HB 217: Education; make Dual Achievement Program a permanent state-wide program

The Dual Achievement Program lets eligible teenagers leave a traditional high school, enroll at a Technical College System of Georgia campus, and earn both a high school diploma and a technical college credential. Under current law the program was set to end on July 1, 2026. This bill pushes that repeal date to July 1, 2031 and changes who can join. Starting July 1, 2026, new participants must stay enrolled in their public high school rather than withdrawing from it, cannot be 21 or older, and give up the right to play sports or join other extracurricular activities through their home school. Students already in the program as of June 30, 2026 keep their old eligibility rules. The bill also requires the State Board of Education to send a share of state Quality Basic Education (QBE) funding to the technical college system for these students, and lets the state's new education savings account program (Promise Scholarships) share applicant names with the Department of Revenue to verify income eligibility.

• Extends the Dual Achievement Program, which lets students earn a high school diploma through a technical college, from a 2026 expiration to July 1, 2031.
• Changes eligibility so that starting July 1, 2026, new participants must remain enrolled in their public high school instead of withdrawing, and must be under 21.
• Bars new participants from playing sports or joining other extracurricular activities sponsored by their home high school or district.
• Lets students already enrolled by June 30, 2026 keep their original eligibility terms rather than the new rules.
• Requires the State Board of Education to send the technical college system a proportional share of state QBE funding earned for each participating student.
• Allows the education savings authority that runs the Promise Scholarship program to share applicant names with the Department of Revenue to check income against eligibility limits.

High school students who want to earn credentials at a technical college through the Dual Achievement Program, their parents or guardians, local school boards and superintendents, the State Board of Education, the Technical College System of Georgia, families applying for Promise Scholarship education savings accounts, and the Department of Revenue.

Teenagers who previously had to withdraw from high school to join the program can now stay enrolled while attending technical college classes, though they lose eligibility for school sports and clubs. Schools would also see state per-pupil funding shifted to the technical college system for these students, and families applying for Promise Scholarships would have their income checked against state tax records.

• Section 1 updates a local school board election eligibility waiver rule tied to a school system's current enrollment count rather than a fixed 2009 baseline.
• Section 2 lets the education savings authority send applicant names to the Department of Revenue to verify income for Promise Scholarship eligibility, under a cooperative agreement and confidentiality rules.
• Section 3 extends the pilot program's waiver authority from five to ten years and moves the annual report deadline from February 1 to November 15, adding legislative committees as recipients.
• New Code Section 20-4-141 sets different eligibility rules before and after July 1, 2026: students who join before that date must withdraw from high school, while those joining after must stay enrolled, be under 21, and forgo extracurricular activities.
• New Code Section 20-2-141.1 requires the State Board of Education to pay the technical college system a proportional share of QBE formula earnings for each participating student, based on the portion of the school day spent at the technical college.
• Section 3 requires the State Board of Education and the technical college system's governing board to publish and jointly maintain a list of courses that count toward a high school diploma under the program by April 1, 2026 and each year after.
• Section 3 extends the article's automatic repeal date from July 1, 2026 to July 1, 2031.

1. 2025-07-01Effective Date
2. 2025-04-28Act 18
3. 2025-04-28House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2025-04-10House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2025-04-04House Agreed Senate Amend or Sub (House)
6. 2025-03-28Senate Passed/Adopted As Amended (Senate)
7. 2025-03-28Senate Third Read (Senate)
8. 2025-03-25Senate Read Second Time (Senate)

• Soo Hong (R, HD-103)Primary sponsor
• Chuck Martin (R, HD-49)
• Chris Erwin (R, HD-32)
• Will Wade (R, HD-9)
• Bethany Ballard (R, HD-147)
• Bo Hatchett (R, SD-50)

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 6, 2025

   169 yea, 2 nay (2 not voting, 7 excused)

   PASSAGE: House Vote #260

2. PassedSenate voteMarch 28, 2025

   44 yea, 2 nay (6 not voting, 4 excused)

   PASSAGE AS AMENDED: Senate Vote #323

3. PassedHouse voteApril 4, 2025

   143 yea, 22 nay (4 not voting, 11 excused)

   Agree to Senate Amendment: House Vote #414

• dual enrollment
• technical college
• high school diploma requirements
• education funding
• Promise Scholarship program