Esther F. Garrison School for the Arts, 649 W. Jones St.: a district arts choice school, pre-K to 8, 757 students in 2025, CCRPI 87.7.
Last checked Oct. 6, 2026. Sources: the Garrison School for the Arts website, the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System’s map of schools, bell times and 2026-27 calendar, the district’s Find My School lookup, the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement’s 2025 School Grades data and the federal NCES school directory.
Esther F. Garrison School for the Arts is the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System’s visual and performing arts school for pre-K through eighth grade, on West Jones Street on the west edge of downtown, inside the city. It has no attendance zone: families apply through the district’s choice program, and sixth through eighth graders audition.
- Address: 649 W. Jones St., Savannah, GA 31401
- Phone: 912-395-5975
- Grades: Pre-K to 8
- Website: gsa.sccpss.com
Who to call
- Garrison School for the Arts front office: 912-395-5975
- Register a new student: the district’s online registration, or the Student and Family Service Center, 400 E. Broad St., 912-395-5584
- Bus routes: the district’s Transportation Department, 912-395-5591; find a stop with Find My School
- District main line: 912-395-5600
- Is this your school? Enter an address in Find My School
Principal
Principal Aysha Parks, according to the school’s website.
Enrollment and teachers
The state counted 757 students at Garrison School for the Arts in its 2025 School Grades data. The most recent federal figure, from the NCES directory for the 2023-24 school year, is 776 students and 67 full-time-equivalent teachers, about 11.6 students per teacher.
State report card
Garrison School for the Arts’s 2025 CCRPI single score was 87.7, according to the state’s School Grades data. It was 87.2 in 2023 and 90.7 in 2024. For its elementary grades the 2025 score was 82.2, against 78.6 for Georgia elementary schools, and for its middle grades 95.2, against 78.4 for Georgia middle schools. The full report card, with subgroups and the parts of the score, is on the state’s Garrison School for the Arts report card.
CCRPI is the Georgia Department of Education’s “comprehensive school improvement, accountability, and communication platform,” according to GaDOE. The single score runs from 0 to 100 and is built from content mastery, progress, closing gaps and readiness, plus graduation rate for high schools. Georgia does not publish an A-to-F letter grade for schools in its 2025 data.
Georgia Milestones end-of-grade tests in grades three to five, 2025, share of tested students scoring at the Proficient and Distinguished levels:
| Subject | Proficient | Distinguished |
|---|---|---|
| English language arts | 32.1% | 17.5% |
| Math | 35.5% | 24.8% |
| Science (fifth grade) | 31.9% | 29.7% |
Georgia Milestones end-of-grade tests in grades six to eight, 2025, share of tested students scoring at the Proficient and Distinguished levels:
| Subject | Proficient | Distinguished |
|---|---|---|
| English language arts | 48.9% | 29.1% |
| Math | 35.5% | 28.4% |
| Science (eighth grade) | 54.1% | 18.4% |
| Social studies (eighth grade) | 48% | 14.3% |
Admission
There is no zone. Garrison is on the district’s Choice Program site list for Visual and Performing Arts. According to the Choice Program guide, applicants for sixth to eighth grade must meet the academic requirements and then audition; a panel scores each audition from 1 to 100 and students are seated or waitlisted by that ranking, with no sibling preference. Seats in the lower grades go through the district’s choice lottery. Homes around the school are zoned for Brock Elementary, DeRenne Middle and Groves High, according to the district’s Find My School lookup.
Calendar
From the district’s 2026-27 calendar, approved May 7, 2025 (all dates on the district calendar page):
- Thursday, Oct. 8: staff planning day, no school for students
- Friday, Oct. 9: fall holiday
- Monday, Oct. 12: Columbus Day, no school
- Tuesday, Nov. 3: remote-learning half-day; students learn from home
- Wednesday, Nov. 11: Veterans Day, no school
- Nov. 23-27: Thanksgiving break
- Dec. 21-31: winter break; Monday, Jan. 4, 2027, is a staff planning day with no school for students
- March 26 to April 2, 2027: spring break
- Friday, May 21, 2027: last day of school
Bell times
Classes run 8:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., according to the district’s 2026-27 bell times, approved by the Board of Public Education on April 8, 2026. Buses arrive at 7:55 a.m., breakfast is served from 7:55 to 8:15 a.m., and buses leave at 3:25 p.m.
More
- The school’s website
- The district’s map of schools, with every Savannah-Chatham County Public School System school
- The state’s report card for Garrison School for the Arts
- Every public school that serves Savannah, with zones and scores: our Savannah public schools guide
- District calendar, registration, graduation rates and the school board: our Savannah schools guide
Frequently asked questions
How do you get into Garrison School for the Arts?
Apply through the district’s Choice Program. Sixth to eighth graders must meet academic requirements and audition; seats go by audition ranking.
What is Garrison School for the Arts’ CCRPI score?
87.7 in 2025, according to the state’s School Grades data: 82.2 for its elementary grades and 95.2 for its middle grades. It was 90.7 in 2024.
What time does Garrison School for the Arts start?
Classes run 8:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. in 2026-27, according to the district’s approved bell times.
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