The Georgia Special Needs Scholarship provides eligible special education students with school choice opportunities. Please see the Understanding the program document in the "For Parents" for more information about the program. Please bookmark the website and check often for updates.

The deadline for the 2009-2010 school year to enroll children eligible for the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Program in an approved private school was September 11, 2009.

The Georgia Special Needs Scholarship (GSNS) Program is only available to students who meet the following eligibility criteria:

The student´s parent(s) currently resides within Georgia and has been a Georgia resident for at least one year.

The student was enrolled and reported by a Georgia public school system or school systems for funding purposes during the preceding October and March full-time equivalent (FTE) program counts.

The student received special education services through an Individualized Education Program (IEP) written by the school in accordance with federal and state laws and regulations.

Student was reported by a school district for funding purposes during the preceding October or March full-time equivalent (FTE) program counts as a student receiving special education services.

If a student meets the eligibility criteria, a parent has the right to request a transfer from the student’s current public school to:

1. Another public school within their resident school district; or
2. Another public school district outside their resident school district; or
3. To one of the three state schools for the blind or deaf; or
4. To a private school authorized to participate in the GSNS Program. The student must be accepted for admission to an eligible private school participating in the GSNS Program.

Not Eligible for the Program

• Toddler and Pre-K students are not eligible. Students must complete one school year in grades K-12 in a Georgia public school before they are eligible for a scholarship.
• A home school operating under O.G.C.A. 20-2-690 is not eligible to enroll scholarship students.
• Residential Treatment Facilities are not eligible to enroll scholarship students.
• Department of Juvenile Justice Schools and students are not eligible for the scholarship.