While two Chattooga County schools, LeRoy Massey Elementary School and Summerville Middle School, have been identified as eligible for the newly established Georgia Promise Scholarship for the 2025-2026 school year, the precise dollar amount of funds that will benefit local students remains undetermined.

The Georgia Promise Scholarship program, designed to provide families with educational options outside of designated low-performing schools, does not allocate funds on a county-by-county basis. Instead, it operates through individual student applications, making it impossible to predict the exact financial impact on Chattooga County at this stage.

LeRoy Massey Elementary and Summerville Middle School are designated as eligible because they are among the lowest-performing schools in Georgia, as identified by the state. This designation allows students zoned for these schools to apply for the scholarship.

Scholarship Details:

  • Amount: The scholarship offers up to $6,500 per student per year.
  • Eligible Expenses: Funds can be used for a variety of educational needs, including private school tuition, tutoring services, and homeschooling supplies.
  • Application Process: Students and their families apply directly to the state program. Funds are disbursed to eligible families statewide based on approved applications and available program funding.

Statewide Context:

The Georgia Promise Scholarship program has a statewide funding cap, limited to 1% of the state’s K-12 school funding formula. This equates to approximately $141 million annually, which is estimated to provide scholarships for about 21,000 to 22,000 students across Georgia. While any eligible student can apply, priority is given to students from households with incomes below 400% of the federal poverty level, roughly $100,000 for a family of three.

Determining Local Impact:

To understand the actual amount of Georgia Promise Scholarship money flowing into Chattooga County, two key pieces of information would be necessary:

  1. The total number of eligible students from LeRoy Massey Elementary and Summerville Middle Schools who apply for the scholarship.
  2. The number of those applicants who are approved and the specific amount of funding they receive.

This detailed information will become clearer over time as the program progresses and data on awarded scholarships are released by the Georgia Education Savings Authority, which oversees the program. Families in Chattooga County with students zoned for LeRoy Massey or Summerville Middle schools are encouraged to seek more information directly from the Georgia Education Savings Authority regarding application procedures and eligibility requirements.

About the Georgia Promise Scholarship

The Georgia Promise Scholarship is a state-funded program designed to provide financial assistance for educational expenses to students attending or zoned for Georgia’s lowest-performing schools. Its goal is to offer families greater choice and support for their children’s education outside of specific public school settings.

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