Summary:
Zip code 31522 on Saint Simons Island, Georgia, is served by two top-performing elementary schools—Oglethorpe Point Elementary School and St. Simons Elementary School—both part of the Glynn County School District and both serving grades PK-5 with enrollments of 486 and 462 students, respectively.
Both schools rank in the top 10% of all Georgia elementary schools, but they achieve this in different ways. Oglethorpe Point Elementary is the area’s consistent elite performer, ranking 81st statewide (93rd percentile) with a stable 5-star rating for three straight years. Its math proficiency is remarkably uniform across grades—ranging from 75.4% to 79.5%—and its 5th grade science score (72.8%) leads the area. St. Simons Elementary is the rising star, improving its ranking every year from the 85th to the 90th percentile over two years. It posted the single highest subject score in either school: 87.2% proficiency in 3rd grade math, nearly 39 points above the state average. However, St. Simons shows a steeper grade-level decline in math, dropping 21.5 points from 3rd to 5th grade, and its 5th grade science (62.9%) trails Oglethorpe Point by nearly 10 points.
Demographically, the two schools serve different populations—44% of Oglethorpe Point students qualify for free/reduced lunch versus 69% at St. Simons—yet both achieve top-decile results. St. Simons also spends more per student ($18,474 vs. $17,272) and has a lower chronic absenteeism rate (9.7% vs. 12.3%), both well below district (15.0%) and state (17.7%) averages. Both schools maintain favorable student-teacher ratios around 12:1 and outperform state averages in every subject by 20-30 percentage points. For families, this means exceptional elementary options regardless of which school their child attends, with Oglethorpe Point offering consistency and St. Simons offering rapid improvement and strong early-grade instruction.
Thank you for your feedback!