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Scholarship helps 7,600 Georgia students
The Georgia Student Finance Commission reports that more than 7,600 students used the Georgia Promise Scholarship Program in its first year to fund private school and tutoring.
ATLANTA - The Georgia Promise Scholarship program has provided thousands of students with $6,500 for private education during its first year, despite logistical hurdles and lower-than-anticipated enrollment.
Georgia Promise Scholarship growth
What we know:
The Georgia Student Finance Commission revealed that more than 7,600 students used the state-funded scholarship during the current school year. Most participants are located in DeKalb (721) and Henry (652) counties.
At Go Christian Academy in Douglas County, 24 students enrolled using the $6,500 award.
Only one came from a public school and the majority of the kids were kindergarten students.
That mirrors statewide numbers which show 38% were kindergarten kids. State data shows 45% of scholarship recipients are Black, 39% are white, and 4% are Latino.
Windsor Academy in Bibb County is the most popular private school in the program, with tuition reaching as much as $9,000 a year. The school has 106 participants.
Application and eligibility gaps
What we don't know:
While more than 20,100 students applied for the scholarship in 2025, fewer than half qualified for the program. It is not clear exactly why so many applicants were ineligible, though the state notes demand was high.
The exact number of new students expected to join the program for the upcoming school year is also unknown, though Chris Green, president of the Georgia Student Finance Commission, says demand is encouraging.
School funding and logistics
By the numbers:
Lawmakers initially set aside $141 million for the scholarship, but only about $50 million was used in the first year. $26 million has been used for tuition and fees. $6 million has been used for education expenses.
Just over $800,000 has been used by families for tutoring and various therapy services. The state says 71% of families use the money for private school tuition, with kindergarten being the most common grade for new students. At Go Christian Academy, officials say the $6,500 covers nearly the entire cost of tuition for many families.
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Georgia Promise Scholarship: 20,000 students apply for Year 1
The first year of Georgia’s ambitious Promise Scholarship program is seeing a massive wave of interest. According to new data from state scholarship officials, more than 20,000 students applied for the program during its inaugural window, with over 7,000 found to be immediately eligible to receive the $6,500 annual award. The program, designed to give families in lower-performing school districts more options for their children's education, is already sparking a heated debate between proponents of school choice and those advocating for traditional public-school funding.
Successes and setbacks
What they're saying:
"It's allowing people to make this choice that wouldn't have had it before," school officials at Go Christian Academy said. However, parents have reported frustration with communication and payment platforms. Verdailia Turner with the Georgia Federation of Teachers criticized the program, calling it "neo-segregation" by class and race. She believes the money will eventually help more middle-income families than needier ones. Chris Green noted that 4 out of 5 participating families come from lower-income households.
Future of student accounts
What's next:
The state expects participation numbers to shift as more families learn about the program. Gov. Brian Kemp has proposed fully funding the scholarship again for the 2027 fiscal year, despite a proposed one-time budget reduction of $86 million due to lower first-year participation.
The commission has completed interviews for a panel partially made up of parents to review the program. A full report is due in December.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from the Georgia Student Finance Commission, which provided data on scholarship participation and demographics, as well as direct interviews with officials from Go Christian Academy and the Georgia Federation of Teachers.