Homeschool funding & ESAs in Georgia

Can I get paid to homeschool in Georgia?

Not as a salary. Georgia has the Georgia Promise Scholarship — an account or award spent on approved education costs, not a payment for teaching. Long-time independent homeschoolers generally do not qualify unless newly entering school — verify the public-school-attendance rule before relying on it. Romeschool tracks and organizes what you spend, so a receipt is ready the moment a program asks for one — it never files or submits anything on your behalf. It runs the other way too: Georgia's homeschool rules require a test or an evaluation every 3 years, in grades 3, 6, 9, and 12. The accepted options, and who administers each, are in the testing line below. If the option you choose charges a fee, plan for it.

Georgia scholarships, grants & tax credits

What does Georgia require of homeschoolers — and what should I plan for?

Georgia requires a test or an evaluation every 3 years, in grades 3, 6, 9, and 12. That is the part of the year a family arranges ahead of time. Which options Georgia accepts — and who administers each one — is in the testing line below, in the reviewed rules' own words. If the option you choose charges a fee, plan for it. What Georgia asks for — notice, instruction time, testing and records — is set out below, straight from the reviewed rules.

Notice

Yes. Georgia requires homeschooling families to file a notice. Where it goes: Georgia Department of Education (online; the DOE shares a copy with the local school system). How: Declaration of Intent submitted online (also accepted by mail/fax). When: Within 30 days of establishing the program, then annually by September 1. The DOI lists student names and ages, the address where the home study program is located, the local school system it is in, and the 12-month period that counts as the school year.

Testing or evaluation

Yes. Georgia requires a standardized test. How often: Every 3 years (from grade 3). What is accepted: An appropriate nationally standardized test, administered in consultation with a person trained in the administration and interpretation of norm-referenced tests (a parent may give the test on that basis). Testing every 3 years beginning at the end of grade 3 (grades 3, 6, 9, 12). No minimum score; results are kept on file, not submitted. Families using a Georgia Promise Scholarship account are the exception: that program requires an approved nationally norm-referenced test or the state assessment every year, with the scores reported to the Georgia Education Savings Authority.

Days and hours

Georgia's rule: 180 days/year; at least 4.5 instructional hours/day (~810 hours).

Records

Georgia requires these records: annual progress report in the five required subjects and standardized test results. How long, or where they go: Progress reports must be kept for at least three years. Test scores and records must be kept too, though the law sets no period for them (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-690(c)). The progress report and test results are kept by the family — not submitted to the state.

Full Georgia homeschool requirements →

Common questions about homeschool funding in Georgia

Does Georgia have an education savings account (ESA) for homeschoolers?

Yes — the Georgia Promise Scholarship. Long-time independent homeschoolers generally do not qualify unless newly entering school — verify the public-school-attendance rule before relying on it. Georgia's Promise Scholarship (SB 233, 2024; O.C.G.A. § 20-2B-20 et seq.) funds nonpublic schooling including home study — up to $6,500 per student for 2026-27, for Authority-approved curriculum, tutoring and other qualified expenses. Eligibility is narrow: the child must be currently enrolled in a Georgia public school across two consecutive enrollment counts, or be entering kindergarten; must live in the attendance zone of a school on the state's lowest-25-percent list; and the parent must have lived in Georgia at least a year. A child already homeschooling does not qualify unless entering kindergarten. Participants who are not at a participating school must take an Authority-approved nationally norm-referenced test, or the state assessment, every year and report the scores — yearly, where the home study rule is every three years. Eligibility and current status for it are listed on this page, and both can change from year to year.

Nationwide grants

• ACT Today! Grant · Autism Care Today
  For U.S. families of a child with an autism diagnosis (priority to household income under $100k).
  Open to any family of a child with autism — not homeschool-specific, but useful for therapy costs.
• Dyslexia Services Foundation Grant · Dyslexia Services Foundation
  For low-income U.S. children with dyslexia who cannot otherwise afford treatment (need shown via free/reduced lunch, Medicaid, or SNAP).
  Typically identified through a teacher or provider; not homeschool-specific.
• HSLDA Compassion Curriculum Grant · Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA)
  For HSLDA members with significant financial need (legal custody of a child 6-19, homeschooling 3+ months).
  You must privately fund your homeschool (not receiving ESA or other public funds).
• HSLDA Disaster Relief Grant · Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA)
  For homeschooling families (child 6-19) with physical disaster damage in the past 18 months.
• MyGOAL Autism Grant · MyGOAL Inc.
  For the primary caregiver of a child under 18 with autism, with demonstrated financial need.
  Open to any family of a child with autism — not homeschool-specific.
• Our Military Kids Grant · Our Military Kids
  For children (1-18) of deployed National Guard/Reserve members (60+ days) or of post-9/11 combat-injured service members and veterans.
  Funds organized, provider-led activities (not parent-taught core instruction).
• UnitedHealthcare Children's Foundation Grant · UnitedHealthcare Children's Foundation
  For U.S. children aged 16 or under with commercial (non-public) health insurance, subject to income guidelines.
  Medical (not education) funding — useful for special-needs homeschoolers' therapy costs.

Full details, amounts and deadlines for every program →