Savannah-Chatham schools open Choice and Pre-K lottery applications Nov. 16, weeks earlier than usual, with 20 open houses from Nov. 2. The window closes Jan. 8.
Families who want a seat in a Savannah-Chatham County Public School System Choice Program next year will apply weeks earlier than before. The application window opens Monday, Nov. 16, and closes Friday, Jan. 8.
The district’s Pre-K lottery opens the same day. Pre-K needs its own, separate application.
The district set out the changes in a news release Wednesday. In past years the process began with the Student Success Expo in early January. There will be no expo this year. Instead, each Choice school holds its own open house between Nov. 2 and Dec. 1.
What changes this year
- Earlier start: the window opens Nov. 16 instead of in January.
- Longer window: about two months, closing Jan. 8.
- Open houses replace the expo: 20 of them, at the schools themselves.
- Three choices, and you keep your place: families rank three programs. If you accept a seat at a lower-ranked program, your child stays on the waitlist for every program you ranked higher. You may still get an offer from one of those later if a seat opens.
The district said the new waitlist rule is a change parents “have requested over the years.”
Choice Programs include performing arts, aviation, aviation manufacturing and service, engineering, welding, cosmetology, culinary, medical and allied health, construction, automotive repair and collision, public safety and logistics, the district said.
Open house dates
These are the dates on the district’s Choice Program calendar, read Oct. 22. Each open house is held at the school.
| Date | School | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Monday, Nov. 2 | Savannah Early College | 5 to 6:30 p.m. |
| Tuesday, Nov. 3 | Savannah Arts Academy (gym) | 5 to 7 p.m. |
| Wednesday, Nov. 4 | Charles Ellis Montessori | 4:30 to 6 p.m. |
| Thursday, Nov. 5 | Hodge Elementary | 5 to 6 p.m. |
| Thursday, Nov. 5 | Islands High | 5 to 6 p.m. |
| Thursday, Nov. 5 | DeRenne Middle | 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. |
| Friday, Nov. 6 | Savannah-Chatham E-Learning Academy | 4 to 5 p.m. |
| Monday, Nov. 9 | Windsor Forest High | 5 to 7 p.m. |
| Tuesday, Nov. 10 | Heard Elementary | 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. |
| Tuesday, Nov. 10 | Coastal Middle | 6 to 7 p.m. |
| Thursday, Nov. 12 | J.G. Smith Elementary | 5 to 6:30 p.m. |
| Monday, Nov. 16 | Jenkins High | 5 to 7 p.m. |
| Monday, Nov. 16 | Garrison School for the Arts | 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. |
| Tuesday, Nov. 17 | STEM Academy at Bartlett | 5:30 to 7 p.m. |
| Tuesday, Nov. 17 | Johnson High | 6 to 7 p.m. |
| Wednesday, Nov. 18 | A.E. Beach | 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. |
| Thursday, Nov. 19 | Marshpoint Elementary | 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. |
| Thursday, Nov. 19 | Woodville-Tompkins High | 5:30 to 7 p.m. |
| Monday, Nov. 30 | Groves High | 5 to 7 p.m. |
| Tuesday, Dec. 1 | Southwest Middle | 3 to 4 p.m. |
Check the calendar again before you go, because schools can change a time.
What it means for you
- Mark Nov. 16. That is when both the Choice application and the Pre-K lottery application open.
- Pre-K is a separate form. Apply at the district’s Pre-K page, even if you also apply for Choice.
- Visit before you rank. Most open houses fall before Thanksgiving. Groves and Southwest Middle are the only ones after it.
- Rank honestly. Because a lower-ranked seat no longer costs you your place on the waitlist, you can accept a seat and still wait for your first pick.
- Deadline: Friday, Jan. 8. The district’s Choice application page has the form and program details. The Choice office is at 912-395-6765.
Each school’s grades, enrollment and address are on our Savannah public schools guide, including Savannah Arts Academy, Savannah Early College and the E-Learning Academy.
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