Enrollment
239
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · White Bluff, TN
W James Middle School
Federal NCES profile for W James Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 51/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 470102000336
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 52
📋 Attendance 32
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
W James Middle School earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 78% of Tennessee schools.
- 51
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.6:1
- small classes for Tennessee
- 239
- students enrolled
W James Middle School has class sizes smaller than 78% of Tennessee schools. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Dickson County · Tennessee
NCES ID 470102000336 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.6:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
-18% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How W James Middle School compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at W James Middle School
W James Middle School is a small middle school in White Bluff, Tennessee, enrolling 239 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.6:1 puts it in the smaller third of Tennessee schools by student-teacher ratio.
Enrollment of 239 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 predominantly White (85% of enrollment) (diversity index 26/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 239 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 27.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 18.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 57 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 239 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Dickson County also operates Dickson County High School (1,337 students) and Creek Wood High School (919 students) alongside W James Middle 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 W James Middle School compares
W James Middle 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 | 12.6:1 | ▼ 18% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 239 | top 85% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.6:1
Leaner classes than 70% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
239
Bigger than 24% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
12.6:1
students per teacher
- 18% below state mean
Top 22% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 78% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
27.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
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 239 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
51
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 21.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 23.8 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 85.4%
Hispanic or Latino 9.6%
Two or More 4.2%
African American 0.8%
Largest group: White at 85.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 26.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 26.0, W James Middle School is less mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dickson County, which includes W James Middle 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 W James Middle 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 | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to W James Middle 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 middle 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 (~239 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on W James Middle School's federal record.
- Compare W James Middle 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 W James Middle School
How many students attend W James Middle School?
W James Middle School has 239 students enrolled. It is a middle school in White Bluff, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at W James Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at W James Middle School is 12.6:1, which is 18% lower than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 20% 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 W James Middle School?
The largest demographic group at W James Middle School is White at 85.4% of enrollment, in White Bluff, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for W James Middle School?
W James Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (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).
Is W James Middle School a good school?
W James Middle School earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 78% 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 W James Middle 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.