Introduction

Whether you live on post or off, there is no shortage of education options for your children in the Fort Benning area, from elementary, intermediate, and high schools to public and private schools. Not to mention preschools and daycare facilities for the little kids.

Schools on Fort Benning

School-age children living on post can enroll and attend the Department of Defense Fort Benning schools. There are certain eligibility requirements that must be met to enroll in an on-post school. To find more information, you can visit their website here. If you’re lucky enough to live on post at Fort Benning, your children will attend one of five DODEA schools in the Georgia/Alabama District. Fort Benning elementary and middle schools are designed to serve the unique needs of military families while remaining comparable to programs offered in Georgia public schools. Fort Benning high school students attend off-post schools in nearby counties of Muscogee, Chattahoochee, Russell, or Lee.

Fort Benning DoD Schools District

5701 Santa Fe Road Building #11800 Fort Benning, GA, 31905 Phone: 1 (706) 545-8232

Elementary Schools on Fort Benning

1. Dexter Elementary School

99 Yeager Ave., Bldg. 1400 Fort Benning, GA 31905 Phone: 1 (706) 545-3424 Dexter Elementary School enrolls roughly 360 pre-K through fifth grade students every year. The teacher to student ratio sits at 1:22 and the school boasts one computer for every two students. The school, on the main post of Fort Benning, was named after Vietnam War hero Maj. Herbert J. Dexter. Dexter Elementary’s school colors of red, white and blue, and its eagle mascot reflect the courage and bravery of Maj. Dexter.

2. McBride Elementary School

700 Custer Road, Bldg. 11310 Fort Benning, GA 31905 Phone: 1 (706) 544-9411 The new McBride Elementary School was opened in 2016 and designed for over 600 students and 70 staff members. The state-of-the-art facility is a teaching tool for science, technology, engineering, and math standards with a focus on energy conservation. The original McBride Elementary School was built in 1966 and named for Capt. Morris R. McBride who was mortally wounded while helping a fellow soldier during the Vietnam War.

3. Stowers Elementary School

7791 Stowers Drive, Bldg. 9610 Fort Benning, GA 31905 Phone: 1 (706) 544-2312 Stowers Elementary School is the largest elementary school on post, with nearly 650 students enrolled there. The elementary school also stands out by being named for the only African-American Medal of Honor recipient from World War I. Cpl. Freddie Stowers was given the award for his courage and bravery in leading his men to defeat the (French) enemy in the battle for Hill 188.

4. E.A. White Elementary School

9431 Custer Road, Bldg. 3030 Fort Benning, GA 31905 Phone: 1 (706) 545-1175 The staff at E.A. White Elementary School takes great care in making sure the transition to this school is a quick and positive one for the 500 students enrolled there. The school is named after 1st Lt. Edward A. White who was killed in action during the South Korean War in 1950. He was only 24 years old but had already achieved so much in his military career. The school’s designated purpose reflects that drive to be the best you can be.

Middle Schools on Fort Benning

5. Faith Middle School

1375 Ingersoll St., Bldg.1375 Fort Benning, GA 31905 Phone: 1 (706) 545-0310 Faith Middle School is the sole on-post middle school, enrolling nearly 550 students in sixth through eighth grades. Like Dexter, the school boasts a student-teacher ratio of 1:22. However, there is a 1:1 ratio of computers for students. The middle school was named for Fort Benning Lt. Cpl. Don C. Faith Jr. who was killed by Communist forces in North Korea in 1950. It took until 2013 for his remains to be recovered and subsequently buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Public Schools Near Fort Benning

Families that choose to live in off-post housing will need to enroll in schools within their associated district. Public school districts generally don’t allow out-of-district enrollment. There are two public school districts near Fort Benning, in Muscogee and Chattahoochee counties.

1. Muscogee County School District

2960 Macon Road Columbus, GA 31906 Phone: 1 (706) 748-2000 Muscogee County School District has plenty of choices for its nearly 33,000 students living in Columbus. The district has over 30 elementary schools to choose from, 12 middle schools, seven high schools, three specialty centers, and three system-wide magnet schools offering accelerated academic programs. A large majority of the student body has ties to nearby Fort Benning and the district offers military transition services to make things as easy as possible for transferring students.

2. Chattahoochee County School District

326 Broad Street Cusseta, GA 31805 Phone: 1 (706) 989-3774 Chattahoochee County Schools is a smaller district that serves the communities of Cusseta and Fort Benning South. There is one education center (combined daycare and elementary school), one middle school and one high school for a total student body of about 850. The district has a program to assist military children with communication techniques, conflict resolution, and deployment/reintegration issues.

Private Schools Near Fort Benning

Parents who choose to send their children to a private school near Fort Benning have quite a few options. Many of the private schools in the area have a religious affiliation but they do not skimp on academics. According to Private School Review, these are some of the best private schools in the Muscogee County area.

1. Brookstone School

440 Bradley Park Drive, Columbus, GA 31904 Phone: 1 (706) 324-1392 Brookstone School was established in 1951 and is Columbus’ only independent college preparatory program for children in pre-K through 12th grade. The school is separated into four tracks - lower, intermediate, middle, and upper - and gives students plenty of attention with small class sizes and a focus on Judeo-Christian ethics.

2. Calvary Christian

7556 Old Moon Rd. Columbus, GA 31909 Phone: 1 (706) 323-0467 Calvary Christian is affiliated with Calvary Baptist Church but the church doctrine isn’t the focus of instruction at the school as it has over 120 area churches represented there. The more than 700 kindergarten through 12th grade students benefit from gifted programs, AP classes, special attention for students with special needs, and AdvancED/SACS and ACSI accreditations.

3. St. Anne-Pacelli Catholic School

2020 Kay Circle Columbus, GA 31907 Phone: 1 (706) 561-8232 St. Anne-Pacelli Catholic School is a college preparatory school serving the southwestern portion of Georgia. The school interweaves its Catholic studies with a focus on academics and delivers both via relatively small class sizes. A quarter of the 750 students are tied to the military in some way.

Daycares Near Fort Benning

Leaving your child in someone else’s care is not easy for many parents. When looking for the right daycare facility, reading reviews on Care.com and Yelp and visiting a few options when possible is the best way to make a decision about where to send your child. Or, if you’re looking to secure childcare on post at Fort Benning, there are different options to choose from. On-post child care centers offer full-day, part-day, and hourly care for your child.

Conclusion

Moving every few years can certainly take its toll on you and your child. Ensuring that your child’s education is taken care of or securing child care right away helps alleviate this burden. There are plenty of educational options near (and on) Fort Benning to make sure your child’s mental and physical well-being will be well taken care of.