Enrollment
587
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Columbia, TN
R Howell Elementary
Federal NCES profile for R Howell Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 34/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 470276001118
👥 S:T ratio 47
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 18
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
R Howell Elementary earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 70% of Tennessee schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Tennessee schools.
- #7 of 7
- schools in Columbia · Resource Index
- 34
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.3:1
- small classes for Tennessee
- 587
- students enrolled
R Howell Elementary has class sizes smaller than 70% of Tennessee schools. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, R Howell Elementary ranks #7 of 7 schools in Columbia, TN.
School address
District: Maury County · Tennessee
NCES ID 470276001118 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
44.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.3:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
-13% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How R Howell Elementary compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at R Howell Elementary
R Howell Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Columbia, Tennessee, enrolling 587 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13.3:1 puts it in the smaller third of Tennessee schools by student-teacher ratio.
Enrollment of 587 puts it in the larger third of Tennessee schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,838 scored Tennessee schools.
Its student body is led by White (41%) and African American (27%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 69/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 587 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 33.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 18.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Columbia's public schools, it stands alongside J E Woodard Elementary (581 students): R Howell Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13.3:1 vs 16.1:1).
Maury County also operates Columbia Central High School (1,401 students) and Whitthorne Middle School (951 students) alongside R Howell Elementary.
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 R Howell Elementary compares
R Howell Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Tennessee and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Tennessee | Tennessee avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.3:1 | ▼ 13% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 587 | top 34% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.3:1
Leaner classes than 64% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
587
Bigger than 71% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
13.3:1
students per teacher
- 13% below state mean
Top 30% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 70% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
33.0%
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
$10,063
per pupil, district-wide
- below Tennessee avg of $10,822
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 587 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
30
in-school suspensions + 36 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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
White 41.4%
African American 26.6%
Hispanic or Latino 25.2%
Two or More 6.3%
Asian 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 41.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 69.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 69.0, R Howell Elementary is more mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Maury County, which includes R Howell Elementary.
$10,063
Per student
-7%
vs Tennessee
Avg $10,822
-39%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 40.4%
State 41.6%
Federal 18.0%
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 R Howell Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia Central High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Whitthorne Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Spring Hill High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Culleoka Unit School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Battle Creek Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to R Howell Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,401
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 951
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 907
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 868
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 750
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
Similar other schools in Columbia
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
J E Woodard Elementary
Standard public school
581 students 16.1:1 students per teacher
Riverside Elementary
Standard public school
380 students 13.1:1 students per teacher
J. Brown Elementary
Standard public school
336 students 11.6:1 students per teacher
Highland Park Elementary
Standard public school
308 students 11.8:1 students per teacher
J. R. Baker Elementary
Standard public school
283 students 10.9:1 students per teacher
Virtual Academy of Maury County
Standard public school
57 students 14.3:1 students per teacher
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Tennessee, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~587 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on R Howell Elementary's federal record.
- Compare R Howell Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Maury County's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
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 R Howell Elementary
How many students attend R Howell Elementary?
R Howell Elementary has 587 students enrolled. It is a public school in Columbia, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at R Howell Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at R Howell Elementary is 13.3:1, which is 13% lower than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 15% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of R Howell Elementary?
The largest demographic group at R Howell Elementary is White at 41.4% of enrollment, in Columbia, TN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 69.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for R Howell Elementary?
R Howell Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does R Howell Elementary rank among schools in Columbia?
By Resource Investment Index, R Howell Elementary ranks #7 of 7 schools in Columbia, TN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Columbia on the city page.
Is R Howell Elementary a good school?
R Howell Elementary earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 70% of Tennessee schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Tennessee 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 Maury County?
Besides R Howell Elementary, Maury County also operates Columbia Central High School (1,401 students), Whitthorne Middle School (951 students), and Spring Hill High School (907 students). See the Maury County district page for the complete list.
Related tools
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.