Superintendent Denise Watts regularly states that from the Savannah-Chatham school district’s main office to every teacher in every classroom, Savannah’s educators create environments for children to develop “choice-filled lives.”
The district’s lottery-style Choice Program aligns with that goal. For families who are newer to the district and as a refresher for those who are not, here is what to know about the menu of options available to families ahead of Jan. 11 when Choice Program Applications go live:
- Neighborhood Schools―free public schools that students are assigned to based on their permanent address, which has a designated school attendance zone .
- Choice Schools―free public schools that could be a neighborhood school within a student’s attendance zone, or a choice program school outside of a student’s attendance zone that the student wishes to attend.
- Choice Programs ―specialized programs unique to designated choice schools that vary based on grade level and location. High school choice programs align with Georgia’s Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education (CTAE) requirements that prepare students either for college, careers, apprenticeships, or military service.
- Charter Schools ―free public schools that adhere to terms of a charter, or contract with an authorizer such as a state or local board of education. According to SCCPSS’s website, “Charter schools receive flexibility from certain state and local rules in exchange for a higher degree of accountability for raising student achievement.”