Georgia

Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Program

  • Voucher
  • Enacted 2007
  • Launched 2007

The Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Program allows students with a district recognized disability to attend private schools using state-provided funds equal to what would have been provided to the local school system of residence.

We do not administer this program.

Eligibility Test Apply

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  • 5,864

    Participating Students (2022–2023)

  • 12%

    of Students Eligible Statewide

  • 281

    Participating Schools (2022–2023)

  • $6,821

    Average Voucher Value (2022–2023)

  • 50%

    Value as a Percentage of Public School Per-Student Spending

Georgia’s Special Needs Scholarship Program Participation

Students Participating
School Year Ending
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Student Funding

Use of Funds

Parents may apply the scholarship to tuition; fees for student assessment; uniforms; physical therapy, speech therapy or occupational therapy; transportation provided by the participating school; meals; summer school programs; tutoring; and other materials, services, or activities as authorized by the department.

Funding Amount and Source

Funding for the program is provided through the school funding formula, which is issued over six payments. Funding varies by student age. Any qualifying Georgia K–12 student that wishes to participate may receive funding. Scholarships are worth up to the cost of the educational program a student would have received in public school at their local district, as calculated by the services the student received in the local school district as well as existing state funding formulas, but the scholarship may not exceed the private school’s tuition and fees. The scholarship amount is transferred from the state allotment for the student’s resident school district into a separate account for the scholarship program.

(Last updated July 15, 2024)

Student Eligibility

Eligibility requires the student’s parent currently resides in Georgia and has been a Georgia resident for at least one calendar year. The student must have an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or a 504-plan relating to specific conditions in effect for the previous school. Students are required to have spent the prior school year in attendance at a Georgia public school–defined as enrolled and reported by the school system at the time of both program counts in October and March. The student must have received special education services under the IEP or 504 plan at any point in the prior school year at the public school. Residency requirements and prior public-school attendance. Residency requirements and prior-public attendance are waived if the student’s parent is an active-duty military service member stationed in Georgia within the previous year. Prior public-school attendance is also waived if the student has been adopted or placed in a permanent guardianship from foster care pursuant to an order issued by a court of competent jurisdiction within the previous year, or the student previously met other program requirements and qualified for a scholarship. Incoming kindergarten students may qualify if the parents meet residency requirements or if they meet the active-duty military exception. The student must have received preschool special education or related services qualifying under Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in the previous year and the student must be five years of age by September 1 of the current school year.

(Last updated July 15, 2024)

EdChoice Expert Feedback

Georgia’s voucher for students with disabilities helps thousands of students access schools that are the right fit for them, but policymakers could do more to expand educational opportunity.  Eligibility for the scholarships is limited to students with special needs who have IEPs or 504 plans. About one in eight Georgia students are eligible to receive a scholarship. Statewide, one percent of students participate in one of Georgia’s private educational choice options (including the Qualified Education Expense Tax Credit).  The average scholarship size is about $6,600, which is about 54 percent of the average expenditure per student at Georgia’s district schools.  With the passage of SB 47, Georgia policymakers took a major step in expanding flexibility of parent use for the scholarship, though stopping short of a full-fledged ESA. Parents may apply the scholarship to tuition; fees for student assessment; uniforms; physical therapy, speech therapy or occupational therapy; transportation provided by the participating school; meals; summer school programs; tutoring; and other materials, services or activities as authorized by the department.  In order to expand access to educational choice, Georgia policymakers should convert the vouchers into full education savings accounts and expand them to serve all students. Georgia’s voucher program generally avoids unnecessary and counterproductive regulations.  (Last updated December 18, 2023) 

Rules and Regulations

Program Guidelines

  • Income Limit: None
  • Prior Year Public School Requirement: Yes
  • Enrollment Cap: None
  • Voucher Cap: Conditional
  • Testing Mandates: Pre- and post-assessments
  • Special Needs Pathway: Pathway
  • Miscellaneous: Annual parental satisfaction survey conducted by Department of Education

Participant and Family Guidelines

Education Provider Guidelines

  • Accreditation/Approval: Be accredited or in the process of becoming accredited by a recognized accrediting agency
  • Employment Standards:
    • Background checks for teachers
    • Teachers must have a bachelor’s degree or three years of experience in Education or Health
    • Provide parents with the credentials of teachers
  • Nondiscrimination: Comply with federal nondiscrimination requirements of 42 U.S.C. § 2000d
  • Calendar/Curriculum/Attendance: Report to parents and state regarding the academic progress of students
  • Financial: Demonstrate fiscal soundness by either having been in operation for at least one school year or submitting a financial information report, including information on whether the school is insured and has sufficient capital or credit to operate
  • Miscellaneous:
    • Notify state regarding intention to participate
    • Comply with all health and safety laws or codes that apply to private schools

(Last updated December 12, 2024)

Governing Statutes

O.C.G.A. §§ 20-2-2110 through 2118

(Last updated July 15, 2024)