Best Schools in Savannah, GA
If you are moving to Savannah with kids, you have probably already opened three browser tabs of school ratings and come away more confused than when you started. The rankings do not agree with each other, the district lines are not intuitive, and there is one local quirk nobody warns you about. Let me start there, because it changes the order you do things in.
Choose your school first, then your neighborhood
Here is what makes Savannah different from most places you have lived: in Savannah-Chatham County, some of the best public programs are not assigned by your address. You apply for them. So if your heart is set on a specific magnet or choice program, you pick the school first and the house second. Do it the other way around, buy the house and then apply, and you can end up zoned out of the very program you moved here for. It is avoidable, and most competitors’ guides never mention it.
The rule of thumb: If a specific SCCPSS magnet or choice program is a reason you are moving here, confirm your child’s acceptance before you sign on a neighborhood. Traditional neighborhood schools are still address-based, so if you would rather not ride a lottery, that is a fair reason to look at Bryan or Effingham County, where enrollment follows your address.
The three school systems you’re really choosing between
Most relocating families are not picking a school. They are picking a system, and that choice often decides which side of the metro you land on.
Savannah-Chatham County Public School System (SCCPSS) covers the city and most of Chatham County, including Pooler. It is large — 57 schools, roughly 35,000 students — with a graduation rate of 87.2 percent (Class of 2025) and a Niche district grade of B. The draw here is not the district average. It is the specialized programs, which are genuinely strong and pull families from across the metro. SCCPSS also spends notably more per student than its neighboring counties.
Bryan County Schools serves Richmond Hill to the south, plus Pembroke and Ellabell on the county’s north end near the new Hyundai plant. Niche grades it A-minus, it ranks in the top 10% of Georgia’s 222 districts on combined math and reading proficiency, and its graduation rate sits near 94.6 percent. Enrollment is address-based and straightforward, which a lot of families find refreshing after reading about the SCCPSS lottery.
Effingham County Schools covers Rincon, Springfield, and Guyton to the north. Also Niche A-minus, ranked in the top 20% of Georgia districts overall, with a graduation rate around 92 percent and math and reading proficiency above state averages. It is the most affordable corner of the metro on a per-pupil basis, with a longer commute as the tradeoff.
| SCCPSS | Bryan County | Effingham County | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Towns served | City, Pooler, most of Chatham | Richmond Hill, Pembroke, Ellabell | Rincon, Springfield, Guyton |
| Niche district grade | B | A-minus | A-minus |
| Graduation rate | 87.2% | ~94.6% | ~92% |
| Number of schools | 57 | — | 13 |
| Enrollment | Address-based + magnet/choice lottery | Address-based | Address-based |
| Per-pupil expenditure (FY25) | $17,535 | $12,115 | $13,813 |
| Financial Efficiency Star Rating | 2.0 / 5 | 2.5 / 5 | 4.0 / 5 |
Sources: SCCPSS, Niche, US News, Georgia DOE, Bryan County Schools, Effingham County Schools. Per-pupil expenditure and Financial Efficiency Star Rating from the Georgia Department of Education / Governor’s Office of Student Achievement 2025 District-Level FESR file — same fiscal year and methodology across all three districts.
The SCCPSS magnet and choice programs, and the lottery
SCCPSS runs 18-plus magnet and choice programs, and the top ones stand on their own. Savannah Arts Academy ranks #1 in the district, #12 in Georgia, and #387 nationally per US News’ current Best High Schools rankings, admitting students by audition or portfolio. STEM Academy at Bartlett, a magnet middle school, is Niche A-minus and currently ranks in the top 20% of Georgia middle schools (roughly #63–65 statewide) — a strong showing, though this shifts with each ranking cycle and is worth reconfirming before publish.
Admission runs on application and lottery, not on where you live. Oversubscribed programs go to a lottery, and your home address does not hold a seat. For the 2026–27 school year, the SCCPSS Choice Program application window ran January 10 through January 25 — plan on a similar window (early-to-mid January) for future years, and confirm the exact dates on SCCPSS’s site each cycle.
So, the move-planning version: if a program is the reason you are choosing Savannah, confirm acceptance before you commit to a neighborhood.
There is also a solid charter slate inside SCCPSS, including Savannah Classical Academy (K-8, classical model), Tybee Island Maritime Academy (K-5, environmental science), Savannah Early College (dual enrollment with SCAD), and Coastal Empire Montessori.
| Window | What’s happening |
|---|---|
| Early-to-mid January | SCCPSS magnet and choice application window opens for the following fall (2026–27 window: Jan 10–25) |
| February | Georgia Pre-K (Bright from the Start) applications — SCCPSS runs its own lottery timeline in spring; check sccpss.com/pk for the current year’s exact window |
| Late winter / spring | Oversubscribed programs run their lotteries; acceptance notices go out |
| Spring–summer | Charter school enrollment windows (varies by school) |
How the Savannah Arts Academy audition works
It is the program families ask about most, and good information on it is genuinely thin online, so here is the short version.
Getting in. Admission is by audition or portfolio, not by address or grades alone. You apply, then audition in your chosen discipline.
Disciplines you can audition for. Visual arts, theatre, dance, creative writing, film and media, and music.
When to apply. During the SCCPSS magnet window, typically early-to-mid January through late January. Confirm the exact audition dates on the school’s site each year.
Whether living nearby helps. It does not. Admission runs on the audition and the choice process, not your neighborhood, so a home address near the school will not reserve a seat.
The public high schools families ask about
Per US News’ current Best High Schools rankings, the top public high schools within SCCPSS include Savannah Arts Academy (#1 in district, #12 in Georgia), followed by Jenkins, New Hampstead, Islands, and Beach. On the suburban side, Richmond Hill High School ranks well but the exact placement depends on the source: US News currently has it at #102 in Georgia (just outside the top 100), while Niche ranks it higher at #68.
I am citing rankings rather than calling any school good or bad, because the right fit depends on your kid, not a number on a list. Use the data to build a shortlist, then go visit.
Private school options and what they run
These figures were re-verified directly against each school’s own tuition page. Tuition rises most years, and several of these schools use variable tuition or financial aid, so confirm current numbers directly before you rely on them. Confirmed 2026–2027 annual tuition, pulled from each school’s own site:
| School | Grades | Affiliation | 2026–27 tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Savannah Country Day School | PreK–12 | Independent, IB | $20,550–$27,950 (+$29,175 international) |
| St. Andrew’s School | PK–12 | Episcopal, Wilmington Island | $23,995 flat, K–12 |
| Savannah Christian Preparatory | PreK–12 | Nondenominational | $8,580–$16,140 |
| St. Vincent’s Academy | 9–12, girls | Catholic, college prep | $14,100 flat |
| Benedictine Military School | 9–12, boys | Catholic, JROTC | $16,800 (Catholic) / $18,550 (non-Catholic) |
| The Habersham School | PreK–12 | Classical Christian, variable | $6,325–$16,566, grade + eligibility dependent |
| Calvary Day School | PreK–12 | Christian, strong athletics | $13,260–$17,645 |
Sources: each school’s own tuition/admissions page. Third-party aggregator sites had stale — in two cases roughly half of actual — figures for Calvary Day and Benedictine. Always confirm from the school’s own domain, not an aggregator.
The stuff that actually fills a family’s week
Schools set the search, but you are buying a daily life around them. A few numbers to plan with.
Childcare runs about $750 to $1,000 a month for infant care and $571 to $700 for toddler and preschool at licensed centers. Georgia’s Pre-K program (Bright from the Start) offers free pre-kindergarten for eligible 4-year-olds, funded by the state lottery, with applications usually opening in February.
Parks and weekends are one of the quiet perks of raising kids here: Tom Triplett Community Park (Pooler) — 200 acres, free. Forsyth Park, Lake Mayer, and Daffin Park — the in-town go-tos for playgrounds, splash pads, and open space. Savannah Children’s Museum — about $8 to $10 per child. Oatland Island Wildlife Center — free, and a local favorite. Skidaway Island State Park — $5 per vehicle, trails and marsh boardwalks. Tybee Island beach — 25 to 30 minutes from downtown.
So where do families usually land?
Both paths work, they just start in different places. If you want one consistent, address-based district with a high graduation rate and no lottery to sweat, Bryan County (Richmond Hill, Pembroke, Ellabell) and Effingham County (Rincon, Springfield, Guyton) are the natural places to look. If you are drawn to a specific SCCPSS magnet, build your search around that program’s acceptance first, then find a home that fits the commute. The order matters more here than almost anywhere else you have lived.
Tell me what your days actually look like and what you need out of a house. I’ll put the options, the drive times, and the numbers in one place, instead of fifteen browser tabs.
A few more things families ask about
Is SCCPSS a good school district? It is a large district — 57 schools, roughly 35,000 students — with a graduation rate of 87.2 percent and a Niche grade of B. The reason families move for it is the magnet and choice programs, like Savannah Arts Academy and STEM Academy at Bartlett, which rank well on US News and pull students from across the metro.
How do magnet and charter applications work? They run on a school-choice and lottery system. Applications typically open in early-to-mid January for the following fall (the 2026–27 window ran January 10–25), and oversubscribed programs go to a lottery. Your address does not guarantee a spot, so confirm a seat before you lock in a neighborhood.
Are Richmond Hill schools highly rated? Bryan County Schools, which serves Richmond Hill, is Niche A-minus and reports a graduation rate near 94.6 percent, with district performance in the top 10% of Georgia’s 222 districts on combined proficiency testing. Enrollment is address-based.
Are Effingham County schools highly rated? Effingham County Schools is Niche A-minus, ranks in the top 20% of Georgia districts overall, with a graduation rate near 92 percent and proficiency above state averages.
Does Georgia have free Pre-K? Yes. Georgia’s Bright from the Start program offers free Pre-K for eligible 4-year-olds, funded by the state lottery. Application windows vary by district — SCCPSS runs its own timeline, generally with a spring lottery — so confirm the current year’s dates directly at sccpss.com/pk rather than assuming a neighboring county’s window applies.
Pooler or Savannah for schools? Pooler is inside SCCPSS, the same district as the city, so it is not a separate school system. Its draw is newer construction and price. Families set on a different district tend to look at Bryan or Effingham County.
What school district is Port Wentworth, GA in? Port Wentworth is in Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools, the same district as Savannah and Pooler. It sits right up against the Effingham line, which is where the confusion starts, but the county line is what sets the district. Zoning inside Port Wentworth has been moving, too — Port Wentworth Elementary students are being redistricted to Garden City Elementary, Brock Elementary, and Rice Creek School. Send me the address you are weighing and I will pull the current zone.
Thinking about making a move?
A simple conversation, with no expectations, is where we start. Tell me where you are in the process and I’ll help you think through what comes next. Whether you’re relocating for work, retiring to the coast, or still deciding whether Savannah is the place, I’m happy to talk it through.
