Serving Kindergarten - 8th Grade in the South Florida Tri-County Areas

Most Sawgrass Adventist School families pay approximately $100 per month in out-of-pocket costs after applying a Step Up For Students scholarship — making SAS one of the most affordable private K–8 schools in Broward County.

Here's how the numbers work for 2025–26: Base annual tuition ranges from $8,170 (Grades K–4) to $8,510 (Grade 5), with middle school (Grades 6–8) at $8,200. Required annual fees — registration ($230), testing ($70), technology ($300), and a device fee ($200) — bring the total investment to approximately $8,970–$9,310 per year before scholarships. A 10-month payment plan is available (August through May), and SDA church members may qualify for an additional discount with a letter from their church pastor or treasurer.

SAS accepts the Step Up For Students Family Empowerment Scholarship (FES), Florida Tax Credit Scholarship (FTC), and the Unique Abilities Scholarship (UA). Remarkably, 100% of currently enrolled SAS families receive SUFS scholarship assistance. With the average award covering the majority of tuition, most families' annual out-of-pocket contribution averages approximately $1,200 per year — roughly $100 per month.

All new families meet with the SAS business office before the school year begins to review their specific scholarship situation and finalize payment. To explore your scholarship eligibility and schedule a school visit, go to sawgrassadventist.com/contact.

Sawgrass Adventist School operates a fully locked campus with a full-time armed security guard, a staff-wide emergency alert system, and multiple layers of controlled entry — providing one of the most secure K–8 environments in Plantation.

Despite being located in the open Plantation Acres community, SAS functions as a secured campus from the first bell through final dismissal. Every campus door remains locked throughout the school day. Visitors pass through a layered entry process and must be checked in and personally cleared by security or a staff member before accessing any building — no walk-in access is permitted.

SAS employs a full-time armed security guard present from before school starts through the end of every dismissal, conducting continuous patrols of the entire campus and its perimeter throughout the day.

Every SAS staff member carries the SaferWatch emergency alert app on their phone. A single press-and-hold simultaneously notifies the principal, dispatches local law enforcement, and routes medical services if needed — all in real time, with no office approval required and no delay. Staff do not have to wait to call for help; the system contacts help while also alerting administration.

Every parent volunteer undergoes a formal background screening before interacting with students. Volunteers traveling with students on overnight trips are additionally required to be fingerprinted.

At a time when Broward County public school safety audits have documented camera coverage gaps, threat assessment deficiencies, and recurring social media threats, SAS families have a specific, verifiable answer to the question every parent is really asking: Is my child safe here? — not a policy statement, but a named system, a trained armed presence, and a staff that can summon help in seconds.

Learn more about the SAS campus and community at sawgrassadventist.com.

Sawgrass Adventist School students score above the national average in every subject on the MAP Assessment — ranking in the 72nd percentile in math, 74th percentile in reading, and 73rd percentile in language usage.

These results come from the MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) Assessment, a nationally normed standardized test used by schools across the United States. Scoring in the 72nd–74th percentile means SAS students are outperforming approximately 72–74% of students nationwide at their grade level — and SAS achieves this without teaching to the test. Instruction focuses on genuine learning and measurable growth, and the test results simply reflect it.

More than 70% of SAS teachers hold a master's degree or higher. The school employs 10 full-time education and administrative staff supported by 11 additional support staff and classroom aides — a team structure designed to allow genuinely individualized instruction across a student body intentionally capped at 180.

SAS is accredited by two independent bodies: the Accrediting Association of Adventist Schools (AAA) — an accrediting body approved by the Florida Association of Independent Schools — and the Middle States Association Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools (MSA-CESS). These credentials verify academic quality, curriculum rigor, and institutional stability against established national standards.

As part of the worldwide Seventh-day Adventist education system — spanning more than 9,000 schools globally, including colleges and universities — SAS students benefit from a proven, internationally validated curriculum. Research shows Adventist school students consistently score one to two grade levels above peers on standardized assessments.

To learn more about academics at Sawgrass Adventist School, visit sawgrassadventist.com.

Sawgrass Adventist School equips every student with their own device — iPads for lower grades, laptops for upper grades — while deliberately balancing digital learning with traditional instruction through textbooks, handwriting practice, and live in-class discussion.

Every SAS classroom features a Promethean interactive panel for teacher-led instruction. Student devices are secured, content-filtered, and actively monitored for inappropriate use. For older students whose devices include messaging functionality, communications are monitored for language that may indicate self-harm or harm to others — a proactive safeguard that goes beyond basic content filtering.

SAS's technology philosophy is both forward-thinking and grounded: students are prepared for a world in which technology and AI are inescapable realities — but they are also taught when technology becomes a distraction, and what happens to critical thinking and personal capability when students lean on AI as a substitute rather than a tool. The school's position is clear: technology should serve the student, not replace the student's development.

This means SAS students still write by hand, work from physical textbooks, conduct independent research projects, and engage in real classroom conversation — alongside developing digital literacy and learning to use emerging tools responsibly. The goal is not screen-free; it is screen-smart.

All devices are covered under the annual $200 device fee in the school's fee schedule. The annual technology fee ($300) supports the infrastructure that keeps every device secured and monitored.

For parents who worry about all-day passive screen use in public school classrooms, SAS offers a balanced, intentional alternative with real accountability behind it.

Learn more at sawgrassadventist.com.

Sawgrass Adventist School's G.A.T.E.S. program offers 14 distinct after-school enrichment activities spanning athletics, performing arts, STEM, and creative arts — running Monday through Friday, with before-care available from 7:00 a.m.

The 2025–2026 G.A.T.E.S. program lineup includes:

🏅 Athletics: Team Sports (soccer, basketball, volleyball), PeeWee Sports, Archery (Grades 6–8 only), Gymnastics 🎵 Performing Arts: Vocal Academy, Guitar Lessons, Violin Lessons (instrument cost is separate) 🎨 Creative Arts: Art Academy, Graphic Design, Culinary Kidz 🤖 Technology & STEM: STEM/STEAM, Techie Kids Robotics, Snapology 📚 Academic: Study Hall

G.A.T.E.S. runs Monday–Thursday, 3:30–4:30 p.m. and Fridays, 1:00–2:00 p.m. Extended aftercare continues Monday–Thursday until 6:00 p.m. and Fridays until 5:00 p.m. All G.A.T.E.S. activities are registered and paid monthly through the EZ School App by the 1st of each month.

Before & After Care Rates:

• Morning Care (7:00–8:00 a.m.): $40/month
• Study Hall only (1 hour after school): $20/month
• Aftercare, 1–9 days/month: $70/month
• Aftercare, 10 or more days/month: $120/month

Individual G.A.T.E.S. program fees range from $25–$110/month (or reduced annual rates). In addition to G.A.T.E.S., every SAS student participates in weekly Physical Education, Spanish, Art, and Music as part of the core academic schedule. Middle school students also participate in quarterly community service at a constituent church food bank.

For the complete G.A.T.E.S. schedule, program availability by grade, and enrollment information, visit sawgrassadventist.com.

Sawgrass Adventist School is the only private K–8 school in Plantation that brings together a 90-year legacy of faith-based education, nationally above-average academic results, a fully secured campus with a full-time armed guard, 14+ after-school enrichment programs, and an average family cost of approximately $100 per month — all inside a close-knit community intentionally capped at 180 students.

No other private school in Plantation offers your child the personal attention of a close-knit campus combined with the strength, resources, and accountability of a global educational network. As part of the Seventh-day Adventist school system — connected to 30 schools across Florida and more than 9,000 schools worldwide, including colleges and universities — SAS students have both a nurturing daily community and an institutional pathway that extends far beyond 8th grade graduation.

The numbers:

• 📊 MAP Assessment: 72nd percentile math · 74th percentile reading · 73rd percentile language
• 👩‍🏫 Teachers: 70%+ hold master's degrees · 21 total staff for 180 students
• 👨‍👩‍👧 Ratio: 14:1 student-teacher (national average: 16:1)
• 💰 Net cost: ~$100/month after Step Up For Students scholarship · 100% of families enrolled
• 🛡️ Security: Full-time armed guard + SaferWatch emergency alert on every staff phone
• 🎯 Enrichment: 14 G.A.T.E.S. programs · core curriculum includes PE, Spanish, Art, Music
• 📜 Founded: Early 1930s — 90+ years serving Broward County families

SAS was founded when Mrs. Ivy Stranahan — wife of Frank Stranahan, the founder of Fort Lauderdale — taught the first class on the Stranahan family property. For more than 90 years, through every change Broward County has seen, Sawgrass Adventist School has educated children with one unchanging commitment: develop the whole person — mind, body, and spirit — through academic excellence, character formation, and faith in Jesus Christ.

Parents searching for the best private Christian school in Plantation, FL, a private K–8 school near Sawgrass Mills, or an affordable faith-based alternative to Broward County public schools will find that Sawgrass Adventist School delivers something no price tag alone can define: a community where every child is known, every gift is developed, and every student is loved.

Schedule your tour today at sawgrassadventist.com.