48 public K-12 schools in Chattanooga from NCES Common Core of Data: enrollment, grade span, demographics, and Civil Rights Data Collection statistics for every active campus.
48 public schools ranked by quality score. NCES CCD 2024-25 data.
The highest-ranked of Chattanooga's 48 public schools is The Howard School, scoring 38/100, against a city average of 47.1/100. Computed live across every Chattanooga campus reporting to NCES.
How the Chattanooga Public-School Landscape Breaks Down
Chattanooga, TN enrolls 25,144 students across 48 public schools reporting to the National Center for Education Statistics. Of those, 6 are charter schools, giving families genuine alternatives to the traditional neighbourhood assignment model. The average student-teacher ratio across the city is 14.5:1, and the composite quality score, derived from student-teacher ratio, counselor access, gifted-program availability, and CRDC attendance data, averages 47.1/100. Schools must report at least five campuses in a city to appear in this listing, which is why very small towns may redirect to the broader county or state view.
The most-resourced campus in Chattanooga on this index is The Howard School, at 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index with 1,329 enrolled students. What the index does and doesn't measure; click any school below for its full component breakdown.
Chattanooga spans 1 district, each filing its own NCES F-33 return, per-pupil spending can vary between neighbouring campuses. Sort the table below by enrollment, level, or district; click any school for its full profile.
Chattanooga school enrollment varies 14× across entities
Chattanooga school enrollment ranges from 94 students (lowest) to 1,329 students (highest), a spread of 1,235 students. That spread sits on the wider side of typical variation and reflects typical urban portfolio variation between specialty programs and large neighbourhood schools. Per-school staffing, programme depth, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same city based on enrollment shape, a 200-student magnet runs a different operational model than a 2,000-student comprehensive high school.
Chattanooga operates only 1 school district — among the most consolidated governance structures in the country
Most Chattanooga school districts are a single unified district covering the whole city, a structural feature that simplifies inter-school comparison but concentrates policy authority. Consolidation produces narrower variance because resources pool across larger populations, but it can also mask intra-school district inequities — sub-school district differences within a single school district are not visible at this aggregation level. Consolidated systems typically rely more heavily on top-down funding formulas than on local revenue variability.
Chattanooga student-teacher ratio is 14.5:1: slightly below the ~15.7 national average, aligned with the U.S. average of approximately 15.7:1
student-teacher ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE classroom teachers against total enrollment, push-in specialists, English-language aides, special-education co-teachers, and counselors are not included in most reporting Sitting just under the national figure still leaves meaningful room for sub-unit variation that the aggregate number hides. Variation between sub-units within Chattanooga is typically wider than the Chattanooga-aggregate figure suggests.
Chattanooga has higher-than-average charter school authorisation eligibility: 12.5% of the population qualifies for charter-school enrollment options
charter-school enrollment options eligibility is the federal threshold for charter school authorisation funding allocations, established under the state-specific charter law. This area sits just above the 10% threshold, short of the 30% concentration-grant tier that unlocks supplemental charter school authorisation funding. Just clearing the eligibility threshold means federal support is real but comparatively modest next to higher-concentration areas.
Most racially and ethnically mixed schools in Chattanooga
Ranked by the Simpson student-body diversity index (0-100) from NCES race and ethnicity data, where higher means a more evenly mixed student body. It measures mix, not quality.
The highest-ranked school in Chattanooga is The Howard School with a quality score of 38/100. There are 48 public schools in Chattanooga with 25,144 total students.
How many schools are in Chattanooga, TN? ▼
Chattanooga has 48 public schools with a total enrollment of 25,144 students. 6 are charter schools. Average student-teacher ratio: 14.5:1.
Data from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 and Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22. Quality scores based on student-teacher ratio,
counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance. Schools must have 5+ in the city to be listed.
Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD). Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.
Read our methodology, which explains how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
