Georgia Homeschool 180 Days Requirement and Promise Scholarship Compliance

Georgia Home Study Law: The Baseline

Under O.C.G.A. § 20-2-690(c), Georgia homeschool families must meet these requirements:

• Declaration of Intent (DOI) filed with the Georgia Department of Education by September 1 each year (or within 30 days of beginning a home study program)
• 180 school days per 12-month period with a minimum of 4.5 contact hours per day
• Five core subjects covered: reading, language arts, mathematics, social studies, and science
• Standardized testing every three years beginning in 3rd grade, using a nationally norm-referenced test
• Progress reports — test results are retained at home by the parent; Georgia does not require submission to any state agency

This is one of the lighter regulatory frameworks in the country. Parents choose their own curriculum, set their own schedule within the 180-day minimum, and keep assessment records private. There's no state approval of curriculum, no portfolio review, and no requirement for certified instructors.

What the Promise Scholarship Adds

Accepting Promise Scholarship funds layers GESA's regulatory requirements on top of the standard home study baseline. The family still files the DOI and still meets the 180-day/4.5-hour requirement, but several key obligations change:

Testing frequency jumps from every three years to annually. Every Promise Scholarship student — including home study students — must complete a nationally norm-referenced assessment in mathematics and language arts every year. For scholarship purposes, the annual testing schedule applies each year; the standard home study law's three-year schedule remains the baseline outside the program.

Test results go to the state. Under standard home study law, you keep test results at home. Under the Promise Scholarship, you must upload math and ELA results to GESA through the Odyssey portal as part of annual recertification. GESA uses these results to verify continued program eligibility.

Annual recertification by May 31. Standard home study has no recertification requirement beyond the annual DOI filing. The Promise Scholarship adds a mandatory recertification with GESA that must be completed by May 31 — upload test scores, re-confirm residency, and confirm your child's enrollment status (home study or participating private school) for the upcoming year. Missing this deadline removes your child from the program and eliminates their returning-student priority.

Tutor certification requirements. Standard Georgia homeschool law places no restrictions on who teaches your child. The Promise Scholarship requires that any tutoring services paid with scholarship funds be provided by an educator certified through the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (PSC). You can still use uncertified instruction — you just can't pay for it with ESA funds.

Financial oversight and audit authority. Every dollar spent through the Odyssey platform is tracked. GESA has statutory audit authority under O.C.G.A. § 20-2B-26. Intentional misuse of funds triggers account suspension and referral to the Georgia Attorney General. Standard homeschool families face no financial oversight from the state.

What Doesn't Change

Curriculum freedom stays intact. GESA does not dictate which curriculum you use or how you teach the five core subjects. The Promise Scholarship funds what you buy, but GESA doesn't approve or review your instructional approach.

Your Declaration of Intent filing obligation with GaDOE is unchanged. You file annually by September 1 regardless of whether you're on the scholarship.

The 180-day/4.5-hour minimum applies the same way. The scholarship doesn't add instructional time requirements beyond what home study law already requires.

Exiting the Program

If you decide the compliance requirements aren't worth it, the exit process is straightforward. You complete an exit notification through the Odyssey portal. Your Declaration of Intent remains active with GaDOE, so your child reverts to standard home study status immediately — no gap in legal attendance status.

Remaining funds in the Odyssey account revert to the state general fund. If your Declaration of Intent remains active, your child returns to standard home study status under O.C.G.A. § 20-2-690(c). Confirm the exit steps with GESA before leaving the program.

A student removed for missing recertification must reapply as a new applicant during a future open window. For a voluntary exit, confirm re-entry requirements with GESA before changing course.

Making the Decision

The trade-off is specific and quantifiable: $6,500 per year in educational funding in exchange for annual testing with state submission, financial oversight of your spending, certified-provider requirements for tutoring, and a May 31 recertification deadline. The Georgia Promise Scholarship Parent Guide includes a side-by-side compliance comparison between standard home study and Promise Scholarship home study, so you can map exactly what changes before you apply.

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