1. Who can homeschool with the Georgia Promise Scholarship?
The Georgia Promise Scholarship is Georgia’s education savings account (ESA) program, run by the Georgia Education Savings Authority (GESA) with Odyssey as its program manager. News stories often call it a school voucher. Home study is allowed, but only for students who qualify through public school. GESA’s Family Handbook says students coming from public school “may elect to homeschool rather than apply to an eligible / participating private school,” and that families who already homeschool don’t qualify unless they meet the public-school requirement.
Under the Promise law (O.C.G.A. § 20-2B-22(a)) and GESA’s regulations, all of these must be true:
| Requirement | What it means for a homeschool family |
|---|---|
| Georgia residence | A parent has lived in Georgia for at least one year. Active-duty military families stationed in Georgia within the previous year are an exception. |
| Public school first | Your child is enrolled, and has been continuously enrolled, in a Georgia public school for at least two consecutive enrollment counts (Odyssey says “two consecutive semesters”), or is eligible for public kindergarten. A child starting kindergarten doesn’t need earlier enrollment. Students in active-duty military families are exempt from this rule. |
| School zone | You live in the attendance zone of at least one public school on the state’s “lowest 25 percent” list. Which school your child attends doesn’t matter, and attending a listed school while living outside its zone doesn’t count. |
| No other state scholarship | Your child isn’t receiving the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship or any scholarship, tuition grant or other benefit from a student scholarship organization. |
| Parent agreement | You agree to teach at least “reading, grammar, mathematics, social studies, and science,” not to enroll your child in a public school, and to use the money only for qualified expenses. |
For 2026-27, Odyssey says students must be at least 5 and no older than 20 on September 1, 2026, or no older than 21 for special-education students; kindergarteners must be 5 but younger than 7. Promise is a general scholarship: there is no disability tier, no extra amount and no priority for an IEP. The only special-education rule is that a special-education student may stay in the program until 21 instead of 20. Our eligibility and school list guide explains how to check the list.
2. Home study is one of three choices, and it means leaving public school
GESA’s Program Timeline asks families to pick one of three “educational choices”: a participating private school, a non-participating private school, or “Home study: An educational program that meets the requirements of O.C.G.A. § 20-2-690(c).” That code section is Georgia’s homeschool law (section 3). The Promise law also says its rules don’t apply to a student in a home study program “unless such student is a participating student” (O.C.G.A. § 20-2B-30), so homeschooling without Promise is unaffected.
- No public school, even part-time. The parent agrees not to enroll the student in a public school, including charter, state charter and completion special schools. The one exception is part-time enrollment in a college and career academy approved as a service provider.
- Confirmed every quarter. Since 2026-27, before spending each quarter you confirm in Odyssey: “my student is not in public school and will not attend public school while using scholarship funds for this quarter.” Without this Quarterly Opt-In, you can’t make Marketplace purchases that quarter.
- Each window is for the next semester. GESA’s documents describe when to withdraw in different ways, so confirm the timing with GESA or Odyssey first. Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) guidance says districts must have “proof of a student’s enrollment in a home school program within 45 days of the student’s withdrawal.”
- The last 2026-27 window is November 1–30, 2026, for the spring semester, and only applicants with household income at or below 400% of the Federal Poverty Level will be considered. A student approved then receives only the January and April payments: up to $3,250 for 2026-27, before any administrative withholding. See our application and deadlines guide.
3. Georgia homeschool law basics (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-690(c))
Georgia’s home study law is O.C.G.A. § 20-2-690(c), which GaDOE summarizes in its August 2025 home school guide. If you searched for Georgia homeschool laws or requirements, here are the main ones:
| Question | What Georgia says | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Do I file anything? | A Declaration of Intent (DOI) with GaDOE “within 30 days after the establishment of a home study program and by September 1 annually thereafter” | § 20-2-690(c); GaDOE |
| What goes on the DOI? | Student names and ages, the program’s address, your local school system, and your 12-month school year. File online, or on GaDOE’s printable form by email, fax or mail. | GaDOE |
| How much teaching? | The equivalent of 180 school days, each “at least four and one-half school hours unless the child is physically unable to comply” | § 20-2-690(c)(5) |
| Which subjects? | A program that “includes, but is not limited to, reading, language arts, mathematics, social studies, and science” | § 20-2-690(c)(4) |
| Progress reports? | The instructor writes an annual progress assessment report for each required subject, and the parent keeps it for at least three years | § 20-2-690(c)(8) |
| Testing? | A nationally standardized test at least every three years, beginning at the end of grade 3. Results “shall be retained but shall not be required to be submitted to public educational authorities.” | § 20-2-690(c)(7) |
| Who may teach? | A parent with “at least a high school diploma or a state approved high school equivalency (HSE) diploma.” Parents may also employ a tutor who holds one. There is no bachelor’s degree requirement in current law. | § 20-2-690(c)(3); GaDOE |
| Special education on the DOI? | The DOI form has an optional box for “any student who is identified as or suspected of needing special education services” | GaDOE DOI form |
| Access to the PSAT, SAT, ACT and AP exams? | A school system that offers the PSAT, SAT, PreACT, ACT, ASVAB or AP exams must make them “equally available to any home study student” in that system | SB 63 (2025) |
Compulsory attendance in Georgia still covers ages 6 to 16 (HB 1193, 2026). This is a summary of public rules, not legal advice; GaDOE’s home school page answers questions about the Declaration of Intent.
4. The Declaration of Intent and Promise are separate steps
The DOI goes to GaDOE under Georgia’s homeschool law. The Promise application goes through the program’s website, mygeorgiapromise.org, which leads to Odyssey. One doesn’t do the other, so plan for both. The two sets of rules overlap but aren’t the same: Promise’s parent agreement lists its own subjects (reading, grammar, mathematics, social studies and science), asks for a test every year instead of every three, and needs a yearly recertification by May 31 and a Quarterly Opt-In. And while homeschool law lets you hire a tutor with a high school diploma, Promise pays only for tutoring by an educator certified by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission. We are not GESA, Odyssey or GaDOE, and we can’t file a Declaration of Intent or a Promise application for you.
5. Special education services when you homeschool with Promise
The Promise law says this about public-school services (O.C.G.A. § 20-2B-22(e)), word for word:
“The creation of the program or the granting of an account pursuant to this article shall not be construed to imply that a public school did not provide a free and appropriate public education for a participating student or constitute a waiver or admission by the state. A participating student's resident school system shall not be obligated to provide services to such student that would be required if such student were enrolled in such school system unless the student reenrolls in the resident school system.”
Georgia’s special education rules also speak to home-schooled children in general:
- Finding and evaluating children (Child Find). Districts must locate and evaluate suspected children with disabilities, including “Children who reside in the LEA and are enrolled in home school/study programs” (Rule 160-4-7-.03). An LEA, or local education agency, is usually your school district.
- No individual right to services. Rule 160-4-7-.13 says “Children who are home schooled within the jurisdiction of the LEA are also considered parentally-placed private school students for the purposes of this Rule,” and that no such child with a disability “has an individual right to receive some or all of the special education and related services.” Any services come through a “services plan.”
We found no Georgia source that explains how these rules apply to a Promise student specifically. Before you leave public school, ask your district’s special-education office, a Georgia Parent Mentor or Parent to Parent of Georgia how this applies to your child. Our guide to Georgia Promise and your child’s IEP goes further.
6. What Promise can pay for at home
Promise pays only for the “qualified education expenses” in the law (O.C.G.A. § 20-2B-21(10)) and GESA’s regulations. For a homeschool family, the main categories look like this:
| Category | What the rules say | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tutoring | “Tutoring services provided by an educator certified by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission” | Core subjects only. Odyssey’s categories are by subject: English / Language Arts / Reading, Math, Science, Social Studies, AP and Foreign Language, plus Tutoring Aides. No price cap is listed. |
| Curriculum | Curriculum, including required supplemental materials, “as approved by the Authority” | Look for it in the Marketplace |
| Therapies | Services from a physician or therapist licensed under Georgia law, including “occupational, behavioral, physical, or speech-language therapies” | Separate Marketplace categories from tutoring |
| Computers and devices | Allowed, with Odyssey price caps | For example, as of July 2026: up to $500 for a tablet, up to $1,000 for a laptop and up to $500 for a desktop |
| Transportation | “No more than $500.00 per year to a fee-for-service transportation provider” (2026-27 rules) | Ride-share or public transit only, such as MARTA; no gas or mileage |
| Not covered | After-school care; anything billed by a family member; late fees; “Any purchase not explicitly approved as a qualified education expense” | See Odyssey’s help center |
Funds arrive each quarter, and you spend them only in the Odyssey Marketplace. GESA says families will not be reimbursed for purchases made outside the Marketplace, except eligible transportation, so don’t pay out of pocket for anything you plan to buy with Promise. You can still pay for anything from your own money (O.C.G.A. § 20-2B-24(e)).
Two more money rules matter at home. You can’t pay yourself: expenses “billed by family members are not included,” and funds may not go to family members or businesses they own. And unused money, up to half of what was deposited for the current school year, rolls over; GESA’s example is that with a $6,500 award, the 2026-27 maximum, at most $3,250 can roll over. Our guides to eligible expenses and the 2026-27 amount cover the full rules.
7. Testing: Georgia homeschool law and Promise have different rules
| Homeschool law | Georgia Promise | |
|---|---|---|
| How often | At least every three years, beginning at the end of grade 3 | Every year |
| Which test | A nationally standardized test | “a nationally norm-referenced test approved by the Authority or a state-wide assessment” |
| Results | Keep them; they don’t have to be sent to public education authorities | Upload the test date, test name, scores and “a PDF/image of the official test results” to Odyssey |
| Deadline | No filing | June 30 each year |
GESA’s Testing 101 guide (July 2026) lists approved tests such as Georgia Milestones, i-Ready, NWEA MAP, STAR, Iowa and Stanford 10. Its regulations say school districts may not charge for state test materials but may charge for one-to-one accommodations, so for a child with an IEP, ask early which accommodations are offered.
8. A yearly checklist for Promise homeschoolers
| When | What | Which rule |
|---|---|---|
| Within 30 days of starting home study | File the Declaration of Intent with GaDOE | Homeschool law |
| By September 1 each year | File the year’s Declaration of Intent | Homeschool law |
| Before spending each quarter (July 1, October 1, January 1, April 1) | Complete the Quarterly Opt-In in Odyssey | Promise |
| Once a year | Write a progress report for each required subject; keep it three years | Homeschool law |
| Every three years from the end of grade 3 | Nationally standardized test; keep the results | Homeschool law |
| By May 31 | Recertify, or lose participating-student status | Promise |
| By June 30 | Upload the year’s approved test results | Promise |
A parent who doesn’t follow the Promise rules “shall forfeit the account” (O.C.G.A. § 20-2B-22(h)). Moving within Georgia doesn’t end eligibility; leaving Georgia does.
9. Is there other Georgia homeschool funding?
Families looking for a Georgia homeschool scholarship, grant or funding often come across two other state programs. Neither pays for learning at home:
- Georgia Special Needs Scholarship (GSNS). State Board Rule 160-5-1-.34 lists “Home school students” among students who are not eligible. GSNS pays a participating private school with a physical Georgia campus.
- Tax-credit scholarships from student scholarship organizations (SSOs). These pay tuition at a qualified Georgia private school, and the parent “must restrictively endorse the scholarship award to the private school.”
A Promise student also can’t receive either one at the same time. Of these three state programs, Promise is the one a home study family can use. Our Georgia scholarships compared guide sets them side by side.
10. Building a week that includes tutoring
One way to plan is to keep most of the week parent-led and bring in a specialist for the one or two skills where your child is stuck. Save work samples and tutor notes as you go; they help when you write the annual progress report. Example (for illustration): a 9-year-old learning at home who is working hard on reading.
| Day | Parent-led learning | Tutoring and outside support |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Math and science from your chosen curriculum | Online one-to-one reading tutoring |
| Tuesday | Short reading practice; social studies project | — |
| Wednesday | Math; writing and grammar practice | — |
| Thursday | Short reading practice; science | Online one-to-one reading tutoring |
| Friday | Review the week; save a work sample for your records | — |
This example is not a recommendation for your child or a description of our Marketplace offerings. How often tutoring helps depends on your child’s needs and goals.
Special Ed Resource is an approved provider in the Georgia Promise Scholarship Odyssey Marketplace, with approved tutoring offerings there. Promise-paid sessions are taught by the tutor named on each of our Marketplace offerings, so check that an offering’s subject and grades fit your child. Across Special Ed Resource, our 40+ teachers are certified in special education and teach one-to-one online, and families anywhere in Georgia can also work with us privately. Odyssey’s rules say a Promise tutor may teach only the subjects and grade levels on their Georgia certificate, and each offering must name the tutor and their certification. You pay through the Marketplace; our guide to paying for tutoring with Georgia Promise explains how. We provide academic tutoring only, not therapy, speech services or evaluations. Promise starts at kindergarten; we also work with children from age 3½, but tutoring before kindergarten is paid privately. A free consultation is a good first step, and our Georgia Promise provider page has more about us.