Primary And Secondary Education
Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools (SCCPS)
208 Bull St., 31401 201-5600
www.savannah.chatham.k12.ga.us
With an enrollment of more than 34,500 students, SCCPS is the largest stakeholder on the local education scene. Thanks to a $221 million building program, 12 new schools were opened between the summer of 1996 and 2003. A penny-per-dollar sales tax on consumer goods approved by Chatham County voters in November 2006 is expected to raise about $360 million to support school infrastructure over a five-year period. It raises the Chatham County sales tax to 7 cents on the dollar and will fund $265,383,334 in school projects.
Pre-kindergarten
Quality pre-kindergarten programs are offered at 27 sites for eligible 4-year-old children, five full days per week, for 180 days per year. Children who are 4 years old on or before September 1 may be eligible to attend.
The pre-K programs provide a positive atmosphere in which children can learn and grow at their own pace. Caring, professional certified teachers and teaching assistants offer developmentally appropriate pre-K activities that enrich children's lives and provide them with the skills they need for lifelong learning. All sites are in schools, and the system serves 1,000 students.
For more information about Savannah-Chatham's pre-K programs, call 201-5635.
Kindergarten/Elementary
Full-day kindergarten programs are offered at the system's 30 elementary schools. The curriculum is designed to educate the whole child and provide a solid foundation for learning in all subjects.
Children must be 5 years old on or before September 1 of the year entry is desired to enroll in kindergarten. Children who are age 5 by December 31, who were legal residents of one or more other states for a period of two years immediately prior to moving to Georgia, and were enrolled in a public or accredited state or regional kindergarten, are also eligible to enroll.
Middle and High Schools
There are 11 middle schools (one of which is a charter school), seven high schools, and satellite facilities including Massie Heritage Center, a preserved historic school, and Oatland Island Education Center, an environmental education complex. If you are registering your child in a district middle or high school for the first time, call the school for hours.
Public School Registration
To register a child for public school, the following must be provided:
- Certified copy of the child's birth certificate
- Georgia Certificate of Immunization (Form 3231)
- Georgia Eye, Ear and Dental Certificate (EED)
- Proof of address (current gas, electric or water bill; or
current lease or rental agreement; or current mortgage statement; or current
governmental agency mail)
The following are requested:
- Most recent report card (grades 1-12)
- An unofficial transcript (grades 9-12)
- The student's Social Security card.
Children must be registered in the school attendance area in which their parents or legal guardians reside, unless they are enrolled in an academy program or the English to Speakers of Other Languages program.
If you need information about your attendance area, call the Student Assignment Office at 201-5584. Parents of students who speak a language other than English should call 201-5484.
For additional questions, call the school your child will be attending. School registration offices close for summer vacation in mid-June and re-open in late July for registration.
Savannah Area Private Schools
Due to the plethora of private schools located in Savannah, residents have a variety of options concerning education on the elementary and secondary school levels. Private schools offering classes in pre-kindergarten through the 12th grade range in size from 50 students to 1,487, with annual tuition costs ranging up to $14,730. Many schools offer programs that are Christian in nature, but others take a purely secular approach. As a whole, institutions that have high school programs structure their programs to prepare students for college.
If you're contemplating sending a child to a private school, be sure to visit the institutions you're considering and check out class sizes; facilities; whether or not meals are served, their costs and quality; and the availability and composition of before- and after-school programs. Ask about student test scores and success rates, obtain information regarding the educational backgrounds and experience of the faculty and inquire as to what colleges are accepting graduates.
Hope Scholarship And Grant Programs
HOPE — Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally — is funded by the Georgia Lottery for Education. Georgia high school graduates (from 1993 and later) with a B average or better are eligible for HOPE scholarship assistance.
Georgia residents who are attending a Georgia public technical college to earn a certificate or diploma are eligible for a HOPE Grant regardless of high school graduation date or grade average. Students may receive the Hope Grant for an unlimited number of programs that qualify under the guidelines. Full-time enrollment is not required, but a student must be making satisfactory academic progress to maintain eligibility.
Also, students who earn a General Educational Development (GED) certificate after June 30, 1993, can receive a one-time HOPE award for tuition, books and other education-related costs. For more information, contact the Georgia Student Finance Commission at (800) 505-4732 or visit its Web site at www.gsfc.org.
Child Care Options
Selecting the best child care means finding a program that is compatible with your family's lifestyle and schedule. It is wise to visit at least three facilities. Initial inquiries should focus on fees — tuition, registration and additional costs for meals, snacks and activities such as music or computer classes — and on scheduling — observation of annual holidays and summer or vacation time.
It's also important to ask about the center's basic safety practices, such as covering electrical outlets, maintaining fire extinguishers and keeping medications and cleaning supplies locked up.
Licensed day-care centers in Savannah must have an annual inspection by the fire marshal. Full-time employees and at least 50 percent of the caregiver staff must be certified in CPR and first aid. The state mandates that these centers notify parents of communicable diseases, as well as regulate teacher-to-student ratios. The ratios vary by age of children, from six infants per teacher up to 25 children per teacher if the children are at least 6 years of age.
For more information, contact Early Start Childcare Resource and Referral of Southeast Georgia at 443-3011 or the Department of Early Care and Learning at 404-657-5562.
Child Care
- ABC Educational Child Care Center 233-8877
