SB 249: "Quality Basic Education Act,"; beginning in the 2031-2032 school year, a computer science course shall be a high school graduation requirement; provide

Georgia law currently requires most high schools to offer a computer science course, but students are not required to take one to graduate. This bill changes that. Beginning in the 2031-2032 school year, every local school board would have to require students to complete a computer science course, or a career, technical, and agricultural education (CTAE) course that includes computer science, before graduating. Students could take the course anytime in grades eight through 12, in person, online, or through blended learning, and it would not add to the total number of credits needed to graduate. The bill also lets a qualifying computer science course count both as the new graduation requirement and as credit toward one other subject area, such as math, science, CTAE, world language, fine arts, or electives, with some limits on math and science substitutions. It updates the law's legislative findings about why computer science matters and directs the Department of Education to keep supporting teacher training and reporting on the program's progress.

• Requires all students, beginning with the 2031-2032 school year, to complete a computer science or computer science embedded CTAE course to graduate high school.
• Allows the required course to be taken in grades eight through 12 in a classroom, blended, or online format, without increasing total graduation credits.
• Lets a qualifying computer science course count as one unit of credit toward math, science, CTAE, world language, fine arts, or elective requirements, with restrictions on certain math and science courses.
• Lets a qualifying CTAE course embedded with computer science count toward CTAE or elective credit requirements.
• Directs the Department of Education and State Board of Education to set minimum criteria for approving CTAE courses embedded with computer science.
• Updates the law's findings section, removing outdated statistics about computer science course participation and job vacancies and revising language about the skills computer science teaches.

Georgia public high school students starting with the 2031-2032 school year, local school boards and state charter schools that must offer and require the courses, high school and middle school teachers who deliver computer science instruction, and the Department of Education and State Board of Education, which set course standards and approve CTAE course criteria.

Once the requirement takes effect, students would need to pass a computer science related course to earn a diploma, though the bill allows that course to double up for credit in another subject so it does not add extra coursework. This changes what counts as a required class statewide.

• Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. § 20-2-149.3 to add a new graduation requirement effective in the 2031-2032 school year for computer science or CTAE courses embedded with computer science.
• The required course can be completed in grades eight through 12 and must meet State Board of Education content standards, without increasing the total credits needed to graduate.
• A qualifying full-credit computer science course can substitute for one unit of math, science, CTAE, modern language or Latin, fine arts, or elective credit, with exceptions barring substitution for specific required math and science courses.
• Students completing more than one distinct computer science course may use multiple credits to offset other requirements, but no more than one math and one science credit can be offset this way.
• CTAE courses embedded with computer science can similarly satisfy the graduation requirement plus one CTAE or elective credit, with no stated limit on multiple offsets.
• The Department of Education must set, and the State Board of Education must approve, minimum criteria for approving CTAE courses embedded with computer science.
• The bill revises the law's legislative findings, removing prior statistics about low course-taking rates and unfilled computer science jobs and adjusting language about critical thinking skills.
• Section 2 repeals conflicting laws.

1. 2025-02-26Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
2. 2025-02-24Senate Hopper (Senate)

• Clint Dixon (R, SD-045)Primary sponsor
• Jason Anavitarte (R, SD-031)
• Max Burns (R, SD-023)
• Marty Harbin (R, SD-016)
• Billy Hickman (R, SD-004)
• Shawn Still (R, SD-048)

• computer science education
• high school graduation requirements
• Quality Basic Education Act
• CTAE courses
• Georgia public schools