Hesse School

Located at 9116 Whitefield Ave, in Savannah, Georgia, Hesse School is a high-enrollment elementary school that caters to 996 students (grades pre-K through 8), run under Savannah-Chatham County. Compared to the state average of about 605 students per school, that is 65% bigger than typical.

Savannah-Chatham County comprises 58 schools with combined enrollment of 36,355 students; Hesse School is among them.

On demographics, Hesse School logs that the most-represented group is White (36%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups; the rest reads as 35% Hispanic, 22% Black, 4% multiracial, 2% Asian. The wider county runs roughly 47% White, putting the school's mix visibly less White than the area baseline.

Looking at school resources, Hesse School records 75 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 13.3:1. The state averages about 13.3:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. About 71% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Hesse School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 40.8%; this one delivers 34.6%.

In the surrounding community, ACS estimates for Chatham County put median household income runs about $71,097, roughly 38% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 10%. Across Chatham County's 60 public schools (combined enrollment of about 36,380 students), Hesse School is one campus in the mix.

The STEM Academy at Bartlett is the nearest neighboring public school, about 1.4 miles from this campus. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. On composite proficiency, Hesse School comes 2nd of 8 in the immediate cluster, ahead of the nearby-schools average of 27.3%.

The school occupies a suburban site.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count decreased 23%: 1,300 students in 2018 compared to 996 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share ticked down from 55% to 36%. Class-load math has pulled in: from 16.4:1 in 2018 to 13.3:1 in 2025.

On allk12, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.