Enrollment
419
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Johnson City, TN
South Side Elementary
Federal NCES profile for South Side Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 53/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 470213000687
👥 S:T ratio 40
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 16
📋 Attendance 84
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
South Side Elementary earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Tennessee median.
- #4 of 12
- schools in Johnson City · Resource Index
- 53
- Resource Index · Higher
- 15:1
- students per teacher
- 419
- students enrolled
South Side Elementary has class sizes near the Tennessee median. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, South Side Elementary ranks #4 of 12 schools in Johnson City, TN.
School address
District: Johnson City · Tennessee
NCES ID 470213000687 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
28.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
-2% 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 Johnson City, Tennessee, enrolling 419 students.
At 15:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Tennessee median, within a few percentage points of the 15.3:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
With 419 students, its enrollment sits close to the Tennessee median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,838 scored Tennessee schools.
Its student body is led by White (62%) and Hispanic or Latino (18%) (diversity index 57/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 419 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 6.4% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Its district draws 16.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Johnson City's public schools, it stands alongside Boones Creek Elementary School (823 students): South Side Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (15:1 vs 16.8:1).
Johnson City also operates Science Hill High School (2,359 students) and Liberty Bell Middle School (987 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 | 15:1 | ▼ 2% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 419 | top 57% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15:1
Leaner classes than 47% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
419
Bigger than 50% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
15:1
students per teacher
- 2% below state mean
Top 52% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 48% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
6.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$11,545
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 419 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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 61.6%
Hispanic or Latino 17.9%
Two or More 9.5%
African American 8.6%
Asian 2.4%
Largest group: White at 61.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 57.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 57.2, South Side Elementary is more mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Johnson City, which includes South Side Elementary.
$11,545
Per student
+7%
vs Tennessee
Avg $10,822
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 50.6%
State 32.7%
Federal 16.6%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Science Hill High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Liberty Bell Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Indian Trail Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lake Ridge Elementary | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Woodland 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
- 2,359
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 987
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 786
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 632
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 537
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
Similar other schools in Johnson City
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Boones Creek Elementary School
Standard public school
823 students 16.8:1 students per teacher
University School
Standard public school
635 students 15.9:1 students per teacher
Woodland Elementary
Standard public school
537 students 19.2:1 students per teacher
Fairmont Elementary
Standard public school
530 students 12.9:1 students per teacher
Happy Valley Elementary
Standard public school
506 students 14.5:1 students per teacher
Mountain View Elementary
Standard public school
472 students 13.5:1 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 (~419 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on South Side Elementary's federal record.
- Compare South Side Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Johnson City'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 419 students enrolled. It is a public school in Johnson City, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South Side Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at South Side Elementary is 15:1, which is 2% lower than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 4% 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 White at 61.6% of enrollment, in Johnson City, TN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 57.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for South Side Elementary?
South Side Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (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).
How does South Side Elementary rank among schools in Johnson City?
By Resource Investment Index, South Side Elementary ranks #4 of 12 schools in Johnson City, TN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Johnson City on the city page.
Is South Side Elementary a good school?
South Side Elementary earns 53/100 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 Johnson City?
Besides South Side Elementary, Johnson City also operates Science Hill High School (2,359 students), Liberty Bell Middle School (987 students), and Indian Trail Middle School (786 students). See the Johnson City 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.