Cora Howe School

Cora Howe School is a small alternative school in Nashville, TN, serving 78 students across grades K–12 within Metro Nashville Public Schools. The school operates a high-intensity, resource-heavy model: per-student spending is $62,100, the highest in this comparison group and more than five times the spending at Merrol Hyde Magnet School. With a student-teacher ratio of just 4.2 to 1, Cora Howe School provides very small classes and substantial individualized attention, a profile typical of schools serving students with significant academic, behavioral, or social-emotional needs.

Academic proficiency rates are very low. In 2024–2025, math proficiency was 6.3% and ELA was 5.9%, compared to district rates of 31.9% and 31.2%, and state rates of 42.2% and 38.9%. Chronic absenteeism, at 43.6%, is about 2.4 times the state average, and while lower than Riverside Academy's 52.6%, it remains a major barrier to academic progress. Compared to Harris-Hillman Special Education School, another alternative setting in the same district, Cora Howe spends roughly three times more per student yet posts lower proficiency and higher absenteeism, illustrating the severity of the challenges its students face.

There are some positive trends. Dropout rates improved from 26.7% in 2018–2019 to 7.1% in both 2019–2020 and 2020–2021, and chronic absenteeism has declined from 50.7% in 2022–2023 to 43.6% in 2024–2025. The graduation rate also improved from 20.0% to 42.9% over a similar period, suggesting the intensive support model is helping with engagement and retention. For parents, the key takeaway is that Cora Howe is not comparable to a traditional or magnet school; it is a specialized alternative setting with significant resources and persistent academic challenges, and outcomes should be understood in that context.