May Howard Elementary School vs Esther F. Garrison School for the Arts

May Howard Elementary School edges Esther F. Garrison School for the Arts by 0.6 points overall — 9.5/10 versus 8.9/10. That gap is more significant in state context: May Howard Elementary School ranks #8 of 2268 schools in Georgia, placing it in the top 0.4% statewide, while Esther F. Garrison School for the Arts ranks #57 of 2268 — still elite, but a meaningful 49-position difference. Both schools sit 8.2 miles apart in Savannah and both serve elementary-age children, so the comparison is a direct one for families in between the two attendance zones.

The academic scores are identical: both May Howard Elementary School and Esther F. Garrison School for the Arts post a 9.3/10 academic proficiency rating. The separation opens on growth — May Howard Elementary School scores a 9.7/10 growth score versus 8.6/10 at Esther F. Garrison School for the Arts, an 11-point gap. Growth measures how much students advance relative to academic peers over time, so May Howard's lead here signals that lower-performing students entering the school are gaining ground faster, not merely that the school enrolls higher-performing students to begin with.

Esther F. Garrison School for the Arts is the larger campus — 776 students compared to 565 at May Howard Elementary School — and serves a higher share of economically disadvantaged students, with 51% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch versus 33% at May Howard. May Howard carries a slightly lower student-teacher ratio as well: 10.9 students per teacher versus 11.6 at Garrison. For families prioritizing smaller class sizes and a less economically diverse peer group, May Howard's numbers tilt that direction; for families who value a school succeeding across a broader income range, Garrison's 8.9 overall rating while serving majority-FRL enrollment is itself a signal of strong performance.

The sharpest structural difference is grade span. May Howard Elementary School serves PreK through 5th grade, after which students transition out. Esther F. Garrison School for the Arts extends through 8th grade, meaning students enrolled there carry their arts-integrated curriculum through the full middle school years without a building change — a meaningful continuity advantage for families who value that stability and program identity.