Cora Howe is one of three special day schools in MNPS, serving students Kindergarten through adulthood.
It was named in honor of Mrs. Cora Leighton Bringham Howe, a prominent citizen of the East Nashville community known especially for the beautiful gardens that surrounded her home. 
Cora Howe originally opened as an elementary school in 1970 before converting into a special day school in 2009. The special day school program had been located at Madison Middle School before moving to its current location in East Nashville.
Cora Howe, like every special day school, is designed to be hyper-focused on personalized learning. The highly specialized nature of the school is to concentrate on each student’s specific learning plan with a goal of lifelong success. One of their driving mottos is “Personalized Learning is Our Focus.” They are ensuring Every Student is Known because they focus on students in a highly individualized way each day.
Cora Howe is most proud of the following accomplishments:
- They offer intervention-based programming noted for being successful in closing academic gaps for students with disabilities.
- They pride themselves on being front-runners in behavioral intervention. Their therapeutic environment is known for its positive impact on student behavior.
The Cora Howe students are proud to have a cougar as their mascot and wear the school colors, black and gold.
There are two facts about Cora Howe that are not well known to the community:
- They serve students from kindergarten through adults.
- They host an annual “signing day” with local business partners who agree to employ their seniors after graduation.
“Cora Howe School is a truly unique place! We work every single day to fulfill our vision of providing a nurturing, world-class setting that focuses on the individual growth of each child. Cora Howe students are engaged learners who are guided by caring adults,” said Principal Kristopher “K.C.” Winfrey. “Our primary focus at Cora Howe is always on the student, and we are proud of the learning culture that our team is working to create daily.”