High school (grades 9-12) · Macon, GA

Howard High School

Federal NCES profile for Howard High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 50/100.

2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 130042003726
0/100100/10050/100
👥 S:T ratio
34
📚 AP courses
100
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
43
📋 Attendance
5
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Howard High School earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 80% of Georgia schools.

#3 of 7
high schools in Macon · Resource Index
50
Resource Index · Higher
16.4:1
large classes for Georgia
100.0%
free-lunch eligible

Howard High School has class sizes larger than 80% of Georgia schools. Computed live against every Georgia school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Howard High School ranks #3 of 7 high schools in Macon, GA.

School address

Enrollment

1,145

Georgia · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

70.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

16.4:1

vs 14.4:1 Georgia avg

+14% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

100.0%

vs 60.7% Georgia avg

+65% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Howard High School compares with Georgia and U.S. medians

Slightly above state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Howard High School

Howard High School is a high-poverty, large high school in Macon, Georgia, enrolling 1,145 students.

Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.4:1 puts it in the larger third of Georgia schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need is high: 100.0% of students qualify for free meals, 65% above the Georgia average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.

Enrollment of 1,145 puts it in the larger third of Georgia schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,314 scored Georgia schools.

Against 175 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #60.

Its student body is led by African American (71%) and White (12%) (diversity index 47/100).

On the academic-pipeline side it reports 30 Advanced Placement courses.

Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 286 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 37.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

Its district draws 24.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.

Discipline events run high: 326 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 1,145 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.

The federal civil-rights collection also records 17 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.

Among Macon's high schools, it stands alongside Westside High School (1,013 students): Howard High School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (16.4:1 vs 18.4:1).

Bibb County also operates Westside High School (1,013 students) and Howard Middle School (973 students) alongside Howard High School.

Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25

How Howard High School compares

Howard High School on the metrics families compare, against Georgia and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Georgia Georgia avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 16.4:1 ▲ 14% 14.4:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 100.0% ▲ 65% 60.7% 51.7%
Enrollment 1,145 top 14% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

16.4:1
Leaner classes than 35% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
1,145
Bigger than 93% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
100.0%
free-lunch eligible - 65% above the Georgia average of 60.7%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.4:1
students per teacher - 14% above state mean
Top 80% in Georgia - lower ratio than 20% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
37.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$14,591
per pupil, district-wide - above Georgia avg of $13,863
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 286 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
144
in-school suspensions + 182 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 12.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 28.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 17 expulsions.

Overview

  • Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
  • Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
  • F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.

Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.

Student demographics

African American 71.2%
White 11.5%
Hispanic or Latino 7.6%
Two or More 6.3%
Asian 3.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%

Largest group: African American at 71.2% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 46.9/100

Simpson diversity index - at 46.9, Howard High School is less mixed than the Georgia school average of 50.0.

Programs

AP courses offered 30
Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bibb County, which includes Howard High School.

$14,591
Per student
+5%
vs Georgia
Avg $13,863
-12%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 38.9%
State 36.6%
Federal 24.5%

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.

How Howard High School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Westside High School Similar size Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Howard Middle School Similar size Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Rutland High School Similar size Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Weaver Middle School Similar size Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Central High School Similar size Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Howard High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Bibb County · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar high schools in Macon

6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.

Similar high schools statewide

Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Georgia, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Howard High School's federal record.

Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.

Frequently asked questions about Howard High School

How many students attend Howard High School?

Howard High School has 1,145 students enrolled. It is a high school in Macon, GA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Howard High School?

The student-teacher ratio at Howard High School is 16.4:1, which is 14% higher than the Georgia average of 14.4:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Howard High School?

100.0% of students at Howard High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Georgia average of 60.7%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Howard High School?

The largest demographic group at Howard High School is African American at 71.2% of enrollment, in Macon, GA.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Howard High School?

Howard High School has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does Howard High School rank among high schools in Macon?

By Resource Investment Index, Howard High School ranks #3 of 7 high schools in Macon, GA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Macon on the city page.

Is Howard High School a good school?

Howard High School earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 80% of Georgia schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.

What other schools are in Bibb County?

Besides Howard High School, Bibb County also operates Westside High School (1,013 students), Howard Middle School (973 students), and Rutland High School (921 students). See the Bibb County district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.