Enrollment
280
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Whitwell, TN
Whitwell Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Whitwell Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 470264000943
👥 S:T ratio 38
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 44
📋 Attendance 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Whitwell Middle School earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Tennessee median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Tennessee schools.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Whitwell · Resource Index
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.6:1
- students per teacher
- 280
- students enrolled
Whitwell Middle School has class sizes near the Tennessee median. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Whitwell Middle School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Whitwell, TN.
School address
District: Marion County · Tennessee
NCES ID 470264000943 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.6:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
+2% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Whitwell Middle School compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at Whitwell Middle School
Whitwell Middle School is a mid-sized elementary school in Whitwell, Tennessee, enrolling 280 students.
At 15.6:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Tennessee median, within a few percentage points of the 15.3:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Enrollment of 280 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 (93% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 13/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 280 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 27.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 22.2% 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 19 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Marion County also operates Jasper Elementary School (650 students) and Marion Co High School (543 students) alongside Whitwell 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 Whitwell Middle School compares
Whitwell 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 | 15.6:1 | ▲ 2% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 280 | top 80% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.6:1
Leaner classes than 41% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
280
Bigger than 29% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
15.6:1
students per teacher
- 2% above state mean
Top 60% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 40% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
27.9%
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
$10,195
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 280 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 10 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 19 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 93.2%
Hispanic or Latino 3.9%
Two or More 1.8%
African American 1.1%
Largest group: White at 93.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 12.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 12.9, Whitwell Middle School 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 Middle School.
$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 Middle School 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 | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| South Pittsburg Elementary | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Whitwell Elementary | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| South Pittsburg High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Whitwell Middle School'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
- 482
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 416
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
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 (~280 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Whitwell Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Whitwell Middle School 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 Middle School
How many students attend Whitwell Middle School?
Whitwell Middle School has 280 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Whitwell, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Whitwell Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Whitwell Middle School is 15.6:1, which is 2% higher than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 1% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Whitwell Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Whitwell Middle School is White at 93.2% of enrollment, in Whitwell, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Whitwell Middle School?
Whitwell Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (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 Whitwell Middle School rank among public schools in Whitwell?
By Resource Investment Index, Whitwell Middle School ranks #1 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 Middle School a good school?
Whitwell Middle School earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Tennessee median. It is also less 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 Marion County?
Besides Whitwell Middle School, 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.