GEORGIA
Homeschooling in Georgia: Requirements, Paperwork, and How to Start
A declaration by September 1, 180 days at four and a half hours, five subjects, and a test every three years that you keep rather than submit. Georgia pays $6,500 — to families who qualify.
Homeschooling in Georgia, Summarized
The Seven Things Georgia Asks of You
Legal in Georgia
Yes
Compulsory ages
6 to 16
Funding available
$6,500 — for those who qualify
a public-school year, or rising K
Do I notify anyone?
Yes — once each school year
by September 1
Paperwork load
Medium
everything retained, nothing submitted
Parent qualification
High-school diploma or equivalent
Standardized testing
Every three years from grade 3
results stay with you
Legal requirements last reviewed: June 2026 · Plain English · Not legal advice
Homeschooling is legal in Georgia
What You Need to Know
The home study program under O.C.G.A. § 20-2-690(c) sets out eight requirements and no district approval. File a declaration with the Department by September 1, teach five subjects across 180 days of four and a half hours, and test every three years from grade 3. The records stay with you.
What Georgia Asks of You
Eight requirements, and almost nothing to send in.
Must do
File a Declaration of Intent with the Department of Education
Hold at least a high-school diploma or a state-approved equivalency
Teach reading, language arts, mathematics, social studies and science
Provide 180 days a year, each of at least four and a half instructional hours
Administer a nationally standardised test every three years from the end of grade 3
Write an annual progress report assessing each of the five subjects
Dates that matter
Within 30 days of establishing the program, then by September 1 every year after
By the end of the academic year completing grades 3, 6 and 9, and every three years after
Retain the annual progress reports for at least three years
Good practice — not required
Log hours as you go: 180 days at 4.5 hours is a real total to evidence after the fact
Keep the test results filed with your progress reports — nobody asks, but you may want them
Test results are retained by the parent and never submitted to the state. No monthly attendance report is required either — that requirement applies to private schools, not to home study programs.
Must do
Apply through the Georgia Education Savings Authority
Spend through the Odyssey platform at mygeorgiapromise.org
Dates that matter
Per the Authority's application window each year
Good practice — not required
Check whether a provider is already on the platform before committing to it
The trade-off
Up to 5% may be withheld for administration
The award is $6,500 per eligible student for 2025-26 and 2026-27, with up to half of unused funds rolling forward. Eligibility is the hard part — see the funding section below.
Georgia asks for 180 days at 4.5 hours and a report on five subjects. StudyPug builds the evidence while your child works.
Funding for Georgia Home Education
The key numbers before the details.
PROGRAM
Georgia Promise Scholarship, run by GESA
AMOUNT
$6,500 per eligible student, per year
WHO QUALIFIES
A public-school year first, or rising kindergarten
THE SECOND TEST
Your zoned school must be on the state's bottom-25% list
How It Works
From registration to reimbursement, step by step.
1
Check eligibility first
This is the gate most homeschooling families do not clear: a full prior year in a Georgia public school, or entry at kindergarten, and a zoned school on the state's bottom-25% list.
2
Apply through GESA
The Georgia Education Savings Authority pays $6,500 per eligible student a year, with windows in August and November for 2026-27. Up to half of any unused funds roll over.
3
Show the learning
The scholarship sits on top of the home study requirements rather than replacing them: the declaration, the 180 days, the four-and-a-half hours and the triennial test all stand.
Funding rules move faster than law. Amounts and eligibility can change every school year and every legislative session — always confirm with the official program sources below before you spend. Funding facts last reviewed: August 2026.
What StudyPug Handles for You
Not templates you fill in — records that fill themselves in.
Work-samples portfolio that assembles itself
Hours & attendance log that fills itself in
Progress reports you can download and share
Scope & Sequence export across the five required subjects
One-click package to seed your annual progress assessment report
Every child in one account — up to 5
Questions About Homeschooling in Georgia
Quick answers for homeschooling families.
Is homeschooling legal in Georgia?
Yes. A home study program is a recognized legal entity under O.C.G.A. § 20-2-690, and subsection (c) enumerates eight requirements. No district approval is involved — you file a declaration of intent with the Department of Education and begin.
Do parents need a teaching certificate?
Not a certificate, but Georgia is one of the states that asks for something: the teaching parent must hold at least a high-school diploma or a state-approved high-school-equivalency diploma. A hired tutor must meet the same bar.
Does Georgia fund homeschooling?
Yes, but the gate is narrow. The Georgia Promise Scholarship pays $6,500 per eligible student, and the child must have attended a Georgia public school for a full year or be entering kindergarten, with the zoned school on the bottom-25% list. Families who have always homeschooled qualify only at rising kindergarten.
Do I really keep the test results myself?
Yes, and it surprises people. A nationally standardised test is required at least every three years from the end of grade 3, but the results are retained by you and never submitted to the state. The same is true of the annual progress report.
Which subjects and how many hours?
Five subjects: reading, language arts, mathematics, social studies and science — the statute says 'includes, but is not limited to', so you may go wider. Instruction must be equivalent to 180 school days a year, each of at least four and a half instructional hours.
What records should I keep, and for how long?
Write an annual progress report assessing your child in each of the five subjects, and keep it at least three years. Keep your standardised test results with them. Nothing is submitted, which makes your own filing the only copy that exists.
Do I have to file a monthly attendance report?
No, despite what older guidance sometimes says. The monthly reporting requirement applies to private schools, not to home study programs. Your declaration of intent by September 1 is the only regular filing.
Official Sources
Confirm the rules and apply directly with your state.
Georgia Home School
→The declaration of intent, the eight requirements and the forms.
gadoe.org — Home School
Georgia Promise Scholarship
→Applying, the award, and the platform it is spent through.
mygeorgiapromise.org
Promise Scholarship — GOSA
→The bottom-25% school list, and the statute that created it.
gosa.georgia.gov — SB 233
Other States:
Homeschooling in Hawaii·Homeschooling in Idaho·Homeschooling in Illinois— each reviewed against its own official sources
See How Families Run Their Homeschool on StudyPug
Lessons, practice, and the records above — one family plan.
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StudyPug is a records tool, not legal advice. Homeschool rules, funding amounts, and deadlines change at least yearly — always confirm with the official sources above before you act. Requirements can also differ at the school-board or district level, so check with your local board or district too. We review every jurisdiction page and show you the date we last checked it; each requirement in your dashboard carries its own source and last-verified date.
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