Georgia Promise Scholarship – Access Achieve Succeed

• • Brand new law effective November 2024.
  • Permits tax dollars to be used for non-public education expenses in K-12.
  • Award amount is up to $6,500 per student for the first year (2025-26).
  • The program is anticipated to serve a max of 21,000 students (out of 1.9 million.)
  • Must be a Georgia resident for one year or an active-duty military family.
  • If number of applicants exceed the number of available scholarships, selection will be prioritized by participating students, siblings of participating students, then based on family income that does not exceed 400 percent of federal poverty level.
  • Eligible schools to participate in the program must be located in GA, demonstrate fiscal soundness, must be accredited (or in the process of accreditation), and must comply with health, safety, and antidiscrimination laws.
  • An eligible school shall not be required to alter their practices, admissions policies, employment policies, or curricula to receive funds.
  • Other requirements (such as testing) for the schools are listed here.

Georgia Special Needs Scholarship

In 2022-23, 5,864 students received this scholarship to attend a participating private school.

• • Range of scholarship amounts are $1,580-$15,383.
  • Funding is based on a formula related to specific categories of need and amounts given to localities in state funding.

Georgia Private School Tax Credit (Student Scholarship Organization)

• • Georgia taxpayers can redirect a portion of their state taxes for a 100 Percent state tax credit to help private school education. (It cannot be specified for a certain child). Tax credit limit is $2,500 for single filer, $5,000 for joint, and 75 percent of annual tax liability for a corporation.
  • Scholarship organizations manage the donations, and qualifying schools have a process to distribute the funds.

Here are state laws on the topic of homeschooling:

• The following requirements shall be met
  • Notification of intent to home student to the superintendent of school in the local district where they reside. It must include the names and ages of students and address of where home study program is located. It must also include a statement “of the 12-month period being considered the school year for the program.
  • Parents may teach their own children if they hold at least a high school diploma or GED, or may employ a tutor with the same.
  • The home study program must include reading, language arts, math, social studies, and science.
  • Program must provide instruction equivalent to 180 school days of at least 4 ½ school hours.
• Special Education
  • Home school students meeting the legal requirements to qualify for special education services shall receive the same services as those students with special needs enrolled in private schools.
• Athletics
  • Home study students may participate in extracurricular activities in the resident district if they also enroll in and attempts to complete one qualifying course at the public school each semester.
  • The student must provide written notice of intent to participate and most recent annual progress assessment report and verification of academic achievement.

Religious Exemptions:

There is no standard procedure by which a parent can receive a religious exemption to homeschool.

The First Amendment states “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Many argue that a religious conviction to provide a home-based education is constitutionally protected and a state religious exemption law is not a requirement to be able to homeschool on religious grounds.

It should be noted that the U.S. Supreme Court in Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972) established that “Under the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment, a state law requiring that children attend school past eighth grade violates the parents’ constitutional right to direct the religious upbringing of their children.” (The case involved a challenge of a 16-year-old student to be exempt, so the scope was limited)