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Georgia Promise for homeschool families

Education savings account · Georgia · 2026-27 · checked Oct 12, 2026 against 8 sources · General information, not legal or financial advice.

Your Georgia Promise to-do

  1. Enroll in the program's own category
    Only a child coming from a Georgia public school (enrolled for the prior two consecutive semesters) or entering kindergarten, living in an eligible attendance zone, can apply; a child who is already homeschooled cannot. Once in the program the family may choose home study under O.C.G.A. § 20-2-690(c) (declaration of intent by September 1 and the usual home study rules) instead of a private school.
  2. Apply for the Georgia Promise Scholarship (2026 windows)
    March 1-31 and May 1-31, 2026 (full 2026-27 year; the only windows for incomes above 400% of the poverty level); August 1-31 and November 1-30, 2026 (second half of 2026-27 only). Decisions come after each window closes.
  3. Annual recertification
    By May 31 each year; a student who misses it leaves the program and must reapply as new.
  4. Upload annual test results
    By June 30 each year (testing is done in the spring semester).
  5. Appeal an ineligibility decision
    Request the appeal within 60 days of the ineligibility notice, then submit all documents within 30 days. Only one appeal.
  6. Application periods for 2027
    GESA publishes next year's application periods by December 15 each year.

What Georgia Promise says

Georgia Promise Scholarship Program, run by Georgia Education Savings Authority (GESA).

Homeschoolers
Only by enrolling in the program's own category
Only a child coming from a Georgia public school (enrolled for the prior two consecutive semesters) or entering kindergarten, living in an eligible attendance zone, can apply; a child who is already homeschooled cannot. Once in the program the family may choose home study under O.C.G.A. § 20-2-690(c) (declaration of intent by September 1 and the usual home study rules) instead of a private school.
Amount
WhoGradesPer year
Promise Scholarship (maximum)K-12$6,500
Up to $6,500 for 2026-27, paid in four quarterly installments; GESA may keep up to 5% for administration. Applicants in the August or November windows are funded only for the second half of the year.
What you can spend on
  • Tuition, fees and required textbooks at participating private schools, postsecondary institutions or nonpublic online learning programs
  • Curriculum and supplemental materials approved by GESA
  • Tutoring services provided by an educator certified by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission
  • Services from a physician or licensed therapist for occupational, behavioral, physical or speech-language therapies
  • Transportation from/to a service provider (up to $500 per year)
  • Additional expenses authorized by GESA (the Marketplace list includes online classes, educational software and apps, electronics within price limits, and approved test fees)
What a receipt must show
Not verified yet
Where you submit
Odyssey (GESA program portal and Marketplace) · site
Both direct pay and reimbursement
Learning plan
Not required
Testing
Yes. Every year, in the spring semester, the student takes a GESA-approved nationally norm-referenced test (for example Iowa, Stanford 10, NWEA MAP, CLT, i-Ready, TerraNova; some are sold in the Marketplace) or the Georgia statewide assessment (requested in writing from the resident school system). Home study families upload the test date, test name, scores (all raw data and percentiles for norm-referenced tests) and a PDF or image of the official results by June 30.
Renewal
No new application each year: a participating student stays in the program, but the family must complete the annual recertification by May 31 and keep testing every year. A student who returns to public school, moves out of Georgia, graduates, or misses recertification must reapply as new.
Eligibility: parent a Georgia resident for at least 1 year (active-duty military exception); student enrolled in a Georgia public school for the prior two consecutive semesters or entering kindergarten; living in the attendance zone of a school on the GOSA list of the lowest-performing 25% of public schools (the list released each December applies to the next calendar year). Once in, a student stays eligible even if the school leaves the list.
Priority when applications exceed funding: returning students, then siblings, then new students at or below 400% of the federal poverty level, then former participants, then new students above 400%; a random draw within the last group. Not first come, first served.
Payment is mainly through the Odyssey Marketplace: parents direct funds to approved schools, providers and vendors. Purchases outside the Marketplace are not reimbursed, except transportation (up to $500 a year, to and from a participating school or provider).
Up to 50% of the year's award rolls over to the next year. An account inactive for two consecutive school years, or after high school graduation, is closed and the money returns to the state.
Cannot be combined with the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship or a student scholarship organization (GOAL tax-credit) scholarship. Funds may not go to family members or their businesses.
Students stay eligible until they return to public school, graduate, or turn 20 (21 for special education students). Moving to another district inside Georgia does not end participation.

Sources

General information, not legal or financial advice. Programs change their rules every year; check with Georgia Education Savings Authority (GESA) before you spend. If something looks wrong, tell us.

How Homepen helps

Homepen keeps your days, hours and records, and reminds you of the testing deadline. A receipt vault (snap a receipt, pick the child and category, mark it submitted) is coming in a later version.

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