Enrollment
384
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 470432001738
Van Buren Co High School — Spencer, TN
Federal NCES profile for Van Buren Co High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 40/100.
👥 Class size 47
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 23
📋 Attendance 19
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Van Buren County · Tennessee
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.3:1
vs 15.6:1 Tennessee avg
-15% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Van Buren Co High School compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Van Buren Co High School reports 384 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 30.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 15% below the Tennessee state mean of 15.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 16% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Counselor coverage works out to roughly 384 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 32.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Van Buren County spends $14,137 per pupil district-wide, above the Tennessee average of $12,324 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 21.9% from local sources (property taxes), 55.6% from the state, and 22.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (D), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Van Buren Co High School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Tennessee state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Tennessee | Tennessee avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.3:1 | ▼ 15% | 15.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 384 | top 37% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Staffing depth
13.3:1
students per teacher
— 15% below state mean
Top 25% in Tennessee — lower ratio than 75% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
32.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$14,137
per pupil, district-wide
— above Tennessee avg of $12,324
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 384 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
48
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 12.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 12.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 384 Top 37% in Tennessee — larger than 63% of 1,844 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 30.0
Students per teacher 13.3:1 -15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 470432001738
Student demographics
White 97.9%
Hispanic or Latino 1.3%
Asian 0.5%
Two or More 0.3%
Largest group: White at 97.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 384:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 32.3%
In-school suspensions 48
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Van Buren County, which includes Van Buren Co High School.
$14,137
Per student
+15%
vs Tennessee
Avg $12,324
-27%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 21.9%
State 55.6%
Federal 22.4%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 372
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
Similar other schools in Spencer
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Van Buren Co High School
How many students attend Van Buren Co High School?
Van Buren Co High School has 384 students enrolled. It is a other school in Spencer, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Van Buren Co High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Van Buren Co High School is 13.3:1, which is 15% lower than the Tennessee average of 15.6:1 and 16% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Van Buren Co High School?
The largest demographic group at Van Buren Co High School is White at 97.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in Spencer, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Van Buren Co High School?
Van Buren Co High School has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.