Enrollment
372
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Spencer, TN
Spencer Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Spencer Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 52/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 470432001737
👥 S:T ratio 45
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 26
📋 Attendance 69
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Spencer Elementary earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Tennessee median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Tennessee schools.
- 52
- Resource Index · Higher
- 13.8:1
- students per teacher
- 372
- students enrolled
Spencer Elementary has class sizes near the Tennessee median. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Van Buren County · Tennessee
NCES ID 470432001737 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.8:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
-10% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Spencer Elementary compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at Spencer Elementary
Spencer Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Spencer, Tennessee, enrolling 372 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13.8:1 puts it in the smaller third of Tennessee schools by student-teacher ratio.
With 372 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 predominantly White (98% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 3/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 372 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
12.4% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 22.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Spencer's public schools, it stands alongside Van Buren Co High School (384 students): Spencer Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (13.8:1 vs 12.8:1).
Its district, Van Buren County, also runs Van Buren Co High School (384 students).
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 Spencer Elementary compares
Spencer 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 | 13.8:1 | ▼ 10% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 372 | top 65% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.8:1
Leaner classes than 59% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
372
Bigger than 43% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
13.8:1
students per teacher
- 10% below state mean
Top 35% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 65% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
12.4%
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
$12,176
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 372 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.6 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 98.4%
African American 0.8%
Hispanic or Latino 0.8%
Largest group: White at 98.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 3.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 3.2, Spencer Elementary is less mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Van Buren County, which includes Spencer Elementary.
$12,176
Per student
+13%
vs Tennessee
Avg $10,822
-27%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 21.9%
State 55.6%
Federal 22.4%
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 Spencer Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Van Buren Co High School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Spencer Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 384
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
Similar other schools in Spencer
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 (~372 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Spencer Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Spencer Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Van Buren 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 Spencer Elementary
How many students attend Spencer Elementary?
Spencer Elementary has 372 students enrolled. It is a public school in Spencer, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Spencer Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Spencer Elementary is 13.8:1, which is 10% lower than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 12% 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 Spencer Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Spencer Elementary is White at 98.4% of enrollment, in Spencer, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Spencer Elementary?
Spencer Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (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 Spencer Elementary a good school?
Spencer Elementary earns 52/100 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 Van Buren County?
Besides Spencer Elementary, Van Buren County also operates Van Buren Co High School (384 students). See the Van Buren 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.