Enrollment
776
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Jackson, TN
Thelma Barker Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Thelma Barker 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 470258001844
👥 S:T ratio 31
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 53
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Thelma Barker Elementary earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 79% of Tennessee schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Tennessee schools.
- #2 of 3
- elementary schools in Jackson · Resource Index
- 39
- Resource Index · Typical
- 17.2:1
- large classes for Tennessee
- 776
- students enrolled
Thelma Barker Elementary has class sizes larger than 79% of Tennessee schools. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Thelma Barker Elementary ranks #2 of 3 elementary schools in Jackson, TN.
School address
District: Madison County · Tennessee
NCES ID 470258001844 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
45.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.2:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
+12% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Thelma Barker Elementary compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at Thelma Barker Elementary
Thelma Barker Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Jackson, Tennessee, enrolling 776 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 17.2:1 puts it in the larger third of Tennessee schools by student-teacher ratio.
Enrollment of 776 puts it in the larger 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 African American (45%) and Hispanic or Latino (29%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 68/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 776 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 18.7% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 21.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Jackson's elementary schools, it stands alongside Pope School (628 students): Thelma Barker Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (17.2:1 vs 17.4:1).
Madison County also operates North Side High School (903 students) and Northeast Middle School (804 students) alongside Thelma Barker 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 Thelma Barker Elementary compares
Thelma Barker 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 | 17.2:1 | ▲ 12% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 776 | top 17% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.2:1
Leaner classes than 29% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
776
Bigger than 84% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
17.2:1
students per teacher
- 12% above state mean
Top 79% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 21% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
18.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$10,363
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 776 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
112
in-school suspensions + 32 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 14.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 18.6 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
African American 45.0%
Hispanic or Latino 29.4%
White 13.9%
Two or More 8.5%
Asian 3.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: African American at 45.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 68.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 68.4, Thelma Barker Elementary is more mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Madison County, which includes Thelma Barker Elementary.
$10,363
Per student
-4%
vs Tennessee
Avg $10,822
-38%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 39.3%
State 39.1%
Federal 21.6%
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 Thelma Barker Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Side High School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Northeast Middle School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| South Side High School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Community Montessori School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Pope School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Thelma Barker Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 903
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 804
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 756
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 665
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
- Enrollment
- 628
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
Similar elementary schools in Jackson
2 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 (~776 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Thelma Barker Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Thelma Barker Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Madison 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 Thelma Barker Elementary
How many students attend Thelma Barker Elementary?
Thelma Barker Elementary has 776 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Jackson, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Thelma Barker Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Thelma Barker Elementary is 17.2:1, which is 12% higher than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 10% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Thelma Barker Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Thelma Barker Elementary is African American at 45.0% of enrollment, in Jackson, TN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 68.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Thelma Barker Elementary?
Thelma Barker 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 Thelma Barker Elementary rank among elementary schools in Jackson?
By Resource Investment Index, Thelma Barker Elementary ranks #2 of 3 elementary schools in Jackson, TN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Jackson on the city page.
Is Thelma Barker Elementary a good school?
Thelma Barker Elementary earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 79% of Tennessee schools. It is also more 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 Madison County?
Besides Thelma Barker Elementary, Madison County also operates North Side High School (903 students), Northeast Middle School (804 students), and South Side High School (756 students). See the Madison 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.