Georgia Promise Scholarship sends DeKalb County girl to Catholic school
Family excited to receive Georgia Promise Scholarship
A DeKalb County family says their daughter is going to the Catholic school where her mom works thanks to the Georgia Promise Scholarship. The committee over the program said most families receiving the scholarship are low income. Public school advocates are watching the roll-out with skepticism.
DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - A DeKalb County family who received the Georgia Promise Scholarship is sharing why they applied for the program.
DeKalb Kindergartner gets Georgia Promise
What we know:
More than 8,500 students are receiving scholarships toward private school tuition this fall.
One of those recipients is Olivia Wilkinson’s daughter, Victoria.
The DeKalb County Kindergartner will attend Saint Peter Claver Regional Catholic School using the scholarship.
Guidance counselor using Georgia Promise
What they're saying:
"It's a blessing. I grew up going to Catholic schools and, now, Catholic schools are very expensive," Wilkinson said.
Wilkinson works as a guidance counselor at the school, so she receives an employee discount. With that and the $6,500 Georgia Promise Scholarship, she’ll pay $2,250 for Victoria to attend the school.
She said she previously worked in the public school system before moving to the Catholic school. She believes in public education, but says the voucher program is the right choice for her family.
"Here she gets to become one of 20. It's a tremendous difference," Wilkinson said. "It's one of the best Catholic schools, and it's just seven minutes from my home."
Low-income families receiving Georgia Promise
Dig deeper:
The Georgia Student Finance Commission administers the $140 million scholarship fund.
Its president, Chris Green, said three out of four families receiving the scholarship are considered low-income. He also noted that one-third of scholarship recipients are rising kindergartners like Victoria.
"We're off to a very strong start," said Green. "I think it's normal if parents are thinking ahead they say, 'My child is zoned to attend a low-performing elementary or middle school.' I think it's natural to see what other options are out there."
Advocates skeptical over scholarship
The other side:
Public school advocates are monitoring the scholarship rollout with suspicion.
"This is an attempt at dual school systems in Georgia, and we are not fully funding our public schools," said Lisa Morgan, president of the Georgia Association of Educators.
Georgia Promise applications
What's next:
Georgia Promise will allow families to apply for spring scholarships in the coming months.
Georgia Promise Scholarship by district
By the numbers:
In total, 8,559 students received the Promise Scholarship for Fall 2025.
DeKalb County topped the list for the most scholarships awarded.
Here is a breakdown of Georgia Promise recipients by county and city school district as of July 22:
- DeKalb County 872
- Henry County 790
- Bibb County 582
- Richmond County 485
- Savannah-Chatham County 427
- Newton County 412
- Clayton County 337
- Fulton County 288
- Atlanta Public Schools 276
- Rockdale County 257
- Gwinnett County 238
- Douglas County 236
- Muscogee County 214
- Griffin-Spalding County 213
- Cobb County 151
- Houston County 144
- Liberty County 129
- Paulding County 117
- Clarke County 106
- Baldwin County 105
- Hall County 81
- Washington County 78
- Dougherty County 77
- Meriwether County 75
- Wayne County 69
- Barrow County 69
- Thomaston-Upson County 65
- Whitfield County 64
- Coweta County 59
- Long County 59
- Bulloch County 57
- Peach County 52
- Troup County 50
- Lamar County 48
- Sumter County 45
- Wilkinson County 45
- Gainesville City 43
- Crawford County 42
- Forsyth County 41
- Butts County 40
- Putnam County 36
- Columbia County 36
- Jefferson County 36
- Carroll County 35
- Murray County 34
- Banks County 33
- Floyd County 30
- Toombs County 29
- Brooks County 29
- Valdosta City 28
- Oglethorpe County 28
- Rome City 27
- Twiggs County 25
- Lumpkin County 24
- Lowndes County 23
- Macon County 23
- Coffee County 20
- Bartow County 20
- Pulaski County 19
- Polk County 18
- Mitchell County 18
- Elbert County 18
- Hancock County 16
- Vidalia City 16
- Dooly County 15
- Pickens County 15
- Dalton Public Schools 14
- Tattnall County 14
- Laurens County 13
- Montgomery County 13
- Irwin County 13
- Habersham County 13
- Marion County 13
- Catoosa County 12
- Talbot County 11
- Greene County 11
- Evans County 11
- Turner County 11
- Social Circle City 10
- Worth County 9
- Dodge County 9
- Appling County 8
- Monroe County 8
- Telfair County 8
- Chattooga County 8
- Taylor County 7
- Early County 7
- Crisp County 7
- Fayette County 6
- Emanuel County 6
- Tift County 6
- Quitman County 6
- Decatur County 6
- Dade County 6
- Berrien County 6
- Effingham County 5
- Bryan County 5
- Harris County 5
- Dublin City 5
- Webster County 4
- Walker County 4
- Cherokee County 4
- Jones County 4
- Candler County 3
- Randolph County 3
- Screven County 3
- Walton County 2
- Thomasville City 2
- Miller County 2
- Lincoln County 2
- Jackson County 2
- Ben Hill County 2
- Lanier County 2
- Terrell County 1
- Warren County 1
- City Schools of Decatur 1
- Heard County 1
- Carrollton City 1
- Chattahoochee County 1
- Charlton County 1
- Glascock County 1
- Baker County 1
- Jasper County 1
- Cook County 1
- Bleckley County 1
- Burke County 1
- Rabun County 1
- Calhoun County 1
- Jenkins County 1
- Johnson County 1
- Dawson County 1
- Active Duty Military Exemption 21
The Source: Information in this article came from FOX 5's Kevyn Stewart speaking with the family, Education leaders and data from the Georgia Promise Scholarship.