May Howard Elementary School, Savannah GA

Original Research by School Decision on May Howard Elementary School

May Howard Elementary School is a regular public K-5 school located on Wilmington Island in Savannah, with a student body of about 565 students. The school enrolls a plurality of white students alongside smaller but notable shares of multiracial, Asian, Hispanic, and Black students. About one-third of the enrollment qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting a mixed-income community. Data on special-education and English-learner populations were not available from the school's public profile.

The school's academic results show math as a relative strength. Across tested grades, proficiency in math ranges from robust in third grade to lower in fifth, with the school-wide average above the midpoint. English language arts proficiency sits lower, clustering in the upper half of the range when averaged across grades three through five. Science proficiency in fifth grade aligns roughly with the school's ELA performance. These results suggest students are building foundational skills in elementary but that performance tapers as grade level and content complexity increase. A parent evaluating whether May Howard meets their child's needs may want to ask the school directly about interventions in fourth and fifth grade math and strategies for supporting reading fluency and comprehension across the grades.

May Howard sits within Savannah-Chatham County, a district managing significant growth and transformation. Savannah itself is undergoing rapid development driven by major employer expansion, particularly in aerospace and electric vehicle manufacturing. This growth is reshaping housing patterns and school capacity across the district. The district recently completed Phase I of a Long-Range Facilities Plan that rezoned attendance boundaries and reconfigured school configurations, particularly in fast-growing western Chatham County around Pooler. While May Howard is in Savannah proper rather than the western growth corridor, the broader district context affects operations, staffing, and instructional priorities.

The district has also undergone a sweeping shift in literacy instruction. All elementary schools, including May Howard, now use the Science of Reading framework with HMH's Into Reading curriculum and universal screening three times yearly in grades K-3. This is a material pedagogical change affecting how reading is taught in every elementary classroom. The district voted to continue its education sales tax through 2030, securing substantial funding for a new high school and elementary-middle schools in western Chatham, plus rebuilds of several existing schools. These initiatives will unfold over the coming years and position the district to manage enrollment pressures while upgrading facilities.

The school's community is Savannah, a mixed-use coastal city defined by its historic grid layout, public squares, and walkable downtown. The housing market in the 31410 zip code encompasses both single-family homes and apartments; home values are moderate for the coastal Southeast, and rental costs average in the low double digits as a share of median household income, making the area accessible to families across income bands. Savannah's economy spans aerospace, logistics via its deep-water port, military installations, healthcare, and tourism, with recent major announcements in EV manufacturing and aerospace expansion signaling long-term job growth. Public transit is available through Chatham Area Transit and includes free downtown circulation loops.

May Howard does not appear to offer specialized magnet, charter, or alternative pathways; its program structure reflects a traditional elementary school model. No information about the school's specific enrichment offerings, before-or-after-care, arts integration, or other distinctive features appeared in the available data. A parent interested in these details would benefit from visiting the school's website or contacting the school directly.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 378%

School 78% · District 34% · ▲ 44 pts above district

▲ 38 pts above state median · ▲ 47 pts above county median

Grade 469%

School 69% · District 42% · ▲ 27 pts above district

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

Grade 558%

School 58% · District 29% · ▲ 28 pts above district

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 33 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 362%

School 62% · District 26% · ▲ 35 pts above district

▲ 31 pts above state median · ▲ 37 pts above county median

Grade 456%

School 56% · District 32% · ▲ 24 pts above district

▲ 22 pts above state median · ▲ 28 pts above county median

Grade 562%

School 62% · District 33% · ▲ 30 pts above district

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▲ 33 pts above county median

Science

Grade 562%

School 62% · District 35% · ▲ 27 pts above district

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 32 pts above county median

Social studies

Grades 3-894%

School 94% · district not reported

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 21 pts above county median

This schoolSavannah-Chatham County, 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income57%Higher-income76%19 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income31%Higher-income71%39 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income55%Higher-income80%25 pp gap

Grades 3-8Lower-income51%Higher-income75%24 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income63%Higher-income95%32 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income50%Higher-income77%27 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income42%Higher-income86%44 pp gap

Grades 3-8Lower-income52%Higher-income86%34 pp gap