The Real-Talk Guide to Savannah & Chatham County Schools (And the Neighborhoods That Get You In)

If you’re reading this in May with a moving truck on your mental horizon and a kid who keeps asking “but where will I sit at lunch?” take a breath. You are right on time. The smartest Savannah relocations happen between Memorial Day and the first day of school, and the smartest of those start with one question most agents skip:

“What schools come with this house?”

In Chatham County, your address doesn’t just decide your commute and your live-oak-to-yard ratio. It decides which elementary school your kindergartener walks into, which middle school your tween survives, and whether your high schooler is auditioning for an arts academy or applying for an IB diploma. We’ve put together everything below so you can shop neighborhoods like a local instead of a tourist with a Zillow tab open.

The Public Schools

SCCPSS schools are spread across the county, roughly clustered in five zones that match how locals talk about Savannah: Downtown/Midtown, Southside, the Islands, West Chatham (Pooler/Bloomingdale/Garden City/Port Wentworth), and South Chatham (Windsor/Coffee Bluff). Here’s what’s where.

Elementary Schools (Pre-K-5)

• Butler Elementary: Westside Savannah.
• Henderson E. Formey ELC: Eastside Savannah; early-learning-focused.
• Garden City Elementary: Garden City.
• Heard Elementary: Southside; Choice Program: Center for Advanced Learning & STEAM (Georgia-certified STEAM school - a magnet draw).
• Hodge Elementary: Cuyler-Brownville/west of downtown; Choice Program: Medical & Allied Health.
• Jacob G. Smith Elementary: Ardsley Park / Midtown. Choice Program: Traditional Education. The neighborhood school families move for.
• Juliette Gordon Low Elementary: Eastside; humanities focus.
• Marshpoint Elementary: Whitemarsh Island; Choice Program: Environmental Sciences/STEAM. One of the highest-rated zoned elementaries.
• May Howard Elementary: Wilmington Island. Consistently among the top-rated public elementaries in the county. A major reason families pay for Wilmington Island.
• White Bluff Elementary: White Bluff Road corridor (Southside).
• Andrea B. Williams Elementary: Cuyler-Brownville/west; STEAM Magnet Program (Choice eligibility not required - open lottery).
• Windsor Forest Elementary: Windsor Forest, Southside.

K-8 Schools

• Charles Ellis Montessori Academy: Ardsley Park/Midtown; Montessori Choice school affiliated with the American Montessori Society. Highly sought-after.
• Esther F. Garrison School for the Arts: Downtown/Cuyler-Brownville area; Visual & Performing Arts Choice school. 6th-8th grade entry requires audition.
• Georgetown K-8: Georgetown community in Southwest Savannah.
• Godley Station School: Pooler / Godley Station - the school families specifically buy into Pooler for.
• Herman W. Hesse K-8: Southside.
• Isle of Hope K-8: Isle of Hope. Small, tight-knit, waterfront community feel; one of the most desirable zoned K-8s.
• New Hampstead K-8: West Chatham.
• Rice Creek School: Southwest/Coffee Bluff area.
• Casimir Pulaski K-8: Eastside Savannah.

Middle Schools (6-8)

• Coastal Middle: Wilmington Island; S.A.L.T. Choice Program (Pre-AP + STEAM). National Lighthouse School.
• DeRenne Middle: Southside; Medical & Allied Health Choice Program.
• Hubert Middle: Eastside; Innovative Learning Academy (engineering, computer science, A/V, culinary). Open lottery - no Choice eligibility required.
• Mercer Middle: Southside.
• Myers Middle: Southside.
• Southwest Middle: Southwest; Cinematic Studies Choice Program.
• STEM Academy at Bartlett: Southside; the top public middle school in the county and two-time winner of Best STEM Middle School in the United States (2016 and 2019). Hyper-competitive admission.
• West Chatham Middle: Pooler/West Chatham.

High Schools (9-12)

• Alfred E. Beach High: Westside/Cuyler-Brownville; Medical & Allied Health Professions Choice Program with a real on-site clinic partnership with St. Joseph’s/Candler.
• Robert W. Groves High: Garden City; Maritime Logistics + Aviation Manufacturing & Service programs (in partnership with Savannah Tech and Gulfstream).
• Islands High: Whitemarsh Island; Biological & Environmental Scientific Research + Veterinary Science Choice Programs. Big draw for island families.
• Herschel V. Jenkins High: Southside; School of Engineering Choice Program. Very strong academic reputation.
• Sol C. Johnson High: Eastside; the only public International Baccalaureate (IB) school in Chatham County. IB has been there since 2000.
• New Hampstead High: West Chatham.
• Savannah Arts Academy (SAA): Midtown (Washington Avenue area); Visual & Performing Arts magnet - audition required. Consistently ranked the #1 magnet high school in the Savannah area. Pulls students countywide.
• Savannah Early College High: Co-located with Savannah State University; earn high school + up to two years of college credit. Cloud Computing pathway with Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud partnerships.
• School of Liberal Studies at Savannah High School: Eastside; STEAM Career Academy with pathways in cosmetology, culinary, cyber security, engineering, JROTC, welding, and more.
• Windsor Forest High: Southside; Aviation Drone, Construction, and Electrical Choice Programs.
• Woodville-Tompkins Technical & Career High: Westside; technical and career-focused magnet. Application-based; “shared program” option lets students attend part-time for CTE classes.

Public Charter Schools (Open to Any Chatham County Resident - Lottery-Based)

You don’t have to live in a particular zone to attend any of these - but you do have to win the lottery. Most have waitlists.

In-Person Options

• Coastal Empire Montessori Charter: K-8 Montessori. South Savannah/Southside.
• Oglethorpe Charter School: Grades 6-8; one of the most established charter middles in Savannah.
• Savannah Classical Academy: K-12 classical liberal arts charter at 705 E. Anderson Street (downtown/Eastside historic). Tuition-free, academically rigorous, K-12 continuum is unusual for a charter.
• Susie King Taylor Community School: Eastside; named after the first Black US Army nurse and a Savannah-born trailblazer.
• Tybee Island Maritime Academy (TIMA): Tybee Island; K-8 with a maritime/coastal-science theme. Beachy, tight-knit, niche-y in the best way.
• REACH Public High School: A newer high school charter option in the SCCPSS network.

The Online Option

• Savannah-Chatham E-Learning Academy (SCELA): Grades 1-12, fully virtual, with certified district teachers. Solid for kids with health needs, performing arts/athletic schedules, or who simply thrive remotely.

Specialty & Magnet Schools

If your child has a clear interest, lean in. SCCPSS’s Choice programs are one of the district’s real strengths and they’re free.

Theme	Where to Apply
STEM/STEAM	A.B. Williams ES, Heard ES, Marshpoint ES, STEM Academy at Bartlett MS, Coastal MS (S.A.L.T.), Hubert MS, Liberal Studies @ Savannah HS
Visual & Performing Arts	Esther F. Garrison K-8, Savannah Arts Academy HS (auditions required)
Montessori	Charles Ellis Montessori K-8, Coastal Empire Montessori Charter
Medical/Allied Health	Hodge ES, DeRenne MS, Beach HS
International Baccalaureate (IB)	Sol C. Johnson HS (the only public IB in the county)
Engineering	Jenkins HS
Maritime / Aviation / Logistics	Groves HS, Tybee Island Maritime Academy (charter)
Cinematic Studies	Southwest MS
Early College / Dual Enrollment	Savannah Early College HS
Classical Liberal Arts	Savannah Classical Academy (charter, K-12)
Career & Technical (CTAE)	Woodville-Tompkins Tech & Career HS

A note on Choice applications: there’s a main lottery in the winter and an after-lottery window for remaining seats. Some programs (Hubert Middle, A.B. Williams, Liberal Studies at Savannah High) waive academic eligibility criteria.

Private Schools in Chatham County

If you’re leaning private, Savannah delivers more options than most cities its size. Average Chatham County private-school tuition is around $13,100/year (lower than the state average), about 71% are religiously affiliated, and the average student-teacher ratio is 10:1.

The Big-Name Independents (Non-Religious or Broadly Christian)

• Savannah Country Day School: Southside (near the Truman Parkway); PK-12; coed, \~1,200 students. The county’s flagship independent school. Widely regarded as the most academically competitive private option.
• St. Andrew’s School: Wilmington Island; PK-12; coed, \~528 students. Episcopal heritage, nondenominational feel; popular with island and southside families.
• Savannah Christian Preparatory School (SCPS): Pooler/Westside campus; PK-12. Long-standing, large coed Christian school with strong athletics.
• Calvary Day School: Midtown; PK-12; \~1,235 students. Baptist-affiliated, top-ranked, large athletics program (17 sports).
• The Habersham School: Midtown; PK-12; classical Christian.
• Memorial Day School: Midtown; PK-12; coed independent.
• Veritas Academy: Downtown; PK-12; classical, Christ-centered (Presbyterian).
• Bethesda Academy: Southside; grades 6-12; all-boys, Christian; one of the oldest schools of its kind in the country.

Catholic Schools

• Benedictine Military School: Midtown; all-boys, grades 9-12, Catholic, military-tradition. \~408 students.
• St. Vincent’s Academy: Downtown Historic District; all-girls, grades 9-12, Catholic. \~270 students. Iconic downtown campus.
• Blessed Sacrament School: Ardsley Park; PK-8; Catholic; \~446 students.
• St. James Catholic School: Southside; K-8; Catholic; \~393 students.
• St. Peter the Apostle Catholic School: Wilmington Island; PK-8; Catholic; \~268 students.
• Hancock Day School: Southside; PK-8; coed independent, \~446 students.

Other Religious & Specialty Private Schools

• Rambam Day School: Midtown; PK-8; Jewish.
• Savannah Adventist Christian School: Pooler; NS-8; Seventh-day Adventist.
• Ramah Junior Academy: Midtown; NS-8; Seventh-day Adventist.
• Risen Savior Christian Academy: Pooler; PK-8; Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod.
• Butler Christian Academy: Southwest/Coffee Bluff; PK-12; Pentecostal.
• Eastgate Christian Academy: Southside; 5-12; Pentecostal.
• Urban Christian Academy: Westside; PK-12; Pentecostal.
• St. John Academy: 2-12; Baptist.
• Chatham Academy: Southside; grades 2-12; special education focus.
• Advance Academy at Matthew Reardon Center for Autism: Southside; specialized for students with autism.

Homeschool Learning

• If you are looking for an alternative to traditional schooling, one of our agents, Cortney McGuirk, has become an expert at homeschooling. This month, we will have an additional blog with FAQs and tips for those interested in getting started with homeschooling. Have additional questions? Feel free to reach out to Cortney directly at [email protected]!

So Which School Zone Is My Neighborhood In?

Find out here: https://www.infofinderi.com/ifi/?cid=SCS38WK7TXPY

What This Means When You’re Buying

Here’s the part most relocation guides skip:

1. Verify zoning before you write an offer. SCCPSS uses the InfoFinder tool, and even longtime Savannahians are surprised by where boundary lines actually fall. The district approves attendance boundary modifications regularly - including changes for the 2026-27 school year - so don’t rely on what a neighbor said three years ago.

2. Choice/magnet eligibility is not guaranteed even if you live nearby. The lottery is the lottery. If a specific Choice program is non-negotiable for your family, build a “Plan A neighborhood + Plan B zoned school” strategy with us before you close.

3. Charter schools don’t require a particular address - but transportation usually does. Most Chatham charters offer limited or no busing. If you’re aiming for Tybee Island Maritime Academy from Pooler, that’s a real-life carpool conversation.

4. Private school clustering changes the calculus. If you’re paying tuition anyway, you have a bit more geographic flexibility.

5. Resale value tracks school zones - even more in Savannah than people admit. Homes in May Howard, Marshpoint, Isle of Hope, and Jacob G. Smith zones tend to move faster and hold value better. That matters whether you have one kid or four.

Your Next Move

The truth is, “the best school in Savannah” depends entirely on your kid. A future marine biologist belongs in a different zip code than a future drama major than a future welder than a future engineer - and Chatham County has a school for every one of them. Our job is to make sure the house we put you in puts those schools within reach.

If you’re relocating this summer and want a real conversation - not a generic ranking - about which Savannah neighborhoods fit your family’s school priorities, your budget, and your “I refuse to commute more than 20 minutes” line in the sand, that’s exactly what we do.

Reach out to Chelsea Phillips Group at Six Bricks Realty. We’ll pull the school zones, walk the neighborhoods, flag the Choice and lottery deadlines, and find you the home your kids will grow up in - before the first bell rings in August.