From preschool to post-graduate studies, academic institutions in the Augusta area offer high-quality education that is award winning, accessible and affordable. A wide array of choices is available to students at all levels of education. Richmond and Columbia counties together host public and private learning institutions that span pre-school through Ph.D.
Public Schools
Programs in both Richmond and Columbia counties are available to assist gifted students, students with special needs and economically disadvantaged students. Tech prep prepares high school students for the workplace through a combination of academic and technical training. Magnet (available only in Richmond County), advanced placement and gifted programs challenge and stimulate educationally advanced students. Students in Richmond and Aiken counties can apply to participate in a rigorous curriculum with an international perspective called the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program. The Academy of Richmond County, North Augusta High School and Aiken High School offer this college preparatory course of study for highly motivated, qualifying students. Students with developmental challenges receive special education services which include regular classroom placement with child-centered aid as well as full-day programs in specialized facilities.
The Georgia Public Policy Foundation (GPPF) consistently ranks public schools in Richmond and Columbia counties among the best in the state. The 2010 Georgia Education Report Card for Parents, which can be accessed online through the Foundation’s website, www.gppf.org, ranks Georgia schools based on standardized test scores. In the most recent rankings for public high schools, Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School and A.R. Johnson Health Science and Engineering Magnet school, both located in Richmond County, were ranked first and second in the state, respectively. Davidson has twice been recognized as a National Magnet School of Excellence, one of only 16 magnet schools in the nation to receive this award in 2003, and has consistently been recognized for the top SAT scores in the state of Georgia for over a decade. In 2011, Newsweek named Davidson the 75th best high school, out of 500 listed, in the nation. Among middle schools, based on 2011 Georgia Criterion-Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) scores, SchoolDigger.com ranks Davidson’s and C.T. Walker Traditional Elementary School’s 6th, 7th and 8th grades 1st and 21st in the state, respectively.
In Columbia County, where the school system is growing rapidly, Greenbrier High School ranked 30th and Lakeside High School ranked 34th of all high schools in Georgia. Using 2011 CRCT scores, SchoolDigger.com ranks Stevens Creek Elementary 11th, Stallings Island Middle School 22nd and Greenbrier Middle School 31st in the state. Overall, the Columbia County School District comes in at 14th in Georgia.
The Georgia Lottery for Education’s HOPE funded pre-kindergarten program provides a full-day formal education program for 4 year-olds, regardless of need and free of charge. Overseen by the Georgia Department of Education, state certified teachers guide students through school readiness skills in approved facilities at county schools, as well as private day cares and preschools. Georgia’s pre-K program has been described as the largest preschool initiative, per capita, in the nation.
Other major HOPE initiatives include funding computer equipment and capital construction outlays to K-12 public schools. In addition, HOPE has enabled hundreds of thousands of Georgia students to attend public colleges, universities and technical schools tuition-free or to receive partial tuition assistance for a private college or university. HOPE, with eligibility determined by grades, not by finances, is considered one of the best scholarship programs in the nation. Students can benefit from the HOPE scholarship at one of 13 educational institutions of higher learning within a 150-mile radius of Augusta.
Private Schools
For those who prefer a private or parochial education, the Augusta area offers nearly 20 different schools serving students preschool through 12th grade. Parents searching for a particular environment, level of rigor or opportunity for participation in athletics or the arts are sure to find a perfect fit for their child. Open Door Preschool, founded in 1964, one of the area's oldest providers of education for young children ages 2 - 4, is a non-sectarian, non-profit, parent-run facility. Episcopal Day School (EDS) also offers pre-kindergarten education in a nurturing environment. Students may attend EDS through grade 8. Similarly, St. Mary on the Hill admits students in grades K-8th. Westminster Schools of Augusta serves students in grades pre-k through 12, while Augusta Preparatory Day School enrolls 3 year-olds through 12th grade and Augusta Christian School accepts students in grades K-12. Aquinas High School focuses on 9th through 12th grade education. The admissions offices of area private schools encourage campus visitations by prospective students and their parents.
Colleges and Universities
Georgia Health Sciences University (GHSU), formerly the Medical College of Georgia, is the University System of Georgia's premier health sciences university and located in the heart of Augusta. Growing at a rapid pace, GHSU’s academic and research programs have fueled campus expansions, including a dedicated cancer research facility and companion cancer clinical treatment center, as well as a new state-of-the-art dental school; the only dental school in the state. Recently, GHSU and the University of Georgia forged a medical partnership centered in the downtown medical corridor of Athens. Additionally, GHSU seeks to establish an Atlanta campus.
As a major research university, GHSU’s research funding approaches $100 million. Notably, it is the site of historically significant medical milestones, including a cure for pellagra. Current research initiatives focus on diseases that affect many Georgia families, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes/obesity, neurological disease, infection/inflammation and vision problems.
While the main campus is in Augusta, GHSU students also learn alongside healthcare practitioners in private offices, clinics and hospitals throughout the state. More than 2,700 students are currently enrolled in the baccalaureate, masters, doctoral and professional degree programs at GHSU’s Schools of Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Studies, Medicine and Nursing. Additionally, over 470 medical and dental residents complete specialty training in orthopedic surgery, emergency medicine, family medicine, obstetrics-gynecology, general dentistry, orthodontics and periodontics.
Like GHSU, Augusta State University (ASU) and Paine College hold firm footings on the landscape of Augusta’s history, essentially ensuring its status as a true college town. Although formally founded in 1958, ASU’s roots date back to 1783, about 100 years before Paine College was established in 1882. Both schools offer an undergraduate liberal arts education. Augusta State also awards degrees in graduate and cooperative doctoral programs. Formerly Augusta College, It became a member of the University System of Georgia In 1958. In 1996, Augusta College became Augusta State University, following a University System of Georgia name change for most four year colleges.
As Augusta has grown, the campus and facilities of Augusta State University have grown with it, reflecting that growth with a mix of the traditional and the modern technological. Students, about 7000 in number, attending the university earn degrees in education, business, social work, the arts, the humanities, the sciences and mathematics. Graduate degrees are available in education, business, psychology, and kinesiology. Furthermore, ASU offers joint enrollment for local high school students. On top of all that, ASU athletics, which contribute to a well-rounded student body, provide a community focus and infuse the local economy with tourism dollars, prove competitive on the regional and national levels. The golf team proudly brought home two back-to-back NCAA championships in 2010 and 2011 and the men’s basketball team played for the NCAA national championship in the 2007-2008 season and was ranked 3rd in the country in the 2009-2010 season.
Paine College, a private four-year liberal arts college, was collaboratively founded in 1882 by white and African-American Methodists for the purpose of providing education for newly freed slaves. Paine College is still supported by the Methodist Church and primarily serves African-American students. The 57-acre campus hosts close to 900 students seeking degrees in business administration, humanities, social sciences, education, natural sciences and mathematics.
Augusta Technical College, with an enrollment of about 7000 students, has the distinction of being the only technical school in Georgia to win the U.S. Secretary of Education’s Award of Excellence. The school coordinates the state-funded Quick Start program that trains employees for businesses opening or expanding their operation in the region. According to the Georgia Quick Start program website, this custom-designed training program has received national recognition from Fortune and Expansion Management magazines. The Aspen Institute College Excellence Program has also identified Augusta Tech as one of the 120 best community colleges in the nation, making Augusta Tech eligible to compete for $1 million in prize monies to be awarded in December 2011.
Other opportunities for higher education abound in the Augusta area. Several private colleges with extensive campuses provide courses of study designed for traditional and non-traditional students. Virginia College, University of Phoenix, Georgia Military College, Brenau University, Miller-Motte Technical College and Troy University meet the ever increasing demand for higher education. Commuting to the University of Georgia in Athens takes about one-and-a-half hours and Georgia Southern in Statesboro is about a two-hour drive. Attending classes at the University of South Carolina in Columbia is easily managed with only an hour’s drive from Augusta (the Aiken campus is about a half-hour drive).