Enrollment
317
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Sweetwater, TN
Sweetwater Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Sweetwater Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 39/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 470405001687
👥 S:T ratio 30
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 37
📋 Attendance 61
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sweetwater Elementary earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 82% of Tennessee schools.
- #3 of 5
- public schools in Sweetwater · Resource Index
- 39
- Resource Index · Typical
- 17.6:1
- large classes for Tennessee
- 317
- students enrolled
Sweetwater Elementary has class sizes larger than 82% of Tennessee schools. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sweetwater Elementary ranks #3 of 5 public schools in Sweetwater, TN.
School address
District: Sweetwater · Tennessee
NCES ID 470405001687 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.6:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
+15% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sweetwater Elementary compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sweetwater Elementary
Sweetwater Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Sweetwater, Tennessee, enrolling 317 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 17.6:1 puts it in the larger third of Tennessee schools by student-teacher ratio.
Enrollment of 317 puts it in the smaller third of Tennessee schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,838 scored Tennessee schools.
Its student body is led by White (78%) and Hispanic or Latino (15%) (diversity index 37/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 317 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
15.5% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 25.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Sweetwater's elementary schools, it stands alongside Brown Intermediate School (310 students): Sweetwater Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (17.6:1 vs 18.2:1).
Sweetwater also operates Sweetwater Primary School (589 students) and Sweetwater Jr High School (316 students) alongside Sweetwater 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 Sweetwater Elementary compares
Sweetwater 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 | 17.6:1 | ▲ 15% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 317 | top 74% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.6:1
Leaner classes than 27% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
317
Bigger than 35% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
17.6:1
students per teacher
- 15% above state mean
Top 82% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 18% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
15.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$9,411
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 317 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.8 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 77.9%
Hispanic or Latino 15.1%
Two or More 6.0%
African American 0.9%
Largest group: White at 77.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 36.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 36.7, Sweetwater Elementary is about as mixed as the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sweetwater, which includes Sweetwater Elementary.
$9,411
Per student
-13%
vs Tennessee
Avg $10,822
-43%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 23.4%
State 50.8%
Federal 25.8%
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 Sweetwater Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweetwater Primary School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Sweetwater Jr High School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Brown Intermediate School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sweetwater Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 589
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 316
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 310
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
Similar elementary schools in Sweetwater
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary 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 (~317 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sweetwater Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Sweetwater Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Sweetwater'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 Sweetwater Elementary
How many students attend Sweetwater Elementary?
Sweetwater Elementary has 317 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Sweetwater, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sweetwater Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Sweetwater Elementary is 17.6:1, which is 15% higher than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 12% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sweetwater Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Sweetwater Elementary is White at 77.9% of enrollment, in Sweetwater, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sweetwater Elementary?
Sweetwater Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (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 Sweetwater Elementary rank among public schools in Sweetwater?
By Resource Investment Index, Sweetwater Elementary ranks #3 of 5 public schools in Sweetwater, 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 Sweetwater on the city page.
Is Sweetwater Elementary a good school?
Sweetwater Elementary earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 82% of 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 Sweetwater?
Besides Sweetwater Elementary, Sweetwater also operates Sweetwater Primary School (589 students), Sweetwater Jr High School (316 students), and Brown Intermediate School (310 students). See the Sweetwater 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.