1. Georgia’s three school-choice programs side by side
Georgia families of children who learn differently may be weighing three state programs: the Georgia Promise Scholarship (Promise), the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship (GSNS) and tax-credit scholarships from student scholarship organizations (SSOs). Here is how they compare for the 2026-27 school year.
| Georgia Promise | GSNS | SSO scholarships | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who runs it | Georgia Education Savings Authority (GESA), with Odyssey as program manager | Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) | Student scholarship organizations approved by GaDOE, funded through Georgia’s Qualified Education Expense tax credit |
| State law | O.C.G.A. § 20-2B-20 and following (SB 233, 2024) | O.C.G.A. § 20-2-2110 and following; State Board Rule 160-5-1-.34 | O.C.G.A. Title 20, Chapter 2A; changed by HB 328 (2026) |
| Disability required? | No, and no disability tier; special-education students may stay until 21 | Yes: an IEP, or a Section 504 Plan for one of the listed conditions | No |
| Public school first? | Yes: two consecutive enrollment counts (or kindergarten eligibility), and a home in the zone of a school on the lowest-25-percent list | Yes: the prior school year in a Georgia public school, or preschool special education, with some exceptions | Usually a six-week rule, with waivers; HB 328 adds one for students with an IEP, a 504 Plan or certain diagnoses. HB 328 took effect July 1, 2026; ask the SSO when its new rules apply to your child. |
| Home-school students | Only students who qualify through public school (or kindergarten) can then choose home study; families who already homeschool usually don’t qualify | Not eligible | No: pays a private school |
| Amount | Up to $6,500 for 2026-27, in four quarterly payments of $1,625 | Based on the services in the IEP, or the school’s tuition and fees if lower; 2024-25 average $7,767 | Set by each SSO; most students capped at $15,980 for calendar 2026 |
| Who receives the money | You direct funds in the Odyssey Marketplace to approved schools, providers and vendors | A participating Georgia private school | A qualified Georgia private school |
| Pays for tutoring with us? | Yes: we are an approved Marketplace provider | No | No |
| Where you apply | mygeorgiapromise.org, through Odyssey | GaDOE | The SSO directly |
| Combine with Promise? | — | No | No |
Each program’s own office has the official answer for your child: GESA and Odyssey for Promise, GaDOE for GSNS, and each SSO for its scholarships.
2. Georgia Promise Scholarship: a general scholarship
Promise is Georgia’s education savings account (ESA) program, which news stories often call a school voucher. For the 2026-27 school year it provides up to $6,500 per eligible student, paid in four quarterly payments of $1,625; GESA may withhold up to 5% for administration. A student approved in the last 2026-27 window, November 1–30, 2026, receives only the second half of the year’s funding.
- Who qualifies: a parent who has lived in Georgia at least a year (with an exception for active-duty military families); a student with two consecutive enrollment counts in a Georgia public school, or eligible for kindergarten; a home in the attendance zone of a school on the state’s lowest-25-percent list; family income at or below 400% of the federal poverty level (with an exception when there is enough money); and no GSNS or SSO scholarship. Families must leave public school and confirm it every quarter.
- Disability: none required, and no extra amount or priority for one. The only special-education rule is that a special-education student may stay until 21 instead of 20.
- What it pays for: tuition at participating private schools; “Tutoring services provided by an educator certified by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission”; approved curriculum; services from licensed physicians and therapists; and, under the 2026-27 rules, up to $500 a year for transportation, among others.
- How it pays: only through the Odyssey Marketplace. Families aren’t reimbursed for purchases made outside it, except eligible transportation.
Our guides cover how Promise works, the 2026-27 amount, eligibility and the school list and what it pays for.
3. Georgia Special Needs Scholarship (GSNS)
The Georgia Special Needs Scholarship, sometimes called “SB 10,” is Georgia’s scholarship for students with an IEP or a qualifying 504 plan. It comes from the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Act (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-2110 and following) and State Board Rule 160-5-1-.34, effective March 12, 2025.
Who qualifies
- A parent who has lived in Georgia for at least one year, with a military exception.
- A student who spent the prior school year in a Georgia public school (counted in October and March) or received preschool special education, with exceptions for military families, children adopted or placed in guardianship from foster care, and students who previously qualified. The State Board may waive the prior-year rule “on a case-by-case basis for specific medical or behavioral needs.”
- An IEP, or, since SB 47 (2021), a Section 504 Plan for one of the conditions the law lists, such as ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia and specific learning disability.
The rule says these students are not eligible: “Toddler and Pre-K students,” “Home school students,” students privately placed in residential treatment, and Department of Juvenile Justice students.
What it pays, and to whom
The maximum is what your resident district would spend under Georgia’s Quality Basic Education (QBE) formula, “based upon services specified in the Individualized Education Program,” without federal funds. The award is the lesser of that amount or the participating school’s tuition and fees. GaDOE’s 2024-25 annual report shows:
| GSNS, 2024-25 school year | Figure |
|---|---|
| Average award | $7,767 |
| Range of awards | $532 to $19,184 |
| Average private-school tuition | $17,305 |
| Students | 6,631 |
| Participating private schools | 287 |
The money goes to the school, not the family. The payment is a warrant that the parent “shall restrictively endorse ... to the participating school,” and a participating school must “Have a physical location in Georgia where the scholarship students attend classes.” The law’s list of school fees includes tutoring, but only tutoring the participating school itself charges.
That means an independent online tutoring company like ours can’t be paid with this scholarship. At least one tutoring company’s website says otherwise; the law and the State Board rule describe payment to a participating private school. GSNS also lets an eligible parent request a transfer to another public school in or outside the district, or to a state school for the blind or deaf.
4. How to apply for the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship in 2026-27
GSNS applications go to GaDOE, not to GESA or Odyssey. GaDOE’s page announced: “2026-27 Scholarship Calculator Now Open!” The calculator gives “student award letters for the 2026-27 school year,” and GaDOE’s 2026-27 calendar marks July 15 for the opening of the calculator and the MYGADOE portal.
- Deadlines: parents submit the scholarship application to GaDOE “by September 15, December 15, and February 15 during a school year” (Rule 160-5-1-.34). The next one is December 15, 2026.
- Schools: GaDOE publishes a 2026-27 list of participating private schools.
- Official answers: GaDOE’s Georgia Special Needs Scholarship page.
5. Tax-credit scholarships from student scholarship organizations (SSOs)
Georgia’s Qualified Education Expense tax credit funds scholarships given by student scholarship organizations. Under Georgia law, SSOs give “scholarships or tuition grants to allow students to attend any qualified school of their parents' choice.” A qualified school is an accredited nonpublic pre-kindergarten program, primary school or secondary school that “Is located in this state,” and the parent “must restrictively endorse the scholarship award to the private school.”
- 2026 changes: HB 328, signed in May 2026, waives the six-week public-school rule for “a student with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or a Section 504 Plan or who has been diagnosed with dyslexia, autism spectrum disorder, speech-language delay and disorder, hearing loss, or another intellectual and developmental disability designated by the Department of Education,” and for children of active-duty military in Georgia.
- Amount: each SSO sets its scholarships. GaDOE’s per-student cap for most students is $15,980 for calendar year 2026, and under HB 328 the cap doesn’t apply to students with an IEP, a 504 Plan or one of those diagnoses. HB 328 took effect July 1, 2026; ask the SSO when its new rules apply to your child.
- Where to look: GaDOE publishes a list of approved SSOs (updated September 14, 2026), and its advice is: “Contact the SSO directly.”
SSO scholarships pay a Georgia private school’s tuition, so they don’t pay for tutoring with us.
6. Can you combine them?
| Combination | Allowed? | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Promise and GSNS | No. A Promise student may not receive GSNS, and the parent may not seek it while the student participates. | O.C.G.A. § 20-2B-22(a)(6); Regulations 4.1.6 |
| Promise and an SSO scholarship | No. A Promise student may not receive “any scholarship, tuition grant or other benefit from a student scholarship organization.” | O.C.G.A. § 20-2B-22(a)(7); Regulations 4.1.7 |
| Promise and your own money | Yes. Nothing prohibits paying “from a source other than the account funds.” | O.C.G.A. § 20-2B-24(e) |
| GSNS and an SSO scholarship | Not covered in the sources we checked; ask GaDOE and the SSO | — |
If you are switching from one program to another, ask both offices before you accept a new award. A new federal scholarship tax credit begins with the 2027 tax year; its rules are not final, and Georgia has opted in.
7. What each law says about IEP services
Georgia Promise. O.C.G.A. § 20-2B-22(e) says 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.” Our guide to Promise and your child’s IEP quotes the subsection in full.
GSNS. O.C.G.A. § 20-2-2114(f) says: “Acceptance of a scholarship shall have the same effect as a parental refusal to consent to services pursuant to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act ... and a parental waiver of rights to educational accommodations under Section 504.” That wording belongs to GSNS; the Promise law doesn’t use it.
Any child whose parent chooses a private school or home study. Georgia’s special education rule for these children says 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 district “services plan” (Rule 160-4-7-.13). We found no source that explains how this applies under each program, so ask your district, a Georgia Parent Mentor or Parent to Parent of Georgia before you decide.
8. Key dates this school year
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| November 1–30, 2026 | Last Georgia Promise family application window for 2026-27, for the spring semester. GESA says only applicants at or below 400% of the Federal Poverty Level will be considered for spring enrollment. |
| By December 1, 2026 | The state’s next lowest-25-percent school list for Promise is due |
| December 15, 2026 | GSNS application deadline |
| By December 15, 2026 | GESA must publish the next year’s Promise application periods |
| February 15 | The last GSNS application deadline of the 2026-27 school year |
| Any time | SSO scholarships: each SSO sets its own timeline, so contact the SSO |
Our Promise application and deadlines guide covers the Promise steps in more detail.
9. Questions that usually decide it
No single answer is right for every family. These questions help, and the official answers come from GESA, GaDOE and each SSO.
Will your child attend a private school or learn at home?
GSNS and SSO scholarships both pay a Georgia private school, and GSNS excludes home-school students. For home study, Promise is the one of these three that fits. Our guide for homeschool families covers the rules.
Does your child have an IEP or a qualifying 504 plan?
GSNS requires one. Promise doesn’t, and an IEP doesn’t change the Promise amount or priority. HB 328 waives an SSO eligibility step for students with an IEP, a 504 Plan or certain diagnoses. HB 328 took effect July 1, 2026; ask the SSO when its new rules apply to your child.
Where do you live?
Promise requires living in the attendance zone of at least one school on the state’s lowest-25-percent list. Check the list early; our eligibility guide shows how.
How much might each pay?
Promise pays up to $6,500 for 2026-27. A GSNS award depends on the services in your child’s IEP and the school’s tuition: the 2024-25 average was $7,767, with a range of $532 to $19,184, and GaDOE’s calculator gives the 2026-27 figure for your child. SSO amounts depend on the SSO.
What do you want the money to pay for?
Only Promise can pay for things outside a school, such as tutoring and curriculum, through the Odyssey Marketplace. GSNS and SSO money goes to the private school.
Is your child receiving public-school special education services now?
Each program changes that relationship (section 7). Talk with your district, a Georgia Parent Mentor or Parent to Parent of Georgia first.
10. Where tutoring with us fits
Special Ed Resource is an approved provider in the Georgia Promise Scholarship Odyssey Marketplace, with approved tutoring offerings there. Families using Promise pay us through the Marketplace; our guide to paying for tutoring with Georgia Promise explains how. GSNS and SSO scholarships pay private schools, so they can’t pay us, and families can also pay privately. Promise-paid sessions are taught by the tutor named on each Marketplace offering. Across Special Ed Resource, our 40+ teachers are certified in special education and teach one-to-one online. We provide academic tutoring only, not therapy, speech services or evaluations. A free consultation is a good place to start, whichever program you choose.