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R Howell Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-4

901^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,009 Tennessee Elementary Schools

Better than 11% of Tennessee elementary schools

Summary

R Howell Elementary is a public elementary school in Columbia, Tennessee, serving 594 students in grades PK-4 as part of the Maury County School District. Unfortunately, the school consistently ranks in the bottom quarter of Tennessee elementary schools and struggles to meet academic performance standards across all subject areas and grade levels.

R Howell Elementary's academic performance is significantly below the Maury County and Tennessee state averages. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 22.8% of students were proficient or better in Mathematics, compared to 35.1% for Maury County and 42.2% for the state. The school also faces challenges in serving its diverse student population, with low rankings for specific subgroups like African American, Hispanic, and Special Education students.

Interestingly, the nearby schools in the Maury County district, such as Spring Hill Elementary, J.E. Woodard Elementary, and Marvin Wright Elementary School, significantly outperform R Howell Elementary in academic achievement, with higher proficiency rates and better rankings among Tennessee elementary schools. Additionally, there are high-performing schools outside of the Maury County district, like Allendale Elementary School and Longview Elementary School in the Williamson County district, that consistently rank in the top 10-15% of Tennessee elementary schools.

587

Students ?

12.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,793

Per pupil spending ?

65.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

653 Bear Creek PIKE
Columbia, TN 38401

(931) 540-1032

District: Maury County

Students who attend R Howell Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	E. A. Cox Middle School
High:	Columbia Central High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

41.4%

African American:

26.6%

Hispanic:

25.2%

See top rated Tennessee elementary schools

Compare R Howell Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 24th percentile in 2013 → 11th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Tennessee average (23% vs 42% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (11th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 13 percentile points since 2013

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school23%

District avg35%

Tennessee avg42%

901^st of 1,009

Tennessee public elementary schools ?

Bottom 11%▬ steady since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Tennessee Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

9^th of 10Elementary Schools in the Maury County

95^th of 139Maury County among Tennessee districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	13.9	901 of 1009	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.8	852 of 1018	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.7	884 of 1020	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.1	832 of 1000	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.2	778 of 983	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	12.2	914 of 985	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	16.2	882 of 997	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	20.8	760 of 855	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	38.2	594 of 853	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2013	41.7	646 of 846	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	45.6	496 of 820	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2011	35.4	593 of 818	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	66.5	270 of 809	66.6%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	20.3	412 of 498	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.9	366 of 498	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.7	431 of 500	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.7	389 of 483	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	27.8	286 of 411	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	13.6	441 of 450	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2024	40.8	98 of 178	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	12.5	164 of 164	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	16.6	856 of 986	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.2	783 of 990	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.3	840 of 989	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.5	843 of 975	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.8	732 of 945	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	11.4	874 of 926	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	19.7	383 of 424	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	44.8	222 of 415	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	14.1	380 of 387	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	22.4	322 of 363	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	7.4	250 of 250	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	20.5	747 of 843	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.5	721 of 853	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.8	816 of 865	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.3	808 of 858	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	20.9	703 of 823	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	6.9	877 of 877	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	14.0	888 of 984	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	15.5	876 of 991	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.3	861 of 987	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.8	784 of 980	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.4	752 of 941	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.5	860 of 916	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2024	22.0	520 of 582	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	12.2	807 of 840	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	14.7	793 of 847	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.1	802 of 852	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	26.4	666 of 844	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	28.6	637 of 844	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.0	778 of 812	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	19.0	767 of 841	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

English Language Learner (2024)45th percentile+29 vs school

African American (2025)17th percentile+7 vs school

Female (2025)13th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)11th percentile~ school

Special Education (2024)11th percentile-6 vs school

Male (2025)10th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)10th percentile~ school

White (2025)4th percentile-7 vs school

By subject vs Tennessee (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts24%-15 vs state

Mathematics23%-19 vs state

Science22%-24 vs state

4.5

2 ratings · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, February 27, 2020

This is an outstanding school. Our kids feel safe and the teachers and administration are hard workers. They have an innovative approach to learning and support STEM and technology integration. Close Quote

Schools Near R Howell Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				TNReady Mathematics (2025)				TNReady English Language Arts (2025)				TNReady Science (2025)				Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	TNReady Mathematics 3rd Grade	TNReady Mathematics 4th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 5th Grade	TNReady Mathematics All Grades	TNReady English Language Arts 3rd Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 4th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 5th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts All Grades	TNReady Science 3rd Grade	TNReady Science 4th Grade	TNReady Science 5th Grade	TNReady Science All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
R Howell Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	653 Bear Creek PIKE	Columbia	38401	Maury County	Maury County	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 540-1032	594	48	12.2		267 (44.9%)	155 (26.1%)	134 (22.6%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (5.7%)	13.9	901^st of 1009 public elementary schools	10.7%		18.8	852^nd of 1018 public elementary schools	16.3%	49	17.7	26.9		22.8	17.7	28.8		23.8	12.6	29.4		22.3	$13,793	$1,319	$11,447
Riverside Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	203 Carter ST	Columbia	38401	Maury County	Maury County	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 840-4422	405	37	11.0		152 (37.5%)	82 (20.2%)	141 (34.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (6.9%)	9.6	946^th of 1009 public elementary schools	6.2%		10.4	948^th of 1018 public elementary schools	6.9%	2	20.6	17.6		19.1	19.0	11.8		15.3	20.6	22.1		21.4	$15,400	$1,581	$12,588
Highland Park Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	1606 Highland AVE	Columbia	38401	Maury County	Maury County	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 388-7325	287	28	10.2		97 (33.8%)	56 (19.5%)	114 (39.7%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	18 (6.3%)	35.6	668^th of 1009 public elementary schools	33.8%		20.3	838^th of 1018 public elementary schools	17.7%	170	37.3	41.8		39.6	37.3	41.8		39.6	32.0	25.5		28.6	$17,798	$2,148	$14,060
Battle Creek Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	165 Battle Creek Way	Spring Hill	37174	Maury County	Maury County	No	No	No	No	(931) 388-8403	631	44	14.3		444 (70.4%)	46 (7.3%)	102 (16.2%)	6 (1.0%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.3%)	30 (4.8%)	53.3	445^th of 1009 public elementary schools	55.9%		50.4	469^th of 1018 public elementary schools	53.9%	24	50.0	40.3		45.6	46.1	39.5		43.1	50.0	41.9		46.3	$11,307	$567	$10,195
J. Brown Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	301 Cord DR	Columbia	38401	Maury County	Maury County	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 388-3601	355	28	12.6		108 (30.4%)	132 (37.2%)	70 (19.7%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (12.1%)	21.7	826^th of 1009 public elementary schools	18.1%		16.4	875^th of 1018 public elementary schools	14.0%	49	22.2	44.9		32.1	23.0	30.6		26.4	15.9	34.7		24.1	$18,717	$2,926	$14,446
J. R. Baker Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	1301 Hamphire PIKE	Columbia	38401	Maury County	Maury County	No	No	No	Yes	(931) 388-3319	323	29	11.3		168 (52.0%)	55 (17.0%)	61 (18.9%)	7 (2.2%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (9.6%)	56.6	403^rd of 1009 public elementary schools	60.1%		58.3	376^th of 1018 public elementary schools	63.1%	27	55.3	38.2		46.1	51.1	41.8		46.1	48.9	49.1		49.0	$17,892	$1,638	$14,933
Marvin Wright Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	4714 Derryberry LN	Spring Hill	37174	Maury County	Maury County	No	No	No	No	(931) 486-3586	605	40	15.0		410 (67.8%)	60 (9.9%)	82 (13.6%)	16 (2.6%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (5.6%)	73.8	206^th of 1009 public elementary schools	79.6%		68.8	245^th of 1018 public elementary schools	75.9%	39	59.3	47.1		53.6	55.9	57.8		56.8	53.4	59.8		56.4	$11,899	$771	$10,441
Spring Hill Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	5359 S Main ST	Spring Hill	37174	Maury County	Maury County	No	No	No	No	(931) 486-2291	445	30	14.8		290 (65.2%)	66 (14.8%)	60 (13.5%)	8 (1.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (4.5%)	66.8	273^rd of 1009 public elementary schools	72.9%		60.4	341^st of 1018 public elementary schools	66.5%	68	54.5	46.4		51.0	54.5	47.1		51.3	55.7	50.0		53.2	$15,298	$1,077	$13,287
J E Woodard Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	207 Rutherford LN	Columbia	38401	Maury County	Maury County	No	No	No	No	(931) 380-2872	547	37	14.7		345 (63.1%)	80 (14.6%)	58 (10.6%)	16 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	46 (8.4%)	66.7	274^th of 1009 public elementary schools	72.8%		70.9	232^nd of 1018 public elementary schools	77.2%	42	45.8	67.0		55.3	42.1	58.8		49.5	43.3	63.9		52.5	$12,691	$955	$10,925
Allendale Elementary School	Public	K-5	2100 Prescott Way	Spring Hill	37174	Williamson County	Williamson County	No	No	No	No	(615) 472-5130	600	45	13.2		472 (78.7%)	16 (2.7%)	55 (9.2%)	9 (1.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (7.8%)	86.9	109^th of 1009 public elementary schools	89.2%		87.8	102^nd of 1018 public elementary schools	90.0%	7	83.0	66.4	65.0	71.1	67.4	59.8	54.4	60.3	78.7	67.3	57.7	67.5	$15,008	$286	$14,145

Frequently Asked Questions about R Howell Elementary

What is the racial makeup of R Howell Elementary?

Students at R Howell Elementary are 41% White, 27% African American, 25% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races.

Is R Howell Elementary a good school?

R Howell Elementary ranks in the bottom 10.7% of Tennessee elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of R Howell Elementary attend?

Students who attend R Howell Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : E. A. Cox Middle School
High : Columbia Central High School

How many students attend R Howell Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 587 students attended R Howell Elementary.

What district is R Howell Elementary in?

Maury County

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Tennessee Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.