When we moved to Grovetown, my daughters were starting at new schools, so the district question wasn't abstract for us. It was the first filter on every neighborhood we looked at. If schools are on your mind too, this one's for you.
Jesus, Editor at The CSRA Brief
The three districts
Okay, so here's the thing nobody tells you on day one: in Georgia, your county picks your kid's school district. Not your neighborhood. Not your realtor. Your county. Additionally, because the Savannah River is also a state line, the rules change completely depending on which side of it you land on. To add to the complexity, some cities might be located across two different counties which adds to the complexity.
There are three districts that cover just about everyone here, so let me walk you through them.
Richmond County
If you're in Richmond County (Augusta, Fort Gordon, Hephzibah, and Blythe) your kids go to Richmond County schools. It's the big one: more than 28,000 students, per the district's homepage. Last year's graduating class hit an 81.7% graduation rate, holding steady from the year before (district report, September 30, 2025).
Columbia County
Live in Evans, Martinez, Grovetown, or Harlem? That's Columbia County's district. Their Class of 2025 graduation rate was 92.96% (district homepage). For a little context, Georgia as a whole hit 87.2% last year, which was actually a record high.
Aiken County
And then there's the South Carolina side. North Augusta and the rest of Aiken County fall under the Aiken County Public School District, more than 22,000 students came back for the first day.
Worth knowing before it surprises you: Aiken County runs a modified year-round calendar, so school started July 20 this year, weeks before the Georgia districts.
By the numbers
Quick side-by-side of those graduation numbers, since I know you're comparing:
92.96% — Columbia County, Class of 2025 (ccboe.net)
81.7% — Richmond County, Class of 2025, holding steady (RCSS, Sept 30, 2025)
87.2% — Georgia statewide, Class of 2025, a record high (GaDOE, Sept 29, 2025)
What if the zoned school isn't the right fit?
Now that we have the school districts out of the way, let’s talk about schools within the district. What if the school you're zoned for isn't the right fit? You've got options, but they work differently depending on which side of the river you're on.
Richmond County magnets and transfers
In Richmond County, four magnet schools take applications from anywhere in the district: Davidson Fine Arts, C.T. Walker Traditional (K-5), A.R. Johnson Health Science and Engineering (6-12), and the Richmond County Technical Career Magnet (6-12).
Heads up: applications for the 2027-28 school year open November 1, 2026.
Georgia also has this thing called HB251, which lets Richmond County families request a transfer to a different county school. The standard window runs November 1 through May 1 every year.
In plain English, what this means is that if the school you have been assigned to isn’t a good fit, you can request for your kids to attend another school within the same district.
Columbia County programs
Over in Columbia County, the verified options include an IB Diploma Programme, the Columbia Virtual Academy for online learning, and career-tech pathways like engineering and forensic science at the regular high schools (ccboe.net course catalog).
Aiken County magnets
And in Aiken County, three partial magnet schools take applications from any student in the county: Jackson STEM Magnet Middle, New Ellenton Middle STEAM Magnet, and East Aiken School of the Arts (acpsd.net).
The on-post myth
Clearing this up because it confuses a lot of people: the school on Fort Gordon is not a Department of Defense school. Freedom Park is a K-8 public school run by Richmond County, serving about 600 kids, mostly post-families. DoDEA doesn't operate any school at Fort Gordon. After 8th grade, on-post students go to Richmond County schools.
Private schools
What about private school? Eight verified options around here:
Westminster Schools of Augusta
Aquinas High School
Episcopal Day School
St. Mary on the Hill
Curtis Baptist School in Augusta
Augusta Christian Schools over in Martinez
Mead Hall in Aiken
Victory Christian in North Augusta
Go deeper
If you want the deep version with links to every district site, the magnet application pages, and the transfer rules, I put it all in one guide: Read our guide: Augusta GA Schools: The Districts, Explained for Newcomers.
Jesus's take
So here's my honest take: if schools are driving your move, start with the district map, not the house listing. Figure out which county you're in, read up on that district's choice options, then go shop neighborhoods. It flips the whole search from stressful to straightforward.
Your Monday poll
How much did schools shape where you live in the CSRA?
A) Deciding factor
B) Mattered some
C) Not much
D) No school-age kids
Just reply with your letter. I'll share the results in Wednesday's issue.
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