Georgia School for Innovation and the Classics, Hephzibah GA

Original Research by School Decision on Georgia School for Innovation and the Classics

Georgia School for Innovation and the Classics is a charter school in Hephzibah serving kindergarten through grade twelve, located on Storey Mill Road in the southwestern reach of Richmond County near the Fall Line, roughly fourteen miles from downtown Augusta. The school enrolls students across all grade bands, with the highest enrollment in the elementary grades and a notable drop-off at the high school level.

State assessment results from the most recent testing cycle show proficiency concentrated unevenly across subjects and grades. In English language arts, performance ranges from low in the elementary years (grade three at roughly one-third of students) to a stronger showing in eighth grade (approaching half of students). Grade five performs distinctly better than adjacent grades, suggesting some variation in either student cohort or instructional effectiveness by year. Mathematics proficiency is consistently lower, with middle grades particularly weak; sixth and seventh grade math proficiency falls well below elementary performance, and while eighth grade rebounds somewhat, it remains under half of students meeting the standard. Science proficiency at grade five is moderate, but eighth grade science drops sharply. Social studies at eighth grade is notably the school's strongest subject area, with proficiency approaching two-thirds of students. A parent may want to look into how the school addresses the steep middle-school mathematics decline and whether specific supports target that transition.

The student body is predominantly white, with Black students and Hispanic students each representing a smaller but meaningful share of enrollment. Free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility data was not available in state reporting, so the economic profile of enrolled families is unclear. English learner and special education enrollment counts were similarly not reported.

Hephzibah itself is a small city and suburban-rural hybrid on the southwestern edge of the Augusta metro area, with low density, residential single-family neighborhoods on larger lots, and minimal walkable commercial life. Daily activities center on car travel; most residents commute to Augusta for shopping, dining, and employment. Major regional employers include Fort Eisenhower (formerly Fort Gordon), the U.S. Army Cyber Center of Excellence, and Augusta-area industrial employers such as EZ-GO Textron and International Paper. The city has experienced modest recent growth in new construction, particularly along the Highway 88 corridor, with active subdivisions offering both standard homes and larger-acreage developments. Housing values in the area are below state and national medians, and rental costs are moderate. A public library branch, recreation facilities including Diamond Lakes Regional Park with walking tracks and ballfields, and community centers serve the area, though there is no fixed-route public transit.

Compared to other districts in Richmond County, the school's overall proficiency index places it at the top quartile among that county peer set, though the comparison reflects only proficiency data and does not include graduation rate or chronic absenteeism figures, which were not available. The school is a charter entity authorized by the State Charter School Commission, rather than a traditional district school, and no recent significant changes to the school's curriculum, pedagogy, or operations were documented in available sources.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

Not publicly reportedCohort of 1 student · Class of 2021

The federal source does not publish a graduation rate for cohorts this small. The cohort size is shown for context.

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

467 schools plotted. 22 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

Math

Grade 345%

School 45% · District 45%

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 30 pts above county median

Grade 441%

School 41% · District 41%

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▲ 24 pts above county median

Grade 541%

School 41% · District 41%

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▲ 25 pts above county median

Grade 626%

School 26% · District 26%

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

Grade 726%

School 26% · District 26%

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

Grade 835%

School 35% · District 35%

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 334%

School 34% · District 34%

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▲ 20 pts above county median

Grade 443%

School 43% · District 43%

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 26 pts above county median

Grade 554%

School 54% · District 54%

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 31 pts above county median

Grade 631%

School 31% · District 31%

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Grade 738%

School 38% · District 38%

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▲ 20 pts above county median

Grade 846%

School 46% · District 46%

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 26 pts above county median

Science

Grade 547%

School 47% · District 47%

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 31 pts above county median

Grade 829%

School 29% · District 29%

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▲ 25 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 865%

School 65% · District 65%

▲ 34 pts above state median · ▲ 58 pts above county median

This schoolState Specialty Schools I- Georgia School for Innovation and, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.