Enrollment
816
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Bluff City, TN
Sullivan East High School
Federal NCES profile for Sullivan East High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 470399001630
👥 S:T ratio 45
📚 AP courses 30
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 46
📋 Attendance 22
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sullivan East High School earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Tennessee median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Tennessee schools.
- #2 of 3
- public schools in Bluff City · Resource Index
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.8:1
- students per teacher
- 816
- students enrolled
Sullivan East High School has class sizes near the Tennessee median. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sullivan East High School ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Bluff City, TN.
School address
District: Sullivan County · Tennessee
NCES ID 470399001630 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
59.0
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 Sullivan East High School compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sullivan East High School
Sullivan East High School is a large high school in Bluff City, Tennessee, enrolling 816 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.
Enrollment of 816 puts it in the larger 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 predominantly White (93% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 13/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 6 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 272 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 15.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 171 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 816 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 30 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Sullivan County also operates West Ridge High School (1,612 students) and Sullivan Heights Middle School (630 students) alongside Sullivan East High 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 Sullivan East High School compares
Sullivan East High 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 | 13.8:1 | ▼ 10% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 816 | top 15% | - | - |
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.
816
Bigger than 86% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
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
31.1%
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
$11,164
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 272 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
109
in-school suspensions + 62 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 13.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 21.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 30 expulsions.
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 93.0%
Hispanic or Latino 5.0%
Two or More 1.3%
Asian 0.5%
African American 0.1%
Largest group: White at 93.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 13.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 13.2, Sullivan East High School is less mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
AP courses offered 6
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sullivan County, which includes Sullivan East High School.
$11,164
Per student
+3%
vs Tennessee
Avg $10,822
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 42.4%
State 41.7%
Federal 15.9%
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 Sullivan East High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Ridge High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Sullivan Heights Middle School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Holston Elementary | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Sullivan Central Middle School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Sullivan East Middle School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sullivan East High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,612
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 630
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 605
- Students per teacher
- 11:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 604
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 586
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
Similar high 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 (~816 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sullivan East High School's federal record.
- Compare Sullivan East High School against another school. Compare schools
- Sullivan 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 Sullivan East High School
How many students attend Sullivan East High School?
Sullivan East High School has 816 students enrolled. It is a high school in Bluff City, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sullivan East High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Sullivan East High School 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 Sullivan East High School?
The largest demographic group at Sullivan East High School is White at 93.0% of enrollment, in Bluff City, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sullivan East High School?
Sullivan East High School has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Sullivan East High School rank among public schools in Bluff City?
By Resource Investment Index, Sullivan East High School ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Bluff City, TN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Bluff City on the city page.
Is Sullivan East High School a good school?
Sullivan East High School earns 35/100 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 Sullivan County?
Besides Sullivan East High School, Sullivan County also operates West Ridge High School (1,612 students), Sullivan Heights Middle School (630 students), and Holston Elementary (605 students). See the Sullivan 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.