learning Way Elementary | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Liberty Elementary | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to South Side Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,604
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 977
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 650
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 638
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 631
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
Similar other schools in Shelbyville
5 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Learning Way Elementary
Standard public school
638 students 13.3:1 students per teacher
Liberty Elementary
Standard public school
631 students 14:1 students per teacher
Thomas Magnet School
Standard public school
436 students 16.8:1 students per teacher
Eakin Elementary
Standard public school
399 students 7.5:1 students per teacher
East Side Elementary
Standard public school
323 students 10.1:1 students per teacher
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 (~352 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on South Side Elementary's federal record.
- Compare South Side Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Bedford 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 Side Elementary
How many students attend South Side Elementary?
South Side Elementary has 352 students enrolled. It is a public school in Shelbyville, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South Side Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at South Side Elementary is 10.4:1, which is 32% lower than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 34% 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 South Side Elementary?
The largest demographic group at South Side Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 49.4% of enrollment, in Shelbyville, TN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 63.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for South Side Elementary?
South Side Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (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 South Side Elementary rank among schools in Shelbyville?
By Resource Investment Index, South Side Elementary ranks #2 of 6 schools in Shelbyville, TN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Shelbyville on the city page.
Is South Side Elementary a good school?
South Side Elementary earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 92% of Tennessee schools. It is also more 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 Bedford County?
Besides South Side Elementary, Bedford County also operates Shelbyville Central High School (1,604 students), Harris Middle School (977 students), and Community Elementary School (650 students). See the Bedford 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.