Enrollment
268
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Carthage, TN
Union Heights Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Union Heights Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 33/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 470387001607
👥 S:T ratio 33
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 67
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Union Heights Elementary earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 75% of Tennessee schools.
- #2 of 3
- schools in Carthage · Resource Index
- 33
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.8:1
- large classes for Tennessee
- 268
- students enrolled
Union Heights Elementary has class sizes larger than 75% of Tennessee schools. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Union Heights Elementary ranks #2 of 3 schools in Carthage, TN.
School address
District: Smith County · Tennessee
NCES ID 470387001607 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
16.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.8:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
+10% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Union Heights Elementary compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at Union Heights Elementary
Union Heights Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Carthage, Tennessee, enrolling 268 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.8:1 puts it in the larger third of Tennessee schools by student-teacher ratio.
Enrollment of 268 puts it in the smaller 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 (86% of enrollment) (diversity index 25/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 812 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
13.1% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 17.4% 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 4 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Carthage's public schools, it stands alongside Carthage Elementary (465 students): Union Heights Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (16.8:1 vs 17.2:1).
Smith County also operates Gordonsville High School (541 students) and Smith County High School (476 students) alongside Union Heights 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 Union Heights Elementary compares
Union Heights 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 | 16.8:1 | ▲ 10% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 268 | top 82% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.8:1
Leaner classes than 32% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
268
Bigger than 28% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
16.8:1
students per teacher
- 10% above state mean
Top 75% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 25% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
13.1%
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
$10,034
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
Counselors0.3 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
17
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 4 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 85.8%
Hispanic or Latino 9.0%
Two or More 4.1%
African American 1.1%
Largest group: White at 85.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 25.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 25.4, Union Heights Elementary is less mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Smith County, which includes Union Heights Elementary.
$10,034
Per student
-7%
vs Tennessee
Avg $10,822
-40%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 24.3%
State 58.3%
Federal 17.4%
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 Union Heights Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gordonsville High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Smith County High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Carthage Elementary | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Gordonsville Elementary School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Smith County Middle School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Union Heights Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 541
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 476
- Students per teacher
- 9.5:1
- Resource Index
- 62/100
- Enrollment
- 465
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 311
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 289
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
Similar other schools in Carthage
2 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other 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 (~268 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Union Heights Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Union Heights Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Smith 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 Union Heights Elementary
How many students attend Union Heights Elementary?
Union Heights Elementary has 268 students enrolled. It is a public school in Carthage, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Union Heights Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Union Heights Elementary is 16.8:1, which is 10% higher than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 7% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Union Heights Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Union Heights Elementary is White at 85.8% of enrollment, in Carthage, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Union Heights Elementary?
Union Heights Elementary 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 Union Heights Elementary rank among schools in Carthage?
By Resource Investment Index, Union Heights Elementary ranks #2 of 3 schools in Carthage, TN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Carthage on the city page.
Is Union Heights Elementary a good school?
Union Heights Elementary earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 75% 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 Smith County?
Besides Union Heights Elementary, Smith County also operates Gordonsville High School (541 students), Smith County High School (476 students), and Carthage Elementary (465 students). See the Smith 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.