The Georgia Department of Revenue (DOR) announced that, on January 2, 2024, Georgia taxpayers consumed all $120 million of the Education Expense Credits available for 2024. Close to $190 million in applications were submitted on the first business day of the year, which means that the DOR will approve each request for approximately 63% of the desired amount. Statewide applications increased by $36 million over the prior year, reflecting a continued increase in support for the program.

The Georgia GOAL Scholarship Program (GOAL), the state’s leading student scholarship organization, submitted applications totaling $95.4 million. While GOAL celebrates the full utilization of the tax credit, the demand for these credits is not being met by their supply, and the resulting proration of each application will unfortunately deny many families the opportunity to choose the school that best meets their children’s needs.

According to a June 2023 report of the Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts (DOAA), the Georgia Education Expense Credit program provides annual net cost savings to state and local taxpayers of up to an estimated $61.4 million. In addition, the DOAA Report acknowledges that numerous empirical studies have found that school choice programs have correlated with positive impacts on student test scores and college attainment.

According to Lisa Kelly, GOAL President since 2009, “Georgia GOAL is proud to have led the way in implementing this transformative program, which, through the annual support of thousands of caring Georgians, has impacted more than 28,000 students across 141 Georgia counties.” 

During the 15 years of the K-12 tax credit scholarship program, GOAL has awarded 7,853 scholarships in North Georgia, 31,067 scholarships in Metro Atlanta, 16,100 scholarships in Middle Georgia, and 17,135 scholarships in South Georgia. More than 90% of GOAL Scholarships have been awarded to families with income of less than 250% of the poverty level, and 47% were awarded to students of color. 

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