Heard Elementary School, Savannah GA

Original Research by School Decision on Heard Elementary School

Heard Elementary serves a young student population in Savannah, with grades from pre-K through fifth, in a regular public school setting within the Savannah-Chatham County district. The school sits in a coastal city anchored by historic preservation and a diversifying economy, now undergoing rapid residential and commercial growth that is reshaping its schools and neighborhoods.

Academically, Heard's most recent state test results show proficiency rates in the low-to-mid range across tested subjects and grades. In English language arts, third grade proficiency is below the midpoint among likely grade-level peers, fourth grade sits slightly above it, and fifth grade falls somewhat below. Math proficiency shows a steeper grade-level slide: third grade and fourth grade cluster near the state median, while fifth grade proficiency drops notably lower. Science proficiency in fifth grade is in the low-to-mid band. These results reflect performance that a parent may want to discuss directly with the school to understand the underlying instructional priorities and any targeted support the school is putting in place. Single-year data makes it difficult to discern whether these results represent a trend or a snapshot; the district has recently adopted a district-wide Science of Reading curriculum and universal screening in literacy, which may shape student progress going forward.

The student body at Heard is predominantly Black, with smaller shares of white, Hispanic, and Asian students, and about two-thirds of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school's enrollment is distributed across all grades from pre-K through fifth, with moderate enrollment in the later elementary grades.

Savannah itself is a mid-sized coastal city with a distinctive character: its historic downtown is unusually walkable, organized around Oglethorpe's eighteenth-century grid of public squares, and serves as both a civic anchor and a major tourism draw. Beyond the historic district, Savannah is experiencing rapid population growth and new residential development that is straining schools and infrastructure. The Savannah-Chatham County district has approved a major capital improvement referendum that will fund new school construction and facility upgrades over the next several years, including schools in the fast-growing western sections of the county. The district has also undergone a comprehensive facilities realignment to address overcrowding in some areas and underutilization in others, shifting attendance boundaries across roughly twenty schools beginning in the current school year.

Housing in the zip code containing Heard is moderately priced relative to many American markets, with monthly mortgage estimates in the middle range and rental costs running somewhat below mortgages for similar homes. The area is within a region where housing affordability is broadening because of rapid new construction, though longtime concerns about preserving Savannah's historic character amid growth remain a civic conversation.

Heard serves families in an elementary-only configuration, so it does not have a graduation rate or offer advanced secondary pathways. For a parent considering Heard, the immediate questions center on early literacy and numeracy outcomes, classroom experience, and how the school's approach aligns with the district's recent shift toward Science of Reading instruction. The school's proficiency numbers suggest this is a place where families may want to understand the school's support structures, instructional staffing, and any supplemental programs designed to close proficiency gaps in the upper elementary grades.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 345%

School 45% · District 34% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Grade 451%

School 51% · District 42% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Grade 534%

School 34% · District 29% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 339%

School 39% · District 26% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Grade 454%

School 54% · District 32% · ▲ 22 pts above district

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

Grade 543%

School 43% · District 33% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Science

Grade 544%

School 44% · District 35% · ▲ 9 pts above district

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

Social studies

Grades 3-887%

School 87% · district not reported

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▲ 14 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-income22%Higher-income63%41 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income25%Higher-income61%36 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income32%Higher-income85%53 pp gap

Grades 3-8Lower-income26%Higher-income70%44 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income32%Higher-income74%42 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income39%Higher-income68%29 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income11%Higher-income63%52 pp gap

Grades 3-8Lower-income28%Higher-income68%40 pp gap