PHOTO COURTESY OF ST. THOMAS MORE SCHOOL

ATLANTA —Georgia’s Catholic and private schools are receiving significant boosts in funding through the efforts of several state- and archdiocesan-supported financial aid programs.

These programs—Georgia Promise Scholarship, GOAL, block grants and the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship—ensure that students can access quality education regardless of their family’s financial situation.

The four financial aid programs differ in several ways, and understanding how each works is vital to helping parents explore their funding options. As state and religious leaders continue to support these initiatives, the promise of a Catholic education for parents in the archdiocese has never been more attainable.

“Accessibility to a quality, well-rounded education is everything for the families in the archdiocese,” said Dr. Tony Bonta, assistant superintendent for the Office of Catholic Schools.

Georgia Promise Scholarship

Known as Senate Bill 233, the Georgia Promise Scholarship Act was enacted in April. It will begin next fall and will be available for students in kindergarten through 12th grade.

This scholarship program allows families to apply for funding needed for educational expenses. Through the scholarship, families can go to a private school of their choice or use for home study.

According to the Georgia Promise Scholarship website, the program helps families to use the aid for “private school tuition and fees, curriculum, tutoring services, therapy services, and transportation services,” among others.

Eligibility relies on three prongs, according to the scholarship program’s website, which are: Georgia public school enrollment, residency in a lower-performing school zone and residency in Georgia.

A student should be enrolled in a Georgia public school for the 2024/25 academic year or entering kindergarten for the 2025/26 academic year. The student needs to currently reside in an attendance zone of a lower-performing school on the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement list. Lastly, the parent of an eligible student will have resided in Georgia for at least a year, with an exception for active-duty military families.

Students can earn up to $6,500 through the scholarship program. Applications for the upcoming fall school year go live in January and are rolling throughout the year.

An important note is that students who receive this scholarship cannot also receive the Special Needs Scholarship and GOAL scholarship, according to Georgia Promise’s website.

GOAL (Greater Opportunities for Access to Learning)

The GRACE Scholars program closed earlier this year, with the archdiocese deciding to partner with the Georgia GOAL Scholarship Program. Previous recipients of the GRACE Scholars program are eligible for the GOAL scholarship and will continue to receive scholarships, dependent upon their eligibility.

With the GOAL scholarship, families can be awarded funds to students who wish to attend Catholic schools. In the Archdiocese of Atlanta, 16 schools participate in the program.

GOAL is possible through the Education Expense Credit Law and funded by the Georgia tax credit system, in which taxpayers receive tax credit for contributions, according to Georgia’s GOAL Scholarship’s website.

GOAL does not directly accept applications from parents but instead allows a participating school to nominate a student to be a recipient of the scholarship.

The program states that eligible students for this financial assistance are those who are Georgia residents enrolled in a secondary or primary public school or are eligible to join a qualified pre-kindergarten, kindergarten or first-grade program.

Parents who wish for the scholarship for their students are encouraged to contact the admissions office of their participating GOAL school.

Block Grants

The Archdiocese of Atlanta provides school block grants to its schools in hopes of providing financial assistance to families in need. This allocation of funds is available for families based on their needs and financial situation.

The needs of each school are assessed by the archdiocese, and then each institution is given the necessary amount. The schools are able to use the funds for their families.

Like GOAL, families cannot directly apply for the grant but are encouraged to apply for financial assistance through their school’s admission department.

Georgia Special Needs Scholarship (SB10)

This financial aid program allows students with disabilities to be reassigned from their public school to a private school. This voucher program allows parents who are unhappy with the public school in the area to receive a voucher that covers tuition and fees of a private school that is right for their child.

Eligible students must be enrolled in a Georgia public school for the entire previous year and must have received special education services under Individualized Education Plan or a Section 504 plan. Additionally, the student’s parent must be a Georgia resident or have been for at least one year, with an exception for active-duty military families.

Parents can apply directly through the Georgia Department of Education’s website.