Enrollment
1,329
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Chattanooga, TN
The Howard School
Federal NCES profile for The Howard School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 470159000759
👥 S:T ratio 42
📚 AP courses 25
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 47
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
The Howard School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Tennessee median. It is also one of the largest schools in Tennessee.
- #3 of 8
- high schools in Chattanooga · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.4:1
- students per teacher
- 1,329
- students enrolled
The Howard School has class sizes near the Tennessee median. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, The Howard School ranks #3 of 8 high schools in Chattanooga, TN.
School address
District: Hamilton County · Tennessee
NCES ID 470159000759 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
92.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.4:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
-6% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How The Howard School compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at The Howard School
The Howard School is a large high school in Chattanooga, Tennessee, enrolling 1,329 students.
At 14.4:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Tennessee median, within a few percentage points of the 15.3:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Tennessee, bigger than 96% of state schools at 1,329 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,838 scored Tennessee schools.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (64%) and African American (32%) (diversity index 49/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 5 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 266 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 65.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 21.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 12 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Chattanooga's high schools, it stands alongside East Ridge High School (867 students): The Howard School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (14.4:1 vs 14.4:1).
Hamilton County also operates Signal Mountain Middle/High School (1,396 students) and East Hamilton High School (1,293 students) alongside The Howard 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 The Howard School compares
The Howard School on the metrics families compare, against Tennessee and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Tennessee | Tennessee avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.4:1 | ▼ 6% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 1,329 | top 4% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.4:1
Leaner classes than 53% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
1,329
Bigger than 95% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
14.4:1
students per teacher
- 6% below state mean
Top 43% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 57% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
65.6%
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
$12,002
per pupil, district-wide
- above 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
Counselors5.0 FTE
Per 266 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
113
in-school suspensions + 104 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 8.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 16.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 12 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
Hispanic or Latino 63.7%
African American 32.0%
Two or More 3.1%
White 1.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 63.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 49.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 49.1, The Howard School is more mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
AP courses offered 5
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Hamilton County, which includes The Howard School.
$12,002
Per student
+11%
vs Tennessee
Avg $10,822
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 47.2%
State 31.6%
Federal 21.1%
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 The Howard School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Signal Mountain Middle/High School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| East Hamilton High School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ooltewah High School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| East Brainerd Elementary | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Soddy Daisy High School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to The Howard School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,396
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 1,293
- Students per teacher
- 68.1:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 1,233
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 1,177
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 1,122
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
Similar high schools in Chattanooga
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
East Ridge High School
Standard public school
867 students 14.4:1 students per teacher
Red Bank High School
Standard public school
772 students 14.3:1 students per teacher
Brainerd High School
Standard public school
739 students 15.1:1 students per teacher
Tyner Academy
Standard public school
632 students 15:1 students per teacher
Stem School Chattanooga
Standard public school
296 students 17.4:1 students per teacher
Hamilton County Collegiate High at Chattanooga State
Standard public school
141 students 28.2:1 students per teacher
Similar high 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 (~1,329 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on The Howard School's federal record.
- Compare The Howard School against another school. Compare schools
- Hamilton 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 The Howard School
How many students attend The Howard School?
The Howard School has 1,329 students enrolled. It is a high school in Chattanooga, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at The Howard School?
The student-teacher ratio at The Howard School is 14.4:1, which is 6% lower than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 8% 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 The Howard School?
The largest demographic group at The Howard School is Hispanic or Latino at 63.7% of enrollment, in Chattanooga, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for The Howard School?
The Howard School has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (typical 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 The Howard School rank among high schools in Chattanooga?
By Resource Investment Index, The Howard School ranks #3 of 8 high schools in Chattanooga, TN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Chattanooga on the city page.
Is The Howard School a good school?
The Howard School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Tennessee median. It is also one of the largest schools in Tennessee. 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 Hamilton County?
Besides The Howard School, Hamilton County also operates Signal Mountain Middle/High School (1,396 students), East Hamilton High School (1,293 students), and Ooltewah High School (1,233 students). See the Hamilton 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.