Georgia

School Choice Policies

Charter School Choice

Does the state have charter schools?

Are for-profit charter schools or management companies allowed?

Yes-

"[T]he local board and state board shall ensure that a charter school... shall be.... [a] public, nonsectarian, nonreligious, nonprofit school that is not home based, provided that a charter school's nonprofit status shall not prevent the school from contracting for the services of a for profit entity..."

20-2-2065 (b)(1)

Is there a cap on the number of charter schools?

Unclear-

"The state board shall be authorized to approve up to five petitions for charter systems during fiscal year 2008, and may approve up to a maximum number of petitions in following years as may be established pursuant to board rules and as subject to availability of funding for implementation grants."

20-2-2063.2 (e) (2)

Are charters required to provide transportation for any students?

Did not find-

No explicit mention. However, the fund set up for helping charters purchase and maintain facilities allows for the allocation of funds for the "[p]urchase of vehicles to transport students to and from the charter school or commission charter school."

20-2-2068.2 (c)(4)

Can charter schools employ uncertified teachers?

Unclear-

In the definition section, faculty and instructional staff members are defined as "all certificated personnel assigned to the school on a full-time basis and all paraprofessionals assigned to the school on a full-time basis." So, although the need for certification is not directly mentioned, it seems as though certifications may be required.

20-2-2062 (5)

Page last updated: July 2024

Click here to download the State Policy Spreadsheet. Click here to download the State Policy Map Data Memo.

Shape Created with Sketch.

We’re always looking for feedback. To get in touch with our team, please email comments or questions to info@reachcentered.org. Thank you!

The State Policy Map provides a snapshot of school choice policy found in laws passed by the legislative bodies, for all 50 states and Washington, D.C., based on information gathered from state statutes in fall 2019; data checks continued through December 2020. Information on this site may not include the most up-to-date policy information. The State Policy Map does not systematically reflect state Department of Education administrative policies, rules, or regulations. All content on this site is provided for informational purposes only. Links to third-party websites are for the user’s convenience; neither REACH nor any affiliated entities endorse the contents of third-party sites.

Note: On June 30, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Montana's exclusion of religious schools from the state's tax credit scholarship program was unconstitutional (Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue 591). The responses to the question "Can students use vouchers to attend religious schools?" were collected before this ruling and therefore do not reflect any changes resulting from the Espinoza decision.