Summary
R Howell Elementary School in Columbia, TN, serves 587 students in grades PK-4 and is part of Maury County Schools, but it currently ranks in the bottom 10% of elementary schools statewide with a 0-star rating. The school has struggled for over a decade, sitting in the 7th–17th percentile almost every year since 2013–2014. In 2025–2026, proficiency rates were roughly half the state average: 22% in math, 22% in ELA, and 24% in science, compared to 43%, 41%, and 47% statewide.
The gap is even more striking when you look at neighboring schools. Just a few miles away, Spring Hill Elementary posts 59% math proficiency, and Marvin Wright Elementary, Battle Creek Elementary, and J.R. Baker Elementary all rank in the top quartile statewide. Only Riverside Elementary ranks below R Howell in the immediate cluster. Third-grade scores are a particular concern — just 18% of R Howell third graders were proficient in math, ELA, and science in 2025–2026, well behind the state averages of roughly 43–45%. On a more hopeful note, chronic absenteeism has dropped from 27.7% to 18.9% over the past two years, though it still slightly exceeds the state average.
The school spends about $13,793 per student, which is mid-range for the area — so funding alone doesn't explain the results. Some nearby schools spend less and achieve far more, while other low-performing schools spend considerably more. The improvement in attendance hasn't yet translated into academic gains, and the school's ranking has shown no sustained upward trend. For parents considering R Howell, the most important takeaway is that the school faces significant challenges in early literacy and math, and its lowest-performing subgroups rank at the 3rd–13th percentile statewide. However, the recent attendance gains and the success of nearby schools in the same district demonstrate that improvement is possible.
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