SB 171: Quality Basic Education Act; State Board of Education to develop an advanced mathematics pathway; require

Currently Georgia has no statewide advanced mathematics track defined in law for elementary and middle school students. This bill adds a new section to the Quality Basic Education Act requiring the State Board of Education, by January 1, 2027, to build an advanced math pathway for grades three through eight designed to let students take a high school level math course while still in middle school. The state board must set qualification criteria, automatically enroll qualifying students in grades six through eight (with an opt out for parents), and let parents of non-qualifying students enroll their child if the student scored above the 50th percentile on the prior year's math assessment. Local school systems may offer the pathway in grades three through five but must offer it in grades six through eight. The Department of Education must file an annual report to state leaders breaking down enrollment and test scores by demographic categories.

• Requires the State Board of Education to develop an advanced math pathway for grades three through eight by January 1, 2027, ending in a high school level math course taken in middle school.
• Requires automatic enrollment of qualifying students into the pathway for grades six through eight, while letting parents opt their child out.
• Allows parents of non-qualifying students to enroll them if the student scored above the 50th percentile statewide on the prior year's math assessment.
• Makes the pathway optional for local school systems in grades three through five but mandatory for grades six through eight.
• Requires the Department of Education to submit an annual report to the Governor, legislative leaders, and education committee chairs on enrollment and test scores broken down by demographic factors.
• Allows local school systems to offer additional supports and services to students and teachers involved in the pathway.

Public school students in grades three through eight and their parents or guardians, local school systems and teachers who must offer or support the pathway, the State Board of Education and Department of Education, which must design the program and report on it, and state legislative leaders who receive the annual report.

Middle schoolers who qualify could be automatically placed into advanced math and reach high school level coursework earlier, while parents retain the ability to opt out or opt in based on test scores. School districts statewide would gain a new mandatory offering in grades six through eight, changing scheduling and staffing decisions.

• New Code Section 20-2-159.6(a) requires the state board to develop the pathway and adopt qualification and enrollment policies by January 1, 2027.
• Subsection (a)(3) and (a)(4) set the opt-out rule for automatically enrolled students and the 50th percentile test score threshold for students seeking to opt in.
• Subsection (b)(1) makes the pathway optional for local school systems in grades three through five, allowing added supports for students and teachers.
• Subsection (b)(2) makes the pathway mandatory for local school systems in grades six through eight.
• Subsection (c) requires an annual Department of Education report by December 1 to the Governor, Senate President, House Speaker, and education committee chairs, disaggregated by ethnicity, sex, socioeconomic status, disability, language proficiency, grade level, and school.

1. 2026-02-26House Second Readers (House)
2. 2026-02-25House First Readers (House)
3. 2026-02-24Senate Passed/Adopted By Substitute (Senate)
4. 2026-02-24Senate Third Read (Senate)
5. 2026-02-04Senate Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (Senate)
6. 2026-01-12Senate Recommitted (Senate)
7. 2025-03-04Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
8. 2025-03-03Senate Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (Senate)

• Jason Anavitarte (R, SD-031)Primary sponsor
• Billy Hickman (R, SD-004)
• Max Burns (R, SD-023)
• RaShaun Kemp (D, SD-038)
• Chuck Payne (R, SD-054)
• Sonya Halpern (D, SD-039)
• Shawn Still (R, SD-048)
• Ed Setzler (R, SD-037)
• Elena Parent (D, SD-044)
• Donzella James (D, SD-028)
• Clint Dixon (R, SD-045)
• Freddie Sims (D, SD-012)
• Ricky Williams (R, SD-025)
• Timothy Bearden (R, SD-030)
• Bo Hatchett (R, SD-050)
• Sally Harrell (D, SD-040)

1. PassedSenate voteFebruary 24, 2026

   53 yea, 0 nay (1 not voting, 1 absent)

   Passage By Substitute: Senate Vote #574

• math education
• Quality Basic Education Act
• school curriculum
• student enrollment policy
• K-12 education