Enrollment
482
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Whitwell, TN
Whitwell Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Whitwell Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 31/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 470264001471
👥 S:T ratio 36
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 4
📋 Attendance 55
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Whitwell Elementary earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Tennessee median.
- #2 of 3
- public schools in Whitwell · Resource Index
- 31
- Resource Index · Lower
- 16.1:1
- students per teacher
- 482
- students enrolled
Whitwell Elementary has class sizes near the Tennessee median. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Whitwell Elementary ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Whitwell, TN.
School address
District: Marion County · Tennessee
NCES ID 470264001471 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.1:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
+5% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Whitwell Elementary compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at Whitwell Elementary
Whitwell Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Whitwell, Tennessee, enrolling 482 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.1:1 puts it in the larger third of Tennessee schools by student-teacher ratio.
With 482 students, its enrollment sits close to the Tennessee median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,838 scored Tennessee schools.
Its student body is predominantly White (90% of enrollment) (diversity index 19/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 482 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
17.8% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 22.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Marion County also operates Jasper Elementary School (650 students) and Marion Co High School (543 students) alongside Whitwell 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 Whitwell Elementary compares
Whitwell 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 | 16.1:1 | ▲ 5% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 482 | top 47% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.1:1
Leaner classes than 37% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
482
Bigger than 59% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
16.1:1
students per teacher
- 5% above state mean
Top 68% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 32% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
17.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$10,195
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 482 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.0 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 89.8%
Hispanic or Latino 5.2%
Two or More 3.3%
African American 0.6%
Asian 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: White at 89.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 19.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 19.0, Whitwell Elementary is less mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Marion County, which includes Whitwell Elementary.
$10,195
Per student
-6%
vs Tennessee
Avg $10,822
-39%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 29.4%
State 48.4%
Federal 22.2%
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 Whitwell Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jasper Elementary School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Marion Co High School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| South Pittsburg Elementary | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| South Pittsburg High School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Jasper Middle School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Whitwell Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 650
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 543
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 515
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 416
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 395
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
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 (~482 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Whitwell Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Whitwell Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Marion 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 Whitwell Elementary
How many students attend Whitwell Elementary?
Whitwell Elementary has 482 students enrolled. It is a public school in Whitwell, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Whitwell Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Whitwell Elementary is 16.1:1, which is 5% higher than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 3% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Whitwell Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Whitwell Elementary is White at 89.8% of enrollment, in Whitwell, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Whitwell Elementary?
Whitwell Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (lower 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 Whitwell Elementary rank among public schools in Whitwell?
By Resource Investment Index, Whitwell Elementary ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Whitwell, 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 Whitwell on the city page.
Is Whitwell Elementary a good school?
Whitwell Elementary earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Tennessee median. 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 Marion County?
Besides Whitwell Elementary, Marion County also operates Jasper Elementary School (650 students), Marion Co High School (543 students), and South Pittsburg Elementary (515 students). See the Marion 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.