HB918: HB918 Quality Basic Education Act; permit private school students, home study students, and nonresident public school students to enroll as part-time students in any public school in this state

Under current Georgia law, students are generally tied to their resident public school, and private school or home study students do not have a clear path to take individual courses at a public school. This bill adds a new section to the Quality Basic Education Act allowing parents of private school and home study students to enroll their child part time in any public school in the state to take academic courses. It also lets students already enrolled in one public school enroll part time in a different public school to access courses, services, or programs their home school does not offer. Schools that accept these part-time students would receive state funding for them based on existing per-segment funding rules (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-160) or guidelines set by the State Board of Education. Local school boards cannot charge these part-time students tuition. Schools may only limit enrollment based on space available and academic or grade level requirements, and local boards must adopt policies to carry out the new rules.

• Allows parents of private school students and home study students to enroll their child part time in any public school in Georgia to take academic courses.
• Allows a student already enrolled in one public school to enroll part time in a different public school to access unavailable courses, services, or programs.
• Requires local school systems to receive state funding for each part-time student based on existing per-segment funding formulas or State Board of Education guidelines.
• Prohibits local school boards from charging tuition to these part-time students.
• Limits schools to only using enrollment capacity and academic or grade level prerequisites to restrict part-time enrollment.
• Requires each local board of education to adopt policies, rules, and regulations to implement the new part-time enrollment system.

Private school students and their parents, home study (homeschool) families, public school students seeking courses not offered at their home school, local school systems and boards of education, and the State Board of Education, which would set funding guidelines for part-time enrollment.

Families who currently choose private school or home study would gain a state-funded option to access specific public school courses without paying tuition, while public school students could take courses unavailable at their home school. School systems would need new enrollment policies and would receive funding tied to part-time attendance.

• Adds new Code Section 20-2-297 defining terms including 'home study student,' 'private school student,' 'part-time student,' and 'resident school.'
• Subsection (b) permits parents of home study or private school students to enroll them part time in any public school to attend academic courses.
• Subsection (c) permits public school students to enroll part time in another public school to access courses or services unavailable at their resident school.
• Subsection (d) requires local school systems to earn state funds for each part-time student per one-sixth day segment attended, following O.C.G.A. § 20-2-160 or State Board guidelines, and bars charging tuition to these students.
• Subsection (e) requires local boards to adopt implementing policies and limits enrollment restrictions to academic/grade prerequisites and school capacity.
• Section 2 repeals conflicting laws.

1. 2026-01-12House Second Readers (House)
2. 2025-04-04House First Readers (House)
3. 2025-04-02House Hopper (House)

• Scott Hilton (R, HD-048)Primary sponsor
• Todd Jones (R, HD-025)

• public education
• school choice
• homeschooling
• private schools
• education funding