Gadsden Elementary School, Savannah GA

Original Research by School Decision on Gadsden Elementary School

Gadsden Elementary School serves pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in Savannah's May Street neighborhood. The school enrolls a small population for its grade band, almost entirely from households qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is predominantly Black, with very limited representation from other racial or ethnic backgrounds.

State testing results from the most recent school year show proficiency rates that are well below typical benchmarks. In mathematics, fewer than a quarter of tested students scored at proficiency across grades three through five, with proficiency declining steeply in the upper grades. English language arts proficiency rates are lower still, ranging from roughly one in seven to one in ten across the same grades. Science proficiency in fifth grade also fell in the low range. These results reflect substantial academic challenge across core subjects.

A parent might want to look into further detail with the school about its reading instruction approach. The Savannah-Chatham County district recently adopted the Science of Reading across all K-5 classrooms, implementing the Into Reading curriculum with universal screening three times yearly. Understanding how Gadsden is executing this literacy overhaul and what additional supports it offers would help frame what the academic environment looks like in real time.

The Savannah-Chatham County district is managing rapid regional growth through a Long-Range Facilities Plan. Gadsden itself is not listed among schools targeted for major reconfiguration, but the district is investing in capital improvements district-wide via a continued education sales tax approved by voters in March that will fund facility upgrades, new schools, and rebuilds through 2030. In Savannah proper, the historic core and neighborhoods like May Street face pressure from population growth concentrating in western Chatham County and outlying areas. The housing market in Savannah's central zip codes is moderating after years of escalation, with home values declining while rental costs remain elevated.

The school sits in central Savannah, a walkable historic district anchored by civic squares, live oaks, and public institutions. Downtown is served by public transit, including free circulation shuttles and a ferry system. Major employers include manufacturing (Gulfstream Aerospace), the Port of Savannah, Fort Stewart military complex, healthcare, and education. A new Hyundai electric vehicle plant represents significant new employment on the horizon.

Gadsden serves a community with limited household resources and acute academic need. The school's role is providing early literacy and numeracy instruction to students who begin below grade-level expectations. Strengths in the school's execution, additional staffing, or targeted programming are not described in the available data, so a parent would benefit from direct conversation with school staff about instructional strategies, intervention supports, and the lived experience of learning there.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 327%

School 27% · District 34% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 434%

School 34% · District 42% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 511%

School 11% · District 29% · ▼ 18 pts below district

▼ 27 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 313%

School 13% · District 26% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 421%

School 21% · District 32% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 510%

School 10% · District 33% · ▼ 23 pts below district

▼ 28 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Science

Grade 515%

School 15% · District 35% · ▼ 20 pts below district

▼ 25 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Social studies

Grades 3-869%

School 69% · district not reported

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below 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.