A Guide to Public and Private Schools in Savannah

What families relocating to Savannah need to know about public magnet programs, private school options, and how school zoning shapes a home search

What should families know about Savannah's schools before relocating?

Savannah's public schools fall under the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System (SCCPSS), which runs 50 schools and includes a competitive magnet lottery system — Savannah Arts Academy, a top-ranked public high school, is part of that system. About 19% of Savannah's K-12 students attend one of the area's 25 private schools, well above the Georgia state average of 8%, with Savannah Country Day School and Calvary Day School consistently ranked among the strongest options. For buyers, school zoning and magnet eligibility can meaningfully affect which neighborhood makes the most sense.

By Liza DiMarco | July 19, 2026

School quality is one of the first questions almost every relocating family asks me, and it's a more layered answer in Savannah than in a lot of cities, thanks to a real magnet lottery system on the public side and a genuinely strong private school landscape. Here's an honest breakdown of both.

Savannah's Public Schools: SCCPSS and the Magnet System

Savannah-Chatham County Public School System (SCCPSS) serves the entire county, with roughly 50 public schools and about 27,500 students. Rather than every student attending strictly by home address, SCCPSS runs an extensive magnet and specialty school system, meaning some of the area's best public options are available district-wide through a competitive lottery rather than being tied to a specific zone.

Savannah Arts Academy is the standout — ranked the #1 magnet high school in the Savannah area and #23 among all public high schools in Georgia, with an A+ Niche grade. It's an arts-focused magnet offering honors and AP-level coursework across the board, with dedicated majors in disciplines like visual arts, dance, theatre, and music (band, orchestra, and chorus) — each requiring its own audition. It's competitive to get into and doesn't have open enrollment.

Savannah Early College is a dual-enrollment magnet high school where students combine their final two years of high school with college coursework, graduating with meaningful college credit already completed. Its specialty is academic acceleration rather than arts or athletics — the program is built around getting students a head start on a college degree.

Coastal Middle School has been recognized as a Georgia Lighthouse School to Watch and was among the first schools nationally named an American Middle Level School of Excellence — a strong option for families prioritizing a gifted and talented and STEM-oriented track at the middle school level.

Beyond these standouts, quality varies meaningfully school to school within SCCPSS, which is exactly why magnet and specialty programs matter so much here — a family isn't necessarily locked into whatever school sits closest to a specific address.

Savannah's Private Schools

Private education has real presence in Savannah — about 19% of K-12 students attend one of the area's 25 private schools, more than double the statewide Georgia average of 8%. Roughly 72% of these schools are religiously affiliated, most commonly Catholic or Christian, though options span a range of educational philosophies.

Savannah Country Day School (SCDS) is consistently ranked the top private high school in the area — a PK-12 independent school known for strong college preparation and a long track record with families who start their children there in kindergarten and stay through graduation. Athletically, SCDS (the Hornets) fields a broad program with 17 sports, along with a strong fine arts offering.

Calvary Day School and St. Andrew's School round out the most consistently top-ranked options, both frequently mentioned alongside SCDS as the strongest private choices in the market. Calvary Day (the Cavaliers) offers a particularly wide athletics program — including football, basketball, baseball, soccer, wrestling, lacrosse, swim, and even clay shooting and bass fishing — alongside 11 AP course offerings. St. Andrew's (the Lions) is one of only two private schools in Georgia authorized to offer the full International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme, in addition to a robust 14-sport athletics program.

Veritas Academy offers a classical, Christ-centered curriculum for families specifically looking for that educational philosophy, with strong parent reviews around its literature-and-primary-source-driven approach to history and humanities. Its specialty is academic rather than athletic or arts-focused — extracurricular and sports offerings are more limited than at the area's larger private schools, which is a real tradeoff worth weighing if athletics or the arts are a priority for your family.

Average private school tuition in the Savannah area runs around $13,834 per year, which is actually slightly below the Georgia state private school average — worth knowing if you assumed private education here would run at Northeast or major-metro price points.

How School Zoning Affects Your Home Search

This is the part that surprises a lot of relocating families: because SCCPSS runs both zoned neighborhood schools and district-wide magnet programs, the relationship between "where you buy" and "where your kids go to school" isn't always as straightforward as it is in a purely zoned district.

• Zoned schools still matter for families not pursuing a magnet program, and zoning boundaries are worth confirming for any specific address before you fall in love with a house.
• Magnet and specialty programs are competitive and lottery-based. Getting into a school like Savannah Arts Academy isn't guaranteed by living nearby — it requires an application and, often, an audition or portfolio review depending on the arts discipline.
• Application windows open early, often the spring before the school year in question, so if a magnet program is part of your plan, starting that process during the 6-months-out phase of your relocation — not after you've closed on a home — gives you the best shot.
• Private school admissions run on their own separate timeline, often with fall open houses and admissions decisions well before the school year starts, which is worth mapping against your move timeline just as carefully as the zoned or magnet public school process.

Special Requirements, Waitlists, and What to Know Before Enrolling

The logistics behind SCCPSS's Choice Program (the umbrella term for magnet and specialty schools) are more detailed than most relocating families expect, and missing a step can genuinely cost a seat.

• The application window is short and early. In recent years it's run roughly late January through early February for the following school year — well before most families are thinking about school enrollment, and easy to miss if you're mid-relocation.
• Savannah Arts Academy is a two-phase process. Phase I is an online academic screening application; only students who meet the academic criteria move to Phase II, a required audition specific to their arts discipline. Auditions are typically held in late February.
• Sibling preference does not apply at Savannah Arts Academy or Garrison School for the Arts. Students are seated strictly by audition ranking score, regardless of whether an older sibling already attends — a genuine surprise for families used to sibling preference being standard.
• The lottery and notification happen in March. Families are notified of results by email, typically in early-to-mid March, and must register by a firm deadline — missing the registration deadline forfeits the seat to the next student on the waitlist.
• Waitlist movement continues into April. If your child doesn't get an initial seat, waitlist notifications typically begin in early April, so it's worth having a backup plan finalized rather than waiting to hear.
• There's no district transportation for Choice Program students. SCCPSS does not bus students to magnet or specialty schools, which is a real logistical factor if the school is a distance from home.
• Out-of-county families are charged tuition. Chatham County residents attend Choice Programs tuition-free; families living outside the county pay tuition to participate.
• A post-lottery "After Lottery Application" opens in March or April for families who missed the initial window, though by that point seat availability is limited to whatever remains open.

Private school admissions run on a separate, generally more flexible timeline — most hold fall open houses and admissions events, with entrance testing or interviews common at the more competitive schools, and decisions typically issued well ahead of the school year. Financial aid and tuition assistance applications, where offered, usually carry their own earlier deadlines, so it's worth asking directly rather than assuming timing mirrors the public application window.

Uniforms and Dress Code

Uniforms are more common in Savannah than a lot of relocating families expect, on both the public and private side.

• All SCCPSS schools require uniforms. Savannah-Chatham County Public School System has a mandatory, district-wide uniform policy covering Pre-K through 12th grade — this applies to Savannah Arts Academy, Savannah Early College, Coastal Middle School, and every other SCCPSS school. The general standard is solid navy, black, or khaki bottoms with a solid white (or school-selected) top, though each school's uniform committee can select an additional color option, and Savannah Arts Academy has its own specific uniform guidelines within that framework.
• Savannah Country Day School also has a uniform/dress code policy, with an on-campus Uniform Closet run by the Parents' Association for gently used uniforms and spirit wear.
• Most of the area's other private schools maintain some form of dress code or uniform requirement as well, particularly the religiously affiliated ones, though specific policies vary by school and grade level — this is worth confirming directly with each school during your research rather than assuming a single standard applies across all of them.

College Outcomes and Test Scores

Academic outcomes are strong across most of the schools on this list, though the specific data available varies by school.

• Savannah Arts Academy posts an average SAT composite around 1240 and an average ACT around 28, with an average GPA of 3.59 and a 97% graduation rate — well above typical statewide averages, consistent with its ranking as Georgia's #23 public high school.
• St. Andrew's School reports that 100% of graduates go on to attend a four-year college, with recent matriculation including schools like the University of Pennsylvania, Brown University, UC Berkeley, and Emory University.
• Veritas Academy also reports 100% of graduates attending a four-year college.
• Savannah Country Day School and Calvary Day School are both consistently described as strong college-preparatory programs with competitive AP course offerings, though detailed average SAT/ACT figures weren't consistently available across the sources used for this guide — worth requesting directly from either school's admissions office if test scores are a deciding factor in your search.

As with any school data, these figures shift year to year, so it's worth confirming current numbers directly with each school's admissions office rather than relying solely on aggregated third-party data when making a final decision.

Quick Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best public high school in Savannah?

Savannah Arts Academy is generally considered the top public high school in the Savannah area — a magnet school with an A+ Niche grade and a top-25 ranking among all Georgia public high schools.

How does the magnet school lottery work in Savannah-Chatham County?

SCCPSS magnet and specialty programs require a separate application, typically opening in the spring before the school year begins. Some programs, particularly arts-focused ones, may also require an audition or portfolio review. Acceptance is not guaranteed by proximity to the school.

What is the best private school in Savannah?

Savannah Country Day School is consistently ranked the top private school in the area, with Calvary Day School and St. Andrew's School also frequently ranked among the strongest options.

How much does private school cost in Savannah?

Average tuition runs around $13,834 per year, which is slightly below the Georgia state average for private school tuition.

Should I choose a neighborhood based on school zoning?

It depends on your plans. If you're pursuing a magnet or private school, zoning matters less, since those programs draw from across the district rather than a single zone. If you're planning on a traditional zoned public school, confirming the specific zoning for an address is worth doing before you make an offer.

Figuring out which neighborhoods line up with the schools you're considering — whether that's a specific zone, a magnet program, or a private school — is exactly the kind of detail I help relocating families sort through early, before it narrows the search unexpectedly.

Liza DiMarco | Compass Savannah

About Liza DiMarco Marketing Specialist

Liza is a dedicated, passionate, and market-savvy professional who puts her clients' satisfaction before all else. Her attention to detail, superior people skills, and broad knowledge of the real estate industry as a whole, along with her pure determination to indulge her clients with first-class service sets Liza apart from the rest of the Real Estate Agents.

Liza is the Savannah and coastal Georgia Network Partner in The Private Client Network — an invitation-only collective of 300+ top-producing Compass advisors across 80+ luxury markets nationwide. For clients buying or selling across state lines, it means one trusted relationship that follows them anywhere.