The Howard School, Chattanooga: zone, report card and calendar

Last checked Oct. 18, 2026. Sources: The Howard School, Hamilton County Schools, the Tennessee Department of Education’s State Report Card and 2024-25 and 2026 data files, the federal NCES school directory and the TSSAA.

The Howard School is the Hamilton County Schools high school on South Market Street. Its history page says Howard was founded in 1865 as the first free public school in Hamilton County, to educate newly emancipated African Americans, added high school courses in 1883 and moved to its present campus in 1954. Its teams are the Hustlin’ Tigers.

• Address: 2500 S. Market St., Chattanooga, TN 37408
• Main office: 423-498-6850
• Grades: 9 to 12
• School hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Website: howard.hcde.org

Who to call

• Front office: 423-498-6850
• Enrolling a new student: the district’s registration page, or the Family Connection Center, 423-843-4799, at 3074 Claude Ramsey Parkway
• Checking a zone: the School Zone Finder or the county’s school zone lookup map
• Buses: the district’s transportation hotline, 423-498-5555, and its Bus Stop Finder

Principal

Executive Principal Charhonda Gardner, according to the school’s website. The assistant principals are Maya Farr, Dr. Alexine Boochie, Dr. Charles Mitchell and Japho Hardin.

Enrollment

The federal NCES directory counted 1,501 students in the 2023-24 school year, with 99 full-time-equivalent teachers, about 15 students per teacher. The Tennessee Department of Education’s 2024-25 school profile file has a newer count of 1,329 students.

State report card

Tennessee grades every public school A to F. The department says School Letter Grades give “a snapshot of how each school in the state is performing, including student achievement and academic growth measures for all schools, as well as a measure of college and career readiness just for high schools.”

From the state’s 2024-25 letter grade file, 2025 graduation rate file and 2024-25 ACT file:

The state’s spring 2026 test file has the share of The Howard School students who met or exceeded expectations on each test. On the high school end-of-course exams, English II 25.7%, Geometry 24%, Biology 21.6%, Algebra II 8.3%, English I 6.7%, Algebra I under 5% and U.S. History under 5%. The 2025-26 letter grades have not been published yet.

The State Report Card page for The Howard School holds the full detail: results by subject and grade, chronic absenteeism and results for each group of students.

Attendance zone and feeder schools

Hamilton County Schools zones by address, and zones do not follow city limits. Check an address in the School Zone Finder, which shows the zoned school for the current school year, or the county’s school zone lookup map of the 2026-27 zones. The district’s printable zone maps are on its School Zones page.

Comparing the district’s 2026-27 high school zone map with Census Bureau city limits, The Howard School zone lies inside Chattanooga city limits.

The 2026-27 zone maps put all or part of the Orchard Knob Middle and East Lake Academy of Fine Arts middle school zones inside The Howard School zone, so those are its feeder middle schools.

Families zoned elsewhere can apply for an open enrollment seat: the district’s School Choice page lists The Howard School among its open enrollment schools and says the list can vary from year to year. The district says the School Choice application period runs each year from Nov. 16 through Jan. 29, with a lottery when there are more applicants than seats.

We found no rezoning approved by the Hamilton County Board of Education that changes this school’s zone for 2026-27.

Calendar and school hours

Hamilton County Schools’ 2026-27 school calendar (PDF, linked from the district’s calendar page, board-approved May 8, 2025) has these dates next:

• Monday, Oct. 19: second quarter begins
• Friday, Oct. 23: first-quarter report cards
• Nov. 25-27: Thanksgiving break
• Friday, Dec. 18: second quarter ends
• Dec. 21 to Jan. 1: winter break
• Jan. 4-5, 2027: professional development days, no school for students
• Monday, Jan. 18: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
• Monday, Feb. 15: Presidents Day
• March 22-25: spring break, followed by the Good Friday holiday on Friday, March 26
• Wednesday, May 19, 2027: fourth quarter ends; last day for students

School hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., according to the district’s 2026-27 bell schedule, which lists early dismissal at 12:30 p.m. on half days.

Sports and activities

Basketball is in the TSSAA’s Class 4A, Region 3, District 5 for 2026-27, with Bradley Central, Cleveland, East Hamilton, Ooltewah and Walker Valley. The TSSAA’s 2026-27 football classification list does not list The Howard School; check the school’s athletics page for the football schedule.

The school’s athletics page covers football, basketball and baseball and says tickets for Hustlin’ Tiger football and basketball games are sold only through GoFan, not at the gate.

More

• The school’s own site: howard.hcde.org, listed on the district’s School Websites page
• Every public school in town: Chattanooga public schools
• Calendars, enrollment and the school board: our Chattanooga schools guide
• Game nights: Friday night football and the scoreboard

Frequently asked questions

What grades does The Howard School serve?

Ninth through 12th grade. The main office number is 423-498-6850.

What is The Howard School’s state report card grade?

The Howard School received a D overall in Tennessee’s 2024-25 School Letter Grades, according to the Tennessee Department of Education. Its 2025 graduation rate was 96.7%.

Which middle schools feed The Howard School?

Orchard Knob Middle and East Lake Academy of Fine Arts, according to the district’s 2026-27 zone maps. Check a specific address in the district’s School Zone Finder.

What time does The Howard School start?

School runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., according to the district’s 2026-27 bell schedule.