Education funding in Georgia
4 programs in Georgia, 1 open to homeschoolers. Each links to the program’s official sources.
Georgia Promise Scholarship
Homeschoolers can qualify From official sources October 7, 2026 Not open yet
Yes, if the child qualifies. The state says the program supports nonpublic schooling including home study, and families choose "Home-study" as the educational method. A student must have been enrolled in a Georgia public school for two consecutive enrollment counts or be a rising kindergartner, and live in the attendance zone of a public school on the state's eligible-school list. A child who is already homeschooled and not entering kindergarten does not qualify. Funds can pay for curriculum, tutoring by a Georgia-certified educator, licensed therapies and transportation to providers (up to $500 a year), but not services billed by family members. The 2026-27 award is up to $6,500, and up to 50% of a year's award can carry forward.
Dates and status: For 2026-27 the award is up to $6,500, paid in four quarterly installments. The final two 2026-27 application windows are August 1-31 and November 1-30, 2026. Only families with household income at or below 400% of the federal poverty level are considered for enrollment in the spring semester. If applications exceed funding, current participants come first, then siblings of participants, then families at or below 400% of the federal poverty level, then former participants reapplying, then new students above that income.
Federal Scholarship Tax Credit (Educational Choice for Children Act) - state participation
Program doesn’t say whether homeschoolers qualify From official sources October 7, 2026 Not open yet
Scholarships under the federal credit pay for "qualified elementary and secondary education expenses," which federal law ties to a student's enrollment or attendance "at a public, private, or religious school." The law does not mention homeschooling, so whether homeschool costs qualify is not settled in the official text.
Dates and status: Georgia has opted in for 2027 and is on the IRS list of states that elected to participate. Donors can claim a federal credit of up to $1,700 starting Jan. 1, 2027.
Georgia Special Needs Scholarship (GSNS)
Not open to homeschoolers From official sources October 7, 2026 Applications open
No. State law says a home school cannot enroll scholarship students, and the scholarship can only be used at a participating private school. A child generally must have spent the prior school year in a Georgia public school with an IEP or a qualifying 504 Plan.
Dates and status: For 2026-27, the Department of Education's Scholarship Calculator is open for families to get award letters, and a 2026-27 participating private school list is posted. Families who cannot find their child's award, including 504 Plan students, submit a Parent Inquiry Form. The award is the lesser of the state formula amount or the private school's tuition and fees.
Qualified Education Expense Tax Credit (student scholarship organizations)
Not open to homeschoolers From official sources October 7, 2026
No. Donations go to student scholarship organizations, and Georgia law describes the scholarships as paying tuition and fees for a qualified school or program. Homeschool expenses are not listed.
Dates and status: Donors must get preapproval through the Georgia Tax Center. The statewide credit cap is $120 million per tax year for tax years on or after Jan. 1, 2023.