Enrollment
755
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 470369002253
Whitworth-Buchanan Middle School — Murfreesboro, TN
Federal NCES profile for Whitworth-Buchanan Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 45/100.
👥 Class size 44
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 25
📋 Attendance 43
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: Rutherford 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)
54.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.1:1
vs 15.6:1 Tennessee avg
-10% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Whitworth-Buchanan Middle 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
Whitworth-Buchanan Middle School reports 755 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 54.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 10% 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 11% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Counselor coverage works out to roughly 378 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 22.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Rutherford County spends $11,822 per pupil district-wide, below the Tennessee average of $12,324 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 41.9% from local sources (property taxes), 45.4% from the state, and 12.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (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 Whitworth-Buchanan Middle 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 | 14.1:1 | ▼ 10% | 15.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 755 | top 82% | — | — |
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
14.1:1
students per teacher
— 10% below state mean
Top 35% in Tennessee — lower ratio than 65% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
22.8%
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
$11,822
per pupil, district-wide
— below Tennessee avg of $12,324
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 378 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
193
in-school suspensions + 60 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 25.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 33.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 11 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 755 Top 82% in Tennessee — larger than 18% of 1,844 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 54.0
Students per teacher 14.1:1 -10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 470369002253
Student demographics
White 39.3%
Hispanic or Latino 29.9%
African American 20.1%
Two or More 7.2%
Asian 3.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 39.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 378:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 22.8%
In-school suspensions 193
Out-of-school suspensions 60
Expulsions 11
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Rutherford County, which includes Whitworth-Buchanan Middle School.
$11,822
Per student
-4%
vs Tennessee
Avg $12,324
-39%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 41.9%
State 45.4%
Federal 12.7%
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
- 2,474
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Enrollment
- 2,301
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Enrollment
- 2,275
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Enrollment
- 2,266
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Enrollment
- 2,126
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
Similar middle schools in Murfreesboro
3 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) 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 Whitworth-Buchanan Middle School
How many students attend Whitworth-Buchanan Middle School?
Whitworth-Buchanan Middle School has 755 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Murfreesboro, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Whitworth-Buchanan Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Whitworth-Buchanan Middle School is 14.1:1, which is 10% lower than the Tennessee average of 15.6:1 and 11% 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 Whitworth-Buchanan Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Whitworth-Buchanan Middle School is White at 39.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Murfreesboro, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Whitworth-Buchanan Middle School?
Whitworth-Buchanan Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (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.