Enrollment
202
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Dickson, TN
The Discovery School
Federal NCES profile for The Discovery School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 54/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 470102001102
👥 S:T ratio 63
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 60
📋 Attendance 64
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
The Discovery School earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 94% of Tennessee schools.
- #2 of 7
- public schools in Dickson · Resource Index
- 54
- Resource Index · Higher
- 9.2:1
- small classes for Tennessee
- 202
- students enrolled
The Discovery School has class sizes smaller than 94% of Tennessee schools. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, The Discovery School ranks #2 of 7 public schools in Dickson, TN.
School address
District: Dickson County · Tennessee
NCES ID 470102001102 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.2:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
-40% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How The Discovery School compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at The Discovery School
The Discovery School is a small elementary school in Dickson, Tennessee, enrolling 202 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 9.2:1, The Discovery School is leaner than roughly 94% of Tennessee schools and 40% under the state's 15.3:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Enrollment of 202 puts it in the smaller third of Tennessee schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,838 scored Tennessee schools.
Its student body is led by White (73%) and Two or More (13%) (diversity index 44/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 202 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
14.4% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 18.9% 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.
Dickson County also operates Dickson County High School (1,337 students) and Creek Wood High School (919 students) alongside The Discovery 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 The Discovery School compares
The Discovery 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 | 9.2:1 | ▼ 40% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 202 | top 89% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.2:1
Leaner classes than 92% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
202
Bigger than 20% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
9.2:1
students per teacher
- 40% below state mean
Top 6% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 94% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
14.4%
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
$10,297
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 202 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
28
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 13.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.8 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 73.3%
Two or More 13.4%
Hispanic or Latino 7.9%
African American 3.5%
Asian 2.0%
Largest group: White at 73.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 43.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 43.7, The Discovery School is more mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dickson County, which includes The Discovery School.
$10,297
Per student
-5%
vs Tennessee
Avg $10,822
-38%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 35.6%
State 45.5%
Federal 18.9%
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 The Discovery School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dickson County High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Creek Wood High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Centennial Elementary | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Stuart Burns Elementary | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Charlotte Elementary | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to The Discovery School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,337
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 919
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 713
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 706
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 601
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
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 (~202 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on The Discovery School's federal record.
- Compare The Discovery School against another school. Compare schools
- Dickson 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 The Discovery School
How many students attend The Discovery School?
The Discovery School has 202 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Dickson, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at The Discovery School?
The student-teacher ratio at The Discovery School is 9.2:1, which is 40% lower than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 41% 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 The Discovery School?
The largest demographic group at The Discovery School is White at 73.3% of enrollment, in Dickson, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for The Discovery School?
The Discovery School has a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (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 The Discovery School rank among public schools in Dickson?
By Resource Investment Index, The Discovery School ranks #2 of 7 public schools in Dickson, 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 Dickson on the city page.
Is The Discovery School a good school?
The Discovery School earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 94% 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 Dickson County?
Besides The Discovery School, Dickson County also operates Dickson County High School (1,337 students), Creek Wood High School (919 students), and Centennial Elementary (713 students). See the Dickson 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.