Enrollment
951
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Columbia, TN
Whitthorne Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Whitthorne Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 36/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 470276000982
👥 S:T ratio 31
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 5
📋 Attendance 37
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Whitthorne Middle School earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 80% of Tennessee schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Tennessee schools.
- #9 of 11
- public schools in Columbia · Resource Index
- 36
- Resource Index · Typical
- 17.3:1
- large classes for Tennessee
- 951
- students enrolled
Whitthorne Middle School has class sizes larger than 80% of Tennessee schools. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Whitthorne Middle School ranks #9 of 11 public schools in Columbia, TN.
School address
District: Maury County · Tennessee
NCES ID 470276000982 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
55.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.3:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
+13% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Whitthorne Middle School compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at Whitthorne Middle School
Whitthorne Middle School is a large elementary school in Columbia, Tennessee, enrolling 951 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 17.3:1 puts it in the larger third of Tennessee schools by student-teacher ratio.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Tennessee, bigger than 90% of state schools at 951 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,838 scored Tennessee schools.
Its student body is led by White (49%) and Hispanic or Latino (23%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 66/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 476 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 25.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 18.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 191 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 951 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 3 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Columbia's elementary schools, it stands alongside E. a. Cox Middle School (626 students): Whitthorne Middle School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (17.3:1 vs 14.9:1).
Maury County also operates Columbia Central High School (1,401 students) and Spring Hill High School (907 students) alongside Whitthorne 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 Whitthorne Middle School compares
Whitthorne 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 | 17.3:1 | ▲ 13% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 951 | top 10% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.3:1
Leaner classes than 29% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
951
Bigger than 90% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
17.3:1
students per teacher
- 13% above state mean
Top 80% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 20% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
25.2%
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
$10,063
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 476 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
116
in-school suspensions + 75 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 12.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 20.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 3 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 49.1%
Hispanic or Latino 23.3%
African American 20.4%
Two or More 5.5%
Asian 1.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 49.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 66.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 66.0, Whitthorne Middle School is more mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Maury County, which includes Whitthorne Middle School.
$10,063
Per student
-7%
vs Tennessee
Avg $10,822
-39%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 40.4%
State 41.6%
Federal 18.0%
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 Whitthorne Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia Central High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Spring Hill High School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Culleoka Unit School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Battle Creek Middle School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Battle Creek Elementary School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Whitthorne Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,401
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 907
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 868
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 750
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 682
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
Similar elementary schools in Columbia
1 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 (~951 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~17.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Whitthorne Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Whitthorne Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Maury 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 Whitthorne Middle School
How many students attend Whitthorne Middle School?
Whitthorne Middle School has 951 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Columbia, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Whitthorne Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Whitthorne Middle School is 17.3:1, which is 13% 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 Whitthorne Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Whitthorne Middle School is White at 49.1% of enrollment, in Columbia, TN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 66.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Whitthorne Middle School?
Whitthorne Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (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 Whitthorne Middle School rank among public schools in Columbia?
By Resource Investment Index, Whitthorne Middle School ranks #9 of 11 public schools in Columbia, 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 Columbia on the city page.
Is Whitthorne Middle School a good school?
Whitthorne Middle School earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 80% 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 Maury County?
Besides Whitthorne Middle School, Maury County also operates Columbia Central High School (1,401 students), Spring Hill High School (907 students), and Culleoka Unit School (868 students). See the Maury 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.