The basics of where Chattanooga kids go to school, public and private.
Public education is one district countywide: Hamilton County Schools
(HCS), Tennessee's largest district at ~44,000 students
(Wikipedia). Your
address zones you into a neighborhood school, but there are also
magnet/choice options and school-board districts (see the school board on
the Local Government page).
- Headquarters: 3074 Claude Ramsey Pkwy, Chattanooga 37421 · (423)
498-7020 · hcde.org
- Zone lookup: use the district's zone finder
to see which school your address feeds.
- School board: 11 elected members (D1-D11) oversee the district;
superintendent is Dr. Justin Robertson.
- Brainerd High (Brainerd)
- Central High (downtown/central)
- Early Technical College at Sequoyah (Soddy-Daisy area)
- East Hamilton High (East Hamilton / Collegedale area)
- East Ridge High (East Ridge)
- Hamilton County Collegiate High (early college program)
- Hixson High (Hixson)
- Lookout Valley / Middle High (Lookout Valley)
- Ooltewah High (Ooltewah)
- Red Bank High (Red Bank)
- Sale Creek Middle/High (6-12) (Sale Creek)
- Signal Mountain Middle High (Signal Mountain)
- Soddy Daisy High (Soddy-Daisy)
- The Howard School (downtown; the largest historically, with strong
athletics + a school-based health clinic)
Magnet schools are free public schools you apply/zoned into with a
specialty:
- Chattanooga School for the Arts & Sciences (CSAS) (K-12) and
Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts (CSLA) - the classic
"college-prep" magnets.
- Chattanooga High Center for Creative Arts (CCA) - arts focus.
- STEM School Chattanooga (Hamilton Place area) - science/tech.
- Normal Park Museum Magnet - museum-based learning.
- Tyner Academy - middle/high academy.
- East Lake Academy of Fine Arts, Battle Academy, Barger
Academy, Brown Academy - various themes.
- Hamilton County Virtual School - full-time online option, grades K-12,
free for county students (apply via the school-choice lottery)
(virtualschool.hcde.org).
Also look at Future Ready Centers / Institutes - career-focused
programs embedded in the high schools (engineering, health, IT, etc.), and
the district's STEM/choice offerings. Choice/magnet applications open in
winter each year for the following fall.
A Georgia address does not belong to Hamilton County Schools. Confirm
the district and school zone before enrollment or transportation planning.
| District |
Main contact |
Address / locator |
| Catoosa County Public Schools |
(706) 965-2297 |
307 Cleveland Street, Ringgold, GA 30736; use the district's current street-by-street zone report (catoosa.k12.ga.us) |
| Walker County Schools |
(706) 638-1240 |
301 North Cherokee Street, LaFayette, GA 30728 (walkerschools.org) |
| Dade County Board of Education |
(706) 657-4361 |
52 Tradition Lane, Trenton, GA 30752 (dadecounty-ga.gov) |
| Whitfield County Schools |
(706) 217-6780 |
3264 Cleveland Highway, Dalton, GA 30721 (wcsga.net) |
Attendance zones can change. Use the district's own locator or
transportation office for the exact address; do not infer enrollment from a
city name or ZIP code alone.
Chattanooga has a strong private school scene, dominated by a few
long-established schools (several are boarding/day with big reputations):
- Baylor School (K-12, Northshore/Chickamauga area) - one of the South's
largest independent day/boarding schools.
- McCallie School (all-boys, K-12, Missionary Ridge) - historic
boarding/day school.
- Girls Preparatory School (GPS) (all-girls, downtown/Missionary Ridge).
- Chattanooga Christian School (CCS) (K-12, East Brainerd) - large
Christian school.
- Silverdale Baptist Academy (K-12, East Brainerd) - Baptist school.
- Boyd Buchanan School (K-12, East Brainerd) - Christian school.
- Grace Academy (Hixson area), St. Nicholas School (episcopal,
downtown), Calvary Christian, Notre Dame (Catholic high school).
Tuition varies widely (independent schools are the most expensive; church
schools less so). Several offer need-based aid.
- University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) - public university,
the local four-year option.
- Chattanooga State Community College - community college + technical
programs.
- Southern Adventist University - private, Collegedale (adjacent
county boundary / Hamilton County).
- Richmont Graduate University - private grad school.
- See Moving to Chattanooga for the practical
"which schools for my kids" angle.
Last updated: September 2026.