CHECKED 2026-10-07 · 2026-2027

Georgia Private School Scholarships: Promise and Other Options

Georgia Promise can help eligible K–12 students moving from public school or entering kindergarten. It has attendance-zone, public-school-history, residency and application rules. Georgia also has separate Special Needs and student-scholarship-organization options.

Status checked October 7, 2026: the next Promise student application window is November 1–30, 2026, for spring 2027 enrollment. October’s application window is for schools. Spring consideration is limited to households at or below 400% FPL. Official calendar and FAQ

Georgia Promise Scholarship

Award. Up to $6,500 per student for 2026–27, paid into an education savings account in four quarterly installments. The state may withhold up to 5% for administration. The $6,500 figure is an annual maximum; a spring entrant should confirm the actual semester award and funding dates rather than budget for a full year’s award.

Who is eligible. A student must meet all of the following:

Currently enrolled in a Georgia public school for two consecutive semesters, or a rising kindergartner.
Living in an eligible public-school attendance zone on the state’s published list. Check the current eligible attendance-zone tool linked from the program site, using the child’s residential address rather than a private school’s location.
A parent who has lived in Georgia for at least one year (active-duty military transferring in are exempt).

Income and priority. Fall enrollment has no general income cap, but when applications exceed funding, families at or below 400% of the federal poverty level get priority. For spring semester enrollment, only families at or below 400% of the federal poverty level are considered. Students who already receive the scholarship get priority over new applicants in future years.

Upcoming application window. The final 2026–27 student application window runs November 1 through November 30, 2026, for enrollment in the spring 2027 semester. Because it is a spring window, it is limited to families at or below 400% of the federal poverty level.

How opting in works. Each application period is for the next semester. If you apply in November, your child must stay enrolled in public school through the end of the fall semester, then withdraw before the spring semester starts. Keeping your child enrolled through the semester matters because the state counts enrollment for funding.

Eligible expenses. Private school tuition, fees, and required textbooks; approved curriculum and supplemental materials; tutoring by a Georgia-certified educator; services from a physician or licensed therapist (occupational, behavioral, physical, speech-language, and others); transportation to a service provider up to $500 per year; and other expenses the state approves. Up to 50% of the annual award can carry over to the following year.

Rules to know. A student cannot receive the Promise Scholarship while also receiving the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship or a scholarship from a Georgia student scholarship organization (the state's tax credit program). Students must complete annual testing and recertify by May 31 each year to stay in the program. Families do not need to reapply annually.

Participating schools. Schools must be in Georgia, be accredited or in the process of accreditation, demonstrate fiscal soundness, comply with health, safety, and antidiscrimination laws, and test participating students annually. The program publishes a list of participating private schools.

Other Georgia options

Georgia Special Needs Scholarship. A long-running voucher for students with disabilities who were previously enrolled in a Georgia public school and have an IEP or qualifying plan. The Georgia Department of Education publishes an individual award calculator and current participating-school list. Check its IEP or qualifying 504-plan conditions and any applicable exceptions. Families eligible for more than one program should compare actual offers; Promise and the Special Needs Scholarship cannot be received together. GSNS official guide

Student scholarship organizations (tax credit scholarships). Georgia's tax credit program lets individuals and businesses donate to nonprofit student scholarship organizations in exchange for a state tax credit. These organizations award scholarships to students at participating private schools, and eligibility rules vary by organization. Do not apply Promise’s attendance-zone test to the SSO route. Ask your school which organizations it works with and obtain that organization’s current eligibility and award rules. A donor’s tax credit is separate from the family’s scholarship. Georgia tax-credit program

Before leaving public school

Check the student’s eligibility and the receiving school’s admission decision separately. The program’s opt-in and withdrawal instructions are important: leaving public school too early can affect eligibility or timing. Keep a copy of the award and the school’s tuition agreement, and ask how deposits, term billing and quarterly payments fit together.

For a child receiving special-education services, ask the receiving school what services it actually provides, what costs extra, and what changes when the family leaves public school. A scholarship award does not by itself guarantee the same services.

Work out your remaining cost

Start with the school’s tuition and mandatory fees for the relevant semester. Subtract only the confirmed award and school aid that the school says can be combined. Add transport, aftercare and any services outside the eligible-expense rules. Ask about refund obligations if you withdraw or lose program eligibility.

Georgia is on the IRS participating-state list for the 2027 federal scholarship tax credit. Do not assume a future SGO award can automatically be combined with Promise: Promise already restricts receiving certain other scholarship benefits, and the specific funding arrangement must be checked. For school aid, 529 savings and payment plans, see how to pay for private school.

Official sources and updates

Checked October 7, 2026. Program rules and application status can change. Confirm the current requirements before applying or committing to a school.

This guide provides general educational information. It does not determine admission, scholarship eligibility, an award, or an individual tax result.