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The Howard School

Q: Is The Howard School a good school?

The Howard School ranks in the bottom 12.5% of Tennessee high schools.

Q: How many students attend The Howard School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,329 students attended The Howard School.

Q: What is the racial makeup of The Howard School?

Students at The Howard School are 64% Hispanic, 32% African American, 3% Two or more races, 1% White.

Q: What schools feed into The Howard School?

The Howard School is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Battle Academy for Teaching and Learning Elementary : Calvin Donaldson Environmental Science Academy Elementary : Clifton Hills Elementary School Elementary : East Lake Elementary School Elementary : East Side Elementary School Elementary : Tommie F. Brown Academy School Middle : East Lake Academy Of Fine Arts Middle : Orchard Knob Middle School

Public Grades 9-12

350^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 400 Tennessee High Schools

Better than 12% of Tennessee high schools

Summary

The Howard School is a large public high school in Chattanooga, TN, serving 1,329 students in grades 9–12 as part of Hamilton County Schools, and it currently ranks in the bottom 12th percentile of Tennessee high schools. Howard is by far the largest comprehensive high school in its immediate area—enrolling roughly 50% more students than East Ridge High School and several hundred more than Brainerd High School or Red Bank High School. The school has been persistently near the bottom of Tennessee's rankings for over a decade, never exceeding the 12th percentile since at least 2014–2015.

The most striking feature of Howard's data is a paradox: graduation rates have climbed dramatically while academic and attendance metrics remain deeply concerning. The graduation rate rose from 66.8% in 2020–2021 to 96.7% in 2024–2025, now exceeding the district rate of 93.5% and the state rate of 90.5%. Dropout rates fell from 26.7% to 2.7% over the same period. Yet chronic absenteeism sits at 52.1%—more than three times the district rate and the highest among all nearby schools, including Brainerd High School at 42.7% and East Ridge High School at 31.9%. Test proficiency remains far below state averages, with English I proficiency at just 6.7% compared to 37.3% statewide, and Algebra II at 8.3% versus 37.3% statewide.

Per-pupil spending at Howard reached $19,360 in 2024–2025, up 64% over three years, yet nearby schools with far stronger outcomes spend less—STEM School Chattanooga spends $16,773 and Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences Upper spends $16,140. Subgroup rankings are low across the board, though Hispanic and low-income students showed improvement in the most recent year. For parents, the bottom line is this: Howard has become effective at graduating students, but the combination of 50%+ chronic absenteeism and single-digit proficiency rates in core subjects suggests that academic mastery and daily attendance remain serious obstacles that spending alone has not solved.

1,329

Students ?

15.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,360

Per pupil spending ?

89.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2500 South Market Street
Chattanooga, TN 37408

(423) 498-6850

District: Hamilton County Schools

Feeder schools for The Howard School:

Elementary:	Battle Academy for Teaching and Learning
	Calvin Donaldson Environmental Science Academy
	Clifton Hills Elementary School
	East Lake Elementary School
	More...
	East Side Elementary School
	Tommie F. Brown Academy School
Middle:	East Lake Academy Of Fine Arts
	Orchard Knob Middle School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

63.7%

African American:

32.0%

Two or more races:

3.1%

See top rated Tennessee high schools

Compare The Howard School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 2nd percentile in 2015 → 12th in 2026

Strengths

✓97% graduate in 4 years — above the Tennessee average (90%)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 10 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Tennessee average (17% vs 43% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (12th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (52% vs 18% Tennessee)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school17%

District avg43%

Tennessee avg43%

350^th of 400

Tennessee public high schools ?

Bottom 12%▲ up 12 pts since 2016

From bottom 1% (2016) to bottom 12% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Tennessee High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

18^th of 21High Schools in the Hamilton County Schools

81^st of 141Hamilton County Schools 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
2026	15.6	350 of 400	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	11.1	363 of 389	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.9	368 of 392	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.5	338 of 384	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	11.5	322 of 358	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	9.1	322 of 347	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	5.8	339 of 342	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	11.6	321 of 341	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	5.2	349 of 351	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	14.4	293 of 300	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	11.5	286 of 296	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	11.2	283 of 285	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	26.3	238 of 269	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	13.4	257 of 273	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	3.3	267 of 267	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	12.4	221 of 230	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	12.0	231 of 233	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	18.5	204 of 240	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.1	199 of 239	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.4	197 of 222	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.9	186 of 208	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	15.5	183 of 187	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	21.9	174 of 199	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	11.6	345 of 365	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.3	333 of 365	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.9	323 of 366	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	11.3	317 of 350	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	11.0	309 of 340	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	5.2	334 of 337	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	27.4	180 of 229	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	21.5	184 of 213	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.2	204 of 209	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	18.7	182 of 202	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.2	182 of 189	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	11.0	175 of 180	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	11.0	152 of 153	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	16.3	153 of 159	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	19.7	24 of 26	7.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	33.5	19 of 23	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	44.0	10 of 14	28.6%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	24.7	255 of 308	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	16.0	305 of 324	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	18.2	302 of 337	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.1	273 of 330	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.5	289 of 322	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	12.4	297 of 317	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	15.6	290 of 302	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	13.0	300 of 308	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	9.3	353 of 368	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.1	359 of 366	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	18.2	309 of 359	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	11.3	326 of 349	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	11.2	314 of 332	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	23.8	177 of 198	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.0	149 of 154	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2026)21st percentile+9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)17th percentile+5 vs school

Special Education (2025)11th percentile+4 vs school

Homeless (2025)8th percentile~ school

Female (2025)5th percentile~ school

Male (2025)4th percentile-3 vs school

African American (2026)4th percentile-9 vs school

By subject vs Tennessee (2025-2026) ?

English II26%-32 vs state

Geometry24%-18 vs state

Biology I22%-28 vs state

Algebra II8%-29 vs state

English I7%-31 vs state

★

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Schools Near The Howard School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				TNReady Mathematics (2026)				TNReady English Language Arts (2026)				TNReady Algebra I (2026)							TNReady Algebra II (2026)					TNReady Biology I (2026)					TNReady US History (2026)				TNReady English I (2026)					TNReady English II (2026)					TNReady Geometry (2026)						TNReady Science (2026)				TNReady Social Studies (2026)				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 (2020)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	TNReady Mathematics 6th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 7th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 8th Grade	TNReady Mathematics All Grades	TNReady English Language Arts 6th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 7th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 8th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts All Grades	TNReady Algebra I 7th Grade	TNReady Algebra I 8th Grade	TNReady Algebra I 9th Grade	TNReady Algebra I 10th Grade	TNReady Algebra I 11th Grade	TNReady Algebra I 12th Grade	TNReady Algebra I All Grades	TNReady Algebra II 9th Grade	TNReady Algebra II 10th Grade	TNReady Algebra II 11th Grade	TNReady Algebra II 12th Grade	TNReady Algebra II All Grades	TNReady Biology I 9th Grade	TNReady Biology I 10th Grade	TNReady Biology I 11th Grade	TNReady Biology I 12th Grade	TNReady Biology I All Grades	TNReady US History 10th Grade	TNReady US History 11th Grade	TNReady US History 12th Grade	TNReady US History All Grades	TNReady English I 9th Grade	TNReady English I 10th Grade	TNReady English I 11th Grade	TNReady English I 12th Grade	TNReady English I All Grades	TNReady English II 9th Grade	TNReady English II 10th Grade	TNReady English II 11th Grade	TNReady English II 12th Grade	TNReady English II All Grades	TNReady Geometry 8th Grade	TNReady Geometry 9th Grade	TNReady Geometry 10th Grade	TNReady Geometry 11th Grade	TNReady Geometry 12th Grade	TNReady Geometry All Grades	TNReady Science 6th Grade	TNReady Science 7th Grade	TNReady Science 8th Grade	TNReady Science All Grades	TNReady Social Studies 6th Grade	TNReady Social Studies 7th Grade	TNReady Social Studies 8th Grade	TNReady Social Studies All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
The Howard School	Public	9-12	2500 South Market Street	Chattanooga	37408	Hamilton County	Hamilton County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 498-6850	1,501	99	15.1		20 (1.3%)	499 (33.2%)	935 (62.3%)	2 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (3.0%)	15.6	350^th of 400 public high schools	12.5%		11.1	363^rd of 389 public high schools	6.7%	13											< 5%			8.3	< 5%			7.7	6.3	8.3		23.9		< 5%	21.6		< 5%	< 5%	< 5%	8.2			< 5%	6.7		34.4		< 5%	25.7			24.7			24.0									$19,360	$1,381	$17,452
Chattanooga Charter School of Excellence High	Public, Charter	9-12	201 E. 37th Street	Chattanooga	37410	Hamilton County	Hamilton County Schools	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(423) 702-2273	95	6	15.2		2 (2.1%)	58 (61.1%)	33 (34.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.1%)	14.3	355^th of 400 public high schools	11.3%		8.8	377^th of 389 public high schools	3.1%	22											< 5%				< 5%			< 5%		< 5%		26.5			25.7		< 5%		< 5%	6.7				6.4		39.4			38.2			14.7			14.7									$20,674	$568	$19,158
Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences Upper	Public	6-12	865 E 3rd Street	Chattanooga	37403	Hamilton County	Hamilton County Schools	No	No	No	No	(423) 498-6845	733	43	17.0	20.6%	391 (53.3%)	209 (28.5%)	31 (4.2%)	44 (6.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	58 (7.9%)	74.8	64^th of 400 public high schools	84.0%		65.1	94^th of 389 public high schools	75.8%	30	48.0	61.0	61.7	55.9	52.5	46.0	65.7	54.9		74.1	30.0				59.6		79.7	42.4		68.5		66.0			63.9					60.2				60.2		87.4			87.4		61.5	21.2			49.5	55.4	63.0	78.1	65.7	65.3	76.8	81.9	74.8	$16,140	$750	$15,031
Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy	Public, Charter	6-12	1802 Bailey Avenue	Chattanooga	37404	Hamilton County	Hamilton County Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(423) 702-7230	337	34	9.9		16 (4.7%)	136 (40.4%)	173 (51.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.6%)	52	181^st of 400 public high schools	54.8%		60	127^th of 389 public high schools	67.4%	54	30.0	44.8	29.2	34.7	18.6	25.9	35.4	26.4		≥ 95%	33.3				54.7			23.3		32.4			41.2		41.2					38.6				38.6		50.0			50.0		85.7	16.7			41.0	28.6	32.8	29.2	30.1	22.9	51.7	40.0	37.3	$20,255	$610	$18,817
Chattanooga Preparatory School	Public, Charter	6-12	1815 Union Avenue	Chattanooga	37404	Hamilton County	Hamilton County Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(423) 602-7737	474	22	21.7	80.7%	17 (3.6%)	254 (53.6%)	179 (37.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (4.9%)	11.2	368^th of 400 public high schools	8.0%		16.8	340^th of 389 public high schools	12.6%	28	17.2	13.0	28.0	19.5	< 5%	9.1	14.6	9.3			< 5%				< 5%		35.0	< 5%		11.3	30.9				32.9					10.3				10.0		42.3			43.4		20.6	< 5%			10.4	20.7	25.0	18.3	21.2	11.5	37.7	46.3	31.3	$19,907	$577	$18,562
Lookout Valley Middle / High School	Public	6-12	350 Lookout High Street	Chattanooga	37419	Hamilton County	Hamilton County Schools	No	No	No	No	(423) 825-7352	332	24	13.8	65.0%	194 (58.4%)	62 (18.7%)	31 (9.3%)	6 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (11.7%)	45.6	211^th of 400 public high schools	47.3%		35.8	243^rd of 389 public high schools	37.5%	32	11.6	25.0	18.4	18.4	14.0	24.4	19.6	19.4			16.0				30.6			< 5%		11.8		40.0			38.1					37.8				36.8		56.1			53.5		90.0	21.9			37.2	20.9	53.3	39.1	38.1	30.2	53.3	26.1	36.6	$21,067	$966	$19,053
Chattanooga High School Center for Creative Arts	Public, Magnet	6-12	1301 Dallas Road	Chattanooga	37405	Hamilton County	Hamilton County Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(423) 498-7365	688	39	17.6	22.0%	434 (63.1%)	93 (13.5%)	60 (8.7%)	21 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	80 (11.6%)	97.4	5^th of 400 public high schools	98.8%		89.3	22^nd of 389 public high schools	94.3%	17	70.7	83.6	76.6	77.3	81.8	73.6	71.4	75.5		≥ 95%	60.3				70.8		90.2	68.8		85.9			91.9		92.0					77.5				77.5		≥ 95%			≥ 95%		≥ 95%	77.6			86.4	92.9	89.1	82.9	88.2	78.8	87.3	80.0	82.2	$15,767	$626	$14,753
East Ridge High School	Public	9-12	4320 Bennett Road	Chattanooga	37412	Hamilton County	Hamilton County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 867-6200	928	65	14.1		183 (19.7%)	214 (23.1%)	464 (50.0%)	9 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	58 (6.3%)	20.2	335^th of 400 public high schools	16.3%		21.8	320^th of 389 public high schools	17.7%	15											11.3				11.6		46.2	14.3		16.3		30.4	35.7		31.6	22.7	21.9		22.1	22.4				22.3		33.3	< 5%	< 5%	27.6		81.0	18.3			24.9									$18,264	$1,026	$16,678
Brainerd High School	Public	9-12	1020 N Moore Road	Chattanooga	37411	Hamilton County	Hamilton County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 855-2615	732	46	15.8		28 (3.8%)	555 (75.8%)	107 (14.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (5.7%)	14	357^th of 400 public high schools	10.8%		12.1	359^th of 389 public high schools	7.7%	2											7.1				7.1		50.0	15.4		21.5		24.5			21.8		8.3		11.5	< 5%				< 5%		24.2			22.0			11.5	< 5%		10.2									$18,581	$1,552	$16,507
STEM School Chattanooga	Public	9-12	4501 Amnicola Highway	Chattanooga	37406	Hamilton County	Hamilton County Schools	No	No	No	No	(423) 531-6270	273	20	13.7	28.9%	159 (58.2%)	51 (18.7%)	24 (8.8%)	8 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (11.4%)	89.4	19^th of 400 public high schools	95.3%		92.2	15^th of 389 public high schools	96.1%	4											27.7				27.7		94.4	51.0		64.3			71.6		71.6					57.3				57.3		87.3			87.3		92.6	78.6			83.1									$16,773	$568	$16,180

Frequently Asked Questions about The Howard School

What schools feed into The Howard School?

The Howard School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Battle Academy for Teaching and Learning
Elementary : Calvin Donaldson Environmental Science Academy
Elementary : Clifton Hills Elementary School
Elementary : East Lake Elementary School
Elementary : East Side Elementary School
Elementary : Tommie F. Brown Academy School
Middle : East Lake Academy Of Fine Arts
Middle : Orchard Knob Middle School

What district is The Howard School in?

Hamilton County Schools

Is The Howard School a good school?

The Howard School ranks in the bottom 12.5% of Tennessee high schools.

What is the racial makeup of The Howard School?

Students at The Howard School are 64% Hispanic, 32% African American, 3% Two or more races, 1% White.

How many students attend The Howard School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,329 students attended The Howard School.

Rate The Howard School!

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Latest Tennessee data All new data »

2025–26 TNReady test scoresAug 25, 2026

2024–25 dropout ratesApr 2, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataFeb 27, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataDec 18, 2025

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.