Enrollment
586
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Bluff City, TN
Sullivan East Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Sullivan East Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 33/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 470399002604
👥 S:T ratio 33
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 41
📋 Attendance 27
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sullivan East Middle School earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 74% of Tennessee schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Tennessee schools.
- #3 of 3
- public schools in Bluff City · Resource Index
- 33
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.7:1
- large classes for Tennessee
- 586
- students enrolled
Sullivan East Middle School has class sizes larger than 74% of Tennessee schools. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sullivan East Middle School ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Bluff City, TN.
School address
District: Sullivan County · Tennessee
NCES ID 470399002604 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
35.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.7:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
+9% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sullivan East Middle School compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sullivan East Middle School
Sullivan East Middle School is a mid-sized middle school in Bluff City, Tennessee, enrolling 586 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.7:1 puts it in the larger third of Tennessee schools by student-teacher ratio.
Enrollment of 586 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).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 293 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 29.4% 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: 200 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 586 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 32 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Sullivan County also operates West Ridge High School (1,612 students) and Sullivan East High School (816 students) alongside Sullivan East Middle 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 Middle School compares
Sullivan East Middle 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 | 16.7:1 | ▲ 9% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 586 | top 34% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.7:1
Leaner classes than 33% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
586
Bigger than 71% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
16.7:1
students per teacher
- 9% above state mean
Top 74% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 26% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
29.4%
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 293 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
130
in-school suspensions + 70 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 22.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 34.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 32 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 93.2%
Hispanic or Latino 3.1%
Two or More 2.6%
Asian 0.7%
African American 0.5%
Largest group: White at 93.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 13.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 13.0, Sullivan East Middle School is less mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sullivan County, which includes Sullivan East Middle 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 Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Ridge High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Sullivan East High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Sullivan Heights Middle School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Holston Elementary | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Sullivan Central Middle School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sullivan East Middle 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
- 816
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- 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
Similar middle 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 (~586 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sullivan East Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Sullivan East Middle 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 Middle School
How many students attend Sullivan East Middle School?
Sullivan East Middle School has 586 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Bluff City, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sullivan East Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Sullivan East Middle School is 16.7:1, which is 9% higher than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 6% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sullivan East Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Sullivan East Middle School is White at 93.2% of enrollment, in Bluff City, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sullivan East Middle School?
Sullivan East Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (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 Sullivan East Middle School rank among public schools in Bluff City?
By Resource Investment Index, Sullivan East Middle School ranks #3 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 Middle School a good school?
Sullivan East Middle School earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 74% of Tennessee schools. 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 Middle School, Sullivan County also operates West Ridge High School (1,612 students), Sullivan East High School (816 students), and Sullivan Heights Middle School (630 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.