Key Points

• The Georgia Promise Scholarship is a statewide program that empowers parents to access the best education for their child. It creates state-funded scholarships that give eligible families up to $6,500 per student for each school year.
• Eligibility is limited to students zoned for low-performing public schools and who meet certain other criteria.
• Applications will be open for families during four periods in 2026. Sign up to be notified of application deadlines and tips.

Across the country and in Georgia, parents have been calling for more choice and flexibility in K-12 education. In 2024, Georgia took a major step forward by passing the state’s first-ever education savings account program, the Georgia Promise Scholarship.

The program started during the 2025-2026 school year, and it gives eligible families up to $6,500 per year to access the education opportunity best suited to their child’s needs. Visit the program website for more information on how to apply. 

What is the Georgia Promise Scholarship? 

The Promise Scholarship gives families financial support to access education opportunities outside the public school system. Families can receive up to $6,500 per year for approved education expenses. This type of program is also known as an education savings account.

How does the Georgia Promise Scholarship work?

The state sets aside the scholarship amount in an account that the parent can direct. Parents can use these funds to choose the education environment that supports their child’s unique learning needs.

When does the Promise Scholarship program open? 

There will be four application periods for families in 2026:

• March 1-31
• May 1-31
• August 1-31
• November 1-30

Families accepted into the program will receive funding for the 2026-2027 school year. See the Georgia Promise Scholarship website for more details.

What can Georgia families use Promise Scholarships for? 

Families can use the funds for a variety of educational expenses, giving them flexibility to choose the best education for their child’s needs. Approved expenses include: 

• Private school tuition and fees 
• Tutoring services 
• Textbooks and curriculums 
• Education therapies 
• Education-related technology 
• Transportation costs

Who can apply for a Promise Scholarship? 

To be eligible, families and students must meet the following criteria:

• Parents must have lived in Georgia for at least one year, with exceptions for active-duty military families.
• The student must be zoned for an eligible public school (one included on the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement’s list of the bottom 25% of public schools based on performance). 
• The student must have been enrolled in a Georgia public school for two consecutive semesters or be a rising kindergarten student.
• The student can’t be enrolled in a local school system, charter school, or state charter school while participating in the scholarship program.

The program prioritizes lower-income Georgia families. If applications exceed available slots, priority goes to families with household incomes below 400% of the Federal Poverty Level (roughly $129,000 for a family of four).

Parents must agree to use the accounts only for qualifying educational expenses. Once a child receives a scholarship, they remain eligible through 12th grade, until they enroll in a public school, or until they leave Georgia.

How is the Promise Scholarship amount determined?

Amounts have initially been set at $6,500, which is approximately the average per-pupil amount the state sends to local school districts based on Georgia’s current student funding formula. The final 2026-2027 scholarship amount will be announced soon.

Who does the Georgia Promise Scholarship help?

Parents: Parents know better than anyone that children are unique and that a one-size-fits-all education approach doesn’t work for most kids. Georgia’s Promise Scholarship gives parents financial support to access other education opportunities when the local public school isn’t the best fit.

Students: For families seeking alternatives to under-performing public schools, Promise Scholarships provide an opportunity for students to access other school options, including those that may not be available or affordable otherwise. 

Public schools: States with robust education choice programs see better outcomes for all students, including those in the public school system. Education savings account programs, in particular, have a track record of empowering public schools to improve their budgets and increase student achievement.

Are Promise Scholarships the same thing as school vouchers?

No, they’re two different types of programs. School vouchers allow parents to use public education dollars for private school tuition only. Parents can use the Promise Scholarship for a wider range of education expenses, offering families more flexibility. 

Are Promise Scholarships the same thing as 529 plans?

No. With a 529 plan, parents are responsible for contributing money to an account to save for their child’s education expenses. Promise Scholarships are state-funded and don’t require parents to contribute any of their own money. Parents can choose to use a Promise Scholarship account for education savings because up to 50% of unused funds can be carried forward to the next school year, but the account doesn’t have the same tax benefits that 529 plans do.

Do other states have programs like Georgia’s Promise Scholarship? 

Yes, 18 states have adopted some form of an education savings account program, including all of Georgia’s immediate neighbors. 

• Alabama passed the CHOOSE Act, which gives parents up to $7,000 annually per student to use for the education option of their choice.
• Florida expanded its program to universal school choice.
• In a 2023 bipartisan effort, North Carolina opened its education savings account program to all students, putting it on track to be the nation’s second largest program after Florida’s. 
• South Carolina has adopted nearly universal education opportunity.
• In early 2025, Tennessee expanded its Education Freedom Scholarship program to be open to any K-12 student who wants to apply.

Several other states are moving their education savings account programs to a universal eligibility set-up, where every kid has access regardless of income, race, zip code, or other circumstance. 

Georgia is paying attention, and legislators are considering options that will grant Promise Scholarship eligibility to more families. During the state’s 2025 legislative session, senators introduced SB 124, which would allow the children of active-duty military families to be eligible for the Promise Scholarship program, even if they aren’t zoned for a low-performing public school. Georgia lawmakers also introduced SB 152, which would grant eligibility to the biological or adopted children of foster parents, even if their local school isn’t under-performing. 

These bills didn’t become law in 2025, but they could be reintroduced in the 2026 legislative session. If they move forward, they could give more kids the best possible opportunities at school and in life. 

Do Promise Scholarships take money away from Georgia’s public schools? 

No. The Promise Scholarship is funded separately from the money allocated to public schools.

Will Promise Scholarships help low-income families? 

Yes. Programs like the Promise Scholarship are some of the most equitable education pathways for students. They give low-income families more opportunity to access schooling options that are often only available to families with greater financial resources.

Georgia’s Promise Scholarship is also set up to give lower-income families priority if applications exceed the number of slots available.  

Does the Promise Scholarship hurt homeschooling families? 

No. There are no provisions in the proposed law that would prevent homeschooling families from continuing down that education path. 

In fact, Georgia’s Promise Scholarship could make homeschooling an even more feasible option. Eligible families can use the funds to pay for curriculums, courses, tutoring, or other education resources needed to homeschool.

Does the Promise Scholarship hurt homeschooling families? 

No. There are no provisions in the proposed law that would prevent homeschooling families from continuing down that education path. 

In fact, Georgia’s Promise Scholarship could make homeschooling an even more feasible option. Eligible families can use the funds to pay for curriculums, courses, tutoring, or other education resources needed to homeschool.

Resources for families

Application details and FAQs

Georgia Promise Scholarship Program Family Handbook

Georgia Promise Scholarship Program Family Information Sheet

List of eligible public schools

Using the Promise Scholarship to homeschool

Resources for schools and service providers

Georgia Promise Scholarship Program Private School Handbook

Georgia Promise Scholarship Program Service Provider Handbook

The Georgia Promise Scholarship: what private schools need to know 

Georgia Promise Scholarship in the news

8,600 students approved for Georgia Promise Scholarship funding (Fox 5 Atlanta)

Georgia governor signs bill to launch “Promise Scholarships” (Washington Examiner)

Governor’s signature on school choice bill is good first step (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Predictions of doom for Georgia’s Promise Scholarship are already falling apart (Georgia Public Policy Foundation)

Thousands of Georgia families opt for alternative education path using Promise Scholarship (Atlanta News First)