As Georgia students gear up for a new school year, four students from Walker County have been approved for the state’s new Georgia Promise Scholarship program.
The initiative, aimed at expanding education options, provides eligible families with vouchers worth more than $6,000, distributed in four payments over the academic year. The program is overseen by the Georgia Student Finance Commission.
To qualify, students must attend public schools ranked in the bottom 25% statewide for academic performance. The scholarship funds can be used for private school tuition, tutoring, and other educational services.
In total, more than 8,000 students across Georgia have been deemed eligible for the program so far, with tens of thousands of families submitting applications.
In Northwest Georgia, 120 students have been accepted into the program for the upcoming school year. Here’s how the numbers break down by county:
Whitfield County: 64 students
Murray County: 34 students
Catoosa County: 12 students
Dade County: 6 students
Walker County: 4 students
The Georgia Promise Scholarship is part of a growing effort by state lawmakers to give families more control over educational choices and respond to persistent concerns about school performance in under-resourced areas.