Public schools in Tennessee

The NCES directory lists 1,913 public schools operating in Tennessee in 2024-25; 1,804 of them reported 981,144 students; it reported no teacher counts for 2024-25. Its largest district is Memphis-Shelby County Schools, with 109,114 students in 2024-25.

NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23 · method

Schools1,804998 elementary, 332 middle, 384 high, 90 other
Students981,1442.0% of U.S. public-school students
Students per teachernot reportedU.S. 15.3

Students per teacher by state

Tennessee did not report 2024-25 teacher counts. The full ranking of all 51 is on the states page.

Eight in ten larger Tennessee districts spent between $10,161 and $12,911 per student

Among the 124 Tennessee districts with at least 1,000 students, one in ten spent less than $10,161 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 and one in ten spent more than $12,911; the median was $11,310. Each tick below is one district: the spread shows how far apart the state's districts are, which a statewide average hides.

Current spending per student, Tennessee districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-23124 values from $9,219 to $18,909; ; state median $11,310.$10,161$12,911the middle eight in ten2 more above $16,000 →$8k$10k$12k$14k$16kcurrent spending per studentstate median $11,310
Current spending per student, Tennessee districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-23124 values from $9,219 to $18,909; ; state median $11,310.$10,161$12,911the middle eight in ten2 more above $16,000 →$8k$10k$12k$14k$16kcurrent spending per studentstate median $11,310
Current spending per student, Tennessee districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-23124 values from $9,219 to $18,909; ; state median $11,310.$10,161$12,911the middle eight in ten2 more above $16,000 →$8k$10k$12k$14k$16kcurrent spending per studentstate median $11,310
Current spending per student, Tennessee districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-23124 values from $9,219 to $18,909; ; state median $11,310.$10,161$12,911the middle eight in ten2 more above $16,000 →$8k$10k$12k$14k$16kcurrent spending per studentstate median $11,310

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: mean of school ratios from 3 to 99, schools open that year; NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures over fall membership, districts with at least 1,000 students.

State test results, 2022-23

In 2022-23, 38.4% of the Tennessee students tested met the state's reading standard and 34.3% its math standard. Tennessee writes its own tests and sets its own standard, so these compare Tennessee's districts and schools with each other, not with other states; each district and school page gives its own results beside these. Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 87.3% of 71,510 students.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2022-23 and four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students.

In the Tennessee almanac

  1. 01Every school district

    Directory, 2024-25

  2. 02Largest schools

    Largest: Collierville High School, 2,946 students (By 2024-25 enrollment)

  3. 03Fewest students per teacher

    Fewest: Tenn School For Blind, 4.4 students per teacher (Schools, 2024-25)

  4. 04Highest-spending districts

    Highest: Franklin SSD, $18,909 per student (F-33 fiscal year 2022-23)

  5. 05Teacher salary spending by district

    Highest: Achievement School District, $82,057 of salary spending per teacher (F-33 fiscal year 2022-23)

  6. 06Chronic absenteeism

    Lowest: Woodland Middle School, 0.6% chronically absent (EDFacts 2022-23)

  7. 07Schools by resource index

    Highest index: Hillsboro Elementary/ Middle School, 67 of 100 (CCD and CRDC)

  8. 08Districts by resource index

    Highest index: Franklin SSD, 65.4 of 100 on average (CCD and CRDC)

Largest districts in Tennessee

  1. Memphis-Shelby County Schools109,114
  2. Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools79,428
  3. Knox County Schools58,698
  4. Rutherford County Schools51,734
  5. Hamilton County Schools45,888
  6. Williamson County Schools40,339
  7. Clarksville-Montgomery County School System37,071
  8. Sumner County Schools30,271

Every Tennessee school district, with a find box →

Source: Largest districts: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25, students in the district's schools open that year.

Cities with the most public schools

  1. Memphis96,944 students191 schools
  2. Nashville55,032 students118 schools
  3. Knoxville52,927 students80 schools
  4. Chattanooga25,144 students48 schools
  5. Clarksville33,992 students37 schools
  6. Murfreesboro29,316 students32 schools
  7. Franklin16,120 students25 schools
  8. Cleveland15,748 students25 schools
  9. Jackson12,174 students24 schools
  10. Antioch16,838 students22 schools
  11. Maryville13,427 students21 schools
  12. Kingsport9,939 students18 schools

All cities →

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: a school counts under the city in its mailing address, so a large city's count takes in suburbs that share its postal name.

Questions about Tennessee's public schools

  1. How many public schools are in Tennessee?
    The NCES directory lists 1,913 operating in 2024-25; 1,804 of them reported students: 998 elementary, 332 middle, 384 high and 90 other, enrolling 981,144 students (NCES Common Core of Data).
  2. What is the largest school district in Tennessee?
    Memphis-Shelby County Schools, with 109,114 students in its schools in 2024-25 (NCES Common Core of Data).
  3. How much does Tennessee spend per public-school student?
    $12,201 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, summed over its districts (NCES F-33).

Sources

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership and staff files · 2024-25

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District membership and spending · FY 2022-23

Compiled from official source data by .