WHAT IS?
GEORGIA PROMISE SCHOLARSHIP
Georgia has paved the way for greater educational opportunities by passing the Georgia Promise Scholarship Act.
This revolutionary bill will create a new scholarship program to expand education options for Georgia students.
Launching in 2025, this program will allow eligible families to receive funds amounting to $6,500 in an online savings account to pay for tuition, homeschool expenses, and other personalized expenses.
Georgia is the third state to pass an education savings account law in 2024, joining 15 other states that have either launched or are in the process of launching an education savings account program!
WHO QUALIFIES?
To qualify for a Promise Scholarship Account in Fulton County, GA, students must meet certain criteria:
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Parents must be Georgia residents.
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The student must be enrolled in a Georgia public school that receives a D or F grade from the state’s Department of Education (the bottom 25% of public schools).
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The student may be entering pre-kindergarten or kindergarten.
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Once eligible, a child remains eligible through 12th grade.
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The student cannot be enrolled in a local school system, charter school, or state charter school while participating in the scholarship program.
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Parents must agree to use accounts only for qualifying education expenses.
Priority will be given to students whose parents earn less than 400% of the federal poverty line (about $120,000 a year for a family of four in 2024); however, this is not a requirement to qualify.
The Georgia Promise Scholarships will be open for the 2025-26 academic year. However, the scholarship program has a 10-year expiration date, which means that it will sunset on June 30, 2035.
HOW TO APPLY
There’s no word on when officials will set up the new authority or get applications and accounts up and running once SB 233 becomes law. The bill does provide a broad outline that might be helpful for interested parents watching the program unfold.
Parents will need to apply to the education savings authority no later than the deadline it establishes after it gets off the ground. Once accepted, a child’s parents will take full responsibility for their account and ensure funds are only used to pay outstanding balances for their education option of choice, including the cost of transportation to and from the participating school or service provider.
If accepted, a student can get these funds until they either go back to a public school, graduate from high school, or turn 20 (age 21 for special education students). However, if a student used the program before going back to public school, they need to apply again if they want to use the program a second time.
If interested, please reach out to our administration office.