Two months past a required publication date of Dec. 1, 2024, the final version of the Georgia Promise Scholarship Public School List populated on the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement (GOSA) website over the Presidents’ Day weekend.
GOSA’s Promise Scholarship Public School List Calculation Guide also appears on the page. The calculation process for determining the lowest performing 25% of Georgia’s schools had been a major question for months as GOSA recalculated the list multiple times. The calculation is based on student achievement related to the average of a school’s College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI) performance scores from the last two academic years.
Once again, 18 Savannah-Chatham County Public School System (SCCPSS) schools are on the Promise School List. The schools are the same 18 that appeared on an adjusted list posted back on Dec. 4, 2024.
Families can start applying for the Promise Scholarship school voucher on March 1 based on eligibility requirements.
Students must have been enrolled in a Georgia public school for two consecutive semesters or be a rising kindergarten student. Also, parents or guardians of eligible students must have resided in Georgia for one or more years (with exception of active-duty military).
Additionally, eligible students must reside in a Georgia public school attendance zone based on the Promise School List. Students, however, do not have to have attended that public school. For example, a student who has attended a public charter or public remote learning school for two consecutive semesters is eligible.
Here are the 18 Savannah-Chatham schools on the Promise List:
*On May 16, 2024, a school closing ceremony was held for Largo-Tibet, which was phased out of use as part of the school district’s Long-Range Facilities Plan. Students who resided within the attendance zone for Largo-Tibet were rezoned to either Casimir Pulaski K-8 School, 1001 Tibet Ave. or Windsor Forest Elementary.
MyGeorgiaPromise.org, which is the portal for schools and families to sign up for Promise Scholarship consideration, published the latest list of approved participating private schools on Feb. 10.
Eleven Savannah area schools are on that list:
As families review private school options, they can refer to the MyGeorgiaPromise.org for both the Family Handbook (in English and Spanish) as well as the Private School Handbook. The website also has more information on application and enrollment periods.
The Promise website states that families will find out if they qualify some time in early 2025. The Georgia Education Savings Authority plans to issue quarterly payments to qualifying students’ families by July 1, 2025 for the 2025-2026 academic year.
Joseph Schwartzburt is the education and workforce development reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at JSchwartzburt@gannett.com and @jschwartstory84 on X.com.
