Bloomingdale Elementary School vs Esther F. Garrison School for the Arts

Bloomingdale Elementary School and Esther F. Garrison School for the Arts are both high-performing Savannah elementary schools, but their overall ratings diverge more than the headline gap suggests. Garrison sits at 9.1/10 versus Bloomingdale's 8.9/10 — a modest 0.2-point difference — but the state rank gap is substantial: Garrison ranks #54 of 2,268 Georgia schools while Bloomingdale ranks #97 of 2,268. Both are top-5% performers statewide, yet Garrison holds a clear positional edge in the overall standings.

Academically, the two schools pull in opposite directions. Esther F. Garrison School for the Arts posts a 9.3/10 academic score against Bloomingdale Elementary School's 7.5/10 — a 1.8-point gap that reflects meaningfully higher proficiency outcomes. Bloomingdale reverses the story on growth: its 9.8/10 growth score outpaces Garrison's 8.6/10 by 1.2 points, indicating that students at Bloomingdale are advancing faster relative to their starting points. Families who prioritize absolute achievement levels will favor Garrison; those who weight year-over-year student progress will find Bloomingdale's trajectory compelling.

The two schools serve different demographic profiles. Bloomingdale Elementary School enrolls 331 students with 81% qualifying for free or reduced lunch, a figure that makes its growth score particularly notable. Esther F. Garrison School for the Arts enrolls 776 students — more than double — with a 51% free-or-reduced-lunch rate. Bloomingdale's student-teacher ratio of 10.7:1 is tighter than Garrison's 11.6:1, meaning slightly more individual attention per student in a considerably smaller setting.

Beyond test performance and demographics, the schools differ structurally. Bloomingdale Elementary School serves grades PK–05, a standard elementary span. Esther F. Garrison School for the Arts extends through grade 8, keeping students in one building through middle school, and its arts-focused identity shapes the daily program for all enrolled students. The two campuses are 13.1 miles apart, so geography and commute factor into any comparison for Savannah families.