Georgia can put $6,500 a year toward your child's school. Your address decides.
The Promise Scholarship follows your zoned public school, not your paycheck. 112 schools in the metro's five big school systems are on the 2026-27 list, and 120 private schools in our four-county directory take the money. We map the zones, the special-needs and tax-credit scholarships, and every date.
Promise account for 2026-27. Four deposits of $1,625, for students zoned to a listed public school or starting kindergarten.
Directory schools on the Promise list, and 153 authorized for the Special Needs Scholarship, out of 361 in the four counties.
Next Promise window, for spring 2027. Only households at or below 400% of the poverty level are considered.
Most an SSO can award one student in 2026 through Georgia's tax-credit scholarships.
What does a Promise family owe at a DeKalb church school?
Often a few thousand dollars, sometimes less. Here is an illustrative kindergartner zoned to a listed DeKalb school, enrolling at a church-run academy that charges $9,400.
Illustrative example only. The $6,500 figure is the 2026-27 Promise maximum; tuition and discounts are assumptions, since Georgia doesn't collect private school tuition. Confirm pricing with each school.
The Georgia programs an Atlanta family can use
The Promise account, the Special Needs Scholarship, tax-credit SSOs, free Pre-K, child care help, Dual Enrollment and the federal credit arriving in January 2027.
Georgia Promise Scholarship (Promise ESA)
A $6,500 education savings account for students zoned to a public school on Georgia's lowest-performing 25% list, or starting kindergarten. Money lands in an Odyssey account that pays tuition, tutoring, therapy and approved supplies.
Who qualifies →Disability scholarship · No income testGeorgia Special Needs Scholarship (GSNS / SB 10)
Georgia's scholarship for students who had an IEP, or a 504 plan for a listed condition, in a public school last year. It pays tuition and fees at a private school on the Department of Education's authorized list.
Who qualifies →Tax-credit scholarship · Up to $15,980Georgia Tax-Credit Scholarships (Student Scholarship Organizations)
Georgia taxpayers redirect part of their state income tax to Student Scholarship Organizations (SSOs), which give tuition scholarships to families. The most an SSO may award one student in 2026 is $15,980.
Who qualifies →Free · Lottery-funded · Age 4Georgia's Pre-K Program
Georgia's lottery-funded Pre-K is free for every four-year-old: a 6.5-hour day, five days a week, 180 days a year, at public schools and participating private centers, church preschools and private schools.
Who qualifies →Income-based · Ages 0-12CAPS Child Care Assistance (Childcare and Parent Services)
Georgia's child care subsidy program, run by DECAL, helps working or studying families with incomes at or below 50% of state median income pay for care at participating providers.
Who qualifies →College credit · Up to 30 hoursDual Enrollment for Private and Home-Study Students
The Georgia Student Finance Commission's Dual Enrollment program pays tuition, mandatory fees and required books for eligible high schoolers, including private school and home-study students, at participating colleges.
Who qualifies →What can a Georgia Promise account pay for besides tuition?
Required textbooks and curriculum, certified tutors, speech and occupational therapy, a laptop up to $1,000 (one per student every two program years), approved online and college courses, the annual test and up to $500 of transportation. Each category comes with its own limits.
Private school tuition & fees
Tuition is the one expense all three Georgia programs can pay, though each pays it a different way and only at certain schools.
Rules →Textbooks, curriculum & learning materials
A Promise account can buy the required books and core-subject curriculum that a school or home-study plan uses.
Rules →Tutoring
Promise pays for tutoring in core and career-technical subjects, provided the tutor meets Georgia's certification rule and is approved on the platform.
Rules →Speech, occupational, physical & behavioral therapy
Promise is the Georgia program that can pay a therapist directly, which matters to families whose child has needs but no current IEP.
Rules →Computers, tablets & accessories
Promise can buy a laptop, desktop or tablet, each capped in price and limited to one per student every two program years.
Rules →Online classes & college courses
Promise can pay for approved online classes and for eligible courses at approved colleges, alongside Georgia's separate Dual Enrollment program.
Rules →Required tests & exam fees
Every Promise student has to test each year, and the account can pay for the approved tests.
Rules →Transportation
Transportation is the one Promise expense paid back to the parent, and it's capped at $500 a year.
Rules →How Atlanta Edu Funding works
Tell us your situation
Grade, county, the kind of school you're considering, any IEP or 504 plan, and when you'd enroll. No documents needed.
We check every program
A School Funding Advisor checks your zoned schools against the Promise list, screens for GSNS and points you to SSOs that fit your school.
You apply on time
We line up the window, the documents Odyssey asks for, and schools that can actually take the money you qualify for.
All 361 private schools in Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb and Gwinnett
Grades, affiliation, federal enrollment and teacher counts, plus each school's status on Georgia's 2026-27 Promise and Special Needs Scholarship lists.
Catholic Schools
Archdiocese of Atlanta parish and regional schools plus independent Catholic high schools in the four counties.
19 schools →Christian Schools
Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Episcopal, Lutheran, Adventist, Orthodox, Quaker and non-denominational Christian schools.
136 schools →Church-Run Schools
Schools whose registered name identifies a congregation, parish or ministry — often a weekday program on the church campus.
20 schools →Jewish, Islamic & Other Faith Schools
Jewish day schools in Sandy Springs and Toco Hills, Islamic academies in Gwinnett, North Fulton and the city of Atlanta, and schools of other traditions.
20 schools →Independent & Other Private Schools
Schools the federal survey lists with no religious affiliation — college-prep, progressive, STEM, arts and microschools — plus state-listed schools whose affiliation isn't reported.
186 schools →Montessori Schools
Programs the federal survey classifies as Montessori, or that carry Montessori in their name, from toddler rooms to middle school.
38 schools →Special Education & Learning Differences
Schools the federal survey classifies as special education, or that belong to an exceptional-children or special-education association.
26 schools →Preschools & Early Learning
Programs that end at pre-K or kindergarten, many of them church weekday schools.
51 schools →By community: Buckhead & Sandy Springs · Midtown, Downtown & Intown East · Westside & Southwest Atlanta · East Point, College Park & South Fulton · Roswell, Alpharetta, Johns Creek & Milton · Decatur, Druid Hills & Tucker · Dunwoody, Brookhaven & Chamblee · Stone Mountain, Lithonia & South DeKalb · Marietta & East Cobb · Smyrna, Mableton, Austell & Powder Springs · Kennesaw & Acworth · Lawrenceville, Snellville & Central Gwinnett · Duluth, Norcross, Lilburn & Peachtree Corners · Suwanee, Buford & Sugar Hill
Partner with Atlanta Edu Funding
Families who reach you through us already know whether they hold Promise, GSNS or an SSO award. Congregations weighing a school get our Georgia accreditation-first playbook.
Can a Georgia Promise Scholarship pay for a new laptop?
Yes. A Promise account can buy a laptop up to $1,000, or a desktop or tablet up to $500, for one student every two program years.
Monitors, printers and an internet hotspot are covered too, each with its own yearly cap. The purchase has to be for the student's education and is made through the Promise account marketplace, so check the current price caps before you buy.
From the Atlanta Edu Funding blog
GSNS in metro Atlanta: 504 plans, award letters and the 153 local schools on the 2026-27 list
153 directory schools are authorized for 2026-27. Here's who qualifies, how the award letter works, and when the checks go out.
Read →Oct 26, 2026The November 1-30 Promise window: a checklist for Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb and Gwinnett families
Spring entry is for households at or below 400% of poverty ($132,000 for a family of four). Here's the paperwork and the timing.
Read →Oct 23, 2026Georgia's $120 million tax-credit cap: why Atlanta SSO scholarship money is spoken for by January
The 2026 cap was gone by January 3. The per-student maximum rose to $15,980. Here's when metro families should apply.
Read →Georgia school funding questions from Atlanta parents
How much is the Georgia Promise Scholarship for an Atlanta student in 2026-27?
Up to $6,500 per student, paid in four deposits of $1,625 into an education savings account. It is available to students zoned to a public school on the state's lowest-performing 25% list, or entering kindergarten, who meet the public school attendance and residency rules.
Is there an income limit for Georgia school choice programs in Atlanta?
The Promise Scholarship has no hard income cap in fall windows, but households at or below 400% of the federal poverty level get priority and are the only ones considered for spring entry. The Georgia Special Needs Scholarship has no income test, and each SSO sets its own need rules.
How many Atlanta-area private schools take Georgia scholarship money?
Of the 361 private schools in our directory for Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb and Gwinnett, 120 are on the 2026-27 Promise participating list and 153 are authorized for the Special Needs Scholarship.
When is the next Georgia Promise application window?
November 1-30, 2026, for enrollment in spring 2027. Only households at or below 400% of the federal poverty level are considered in that window, and GESA plans to post the 2027 windows by December 15.
Can a Georgia scholarship pay for homeschooling in Atlanta?
Yes, through the Promise Scholarship. An eligible family can choose home study and spend the account on approved curriculum, certified tutors, online classes, therapies and tests, provided the child takes the annual test.
See which Georgia programs reach your child
Two minutes, no documents. A School Funding Advisor calls back with the sources that apply and the dates that matter.