Under a state law passed by the Georgia State Legislature, parents of students who receive special education services may request to transfer their child to another public or private school in Georgia provided that their child has an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or a Section 504 Plan and has been enrolled for a full academic year in a Georgia public school.

Parents who are interested in transferring their child to a private school in Georgia may be able to take advantage of a Georgia Special Scholarship. These scholarships provide funding that can be used to offset tuition costs at participating private schools in the state of Georgia. In order to be eligible to receive the scholarship, a student must be in attendance at an authorized private school for the Fall. There are no exceptions to this deadline.

Qualification Information

To qualify for the Georgia Special Scholarship award with an IEP for the 2024-2025 school year the student must meet the following requirements:

1. The student's parent currently resides within Georgia and has been a Georgia resident for at least one calendar year however, that the one-year requirement shall not apply if the student's parent is an active-duty military service member stationed in Georgia within the previous year; AND
2. The student had an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) in effect during the 2023-2024 school year; AND
3. The student spent the prior school year in attendance* at a Georgia public school.

*Prior school year in attendance - the student was enrolled and reported by a public school system or school systems for funding purposes at the time of both FTE program counts, conducted each school year in October and March. See OCGA 20-2-2112 (5)

Prior school year in attendance shall not apply if:

• The student's parent is an active-duty military service member stationed in Georgia within the previous year; OR
• 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 qualified for a scholarship as provided in state law.
• Please note that previously qualified only waives the prior school year in attendance provision, all other requirements including having an lEP in the previous school year and enrollment in a public school are still in effect.

For more information on the Georgia Special Scholarship and the application process, please visit the Georgia Department of Education's website