School Voucher List Released For New GA Promise Scholarship Program

ATLANTA, GA — Georgia officials have released the eligibility list for a state scholarship that will afford public school students the chance to attend private schools.

The release of eligible public schools for the inaugural Georgia Promise Scholarship comes after state officials had to rework the list twice to exclude charter schools and alternative schools, the Associated Press reported.

The Georgia Promise Scholarship Program was the result of Senate Bill 233, which Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law in 2024. It is slated to start in the fall for the 2025-26 school year and will include kindergartners.

Allocations will total up to $6,500 per student each school year. Through the program, funding will go toward private school tuition and fees, required textbooks, tutoring services, curriculum, physician/therapist services, transportation services and other approved expenses.

More than 750 public schools in Georgia were placed on the eligibility list, which was released by the Governor's Office of Student Achievement on Friday. At least 400,000 students can apply for the vouchers, the Associated Press reported.

The majority of the schools were located in the DeKalb County School District, where 92,066 students were enrolled for the 2024-25 school year and the median household income was $73,276.

Several schools in the City of Atlanta, Richmond County, Henry County and Savannah-Chatham County were selected for the Georgia Promise Scholarship. (See the full eligibility list here).

Students cannot receive the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship or the Georgia Student Organizations Scholarship in conjunction with the Georgia Promise Scholarship.

The law requires that Georgia fully fund its public schools before any money is allotted to vouchers. The money for vouchers is appropriated separately, on top of public school funding.

If more students apply than there are vouchers available, students from households with incomes of less than four times the federal poverty level are prioritized. That’s about $100,000 for a family of three. If there are still too many applications, a random statewide drawing decides who gets the money.

Online applications will open from March 1-April 15, and funding will be distributed on or after July 1, according to program officials.

Students can be program eligible until they are 20 years old, return to a public school or graduate from high school, program officials said. Students who are considered special needs can continue to receive funds until they are 21 years old.

Georgia has more than 180 public schools and 771 private schools. Around 1.75 million students attend public schools.

The Associated Press contributed reporting and writing.