These are the Middle Georgia private schools picked for state’s voucher program.

Georgia officials released Monday a list of private schools that have been approved to participate in the Georgia Promise Scholarship program for the 2025-2026 academic year, allowing eligible students to get public money and put it towards attending one of those schools.

Sixteen private schools in Middle Georgia made the list to be a part of the program, which intends to provide up to $6,500 for eligible K-12 students who reside in the attendance zone of a public school listed on the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement’s lowest-performing 25% in the state.

With the scholarship, eligible families may use public funds for private school or homeschooling expenses.

The scholarship, also referred to as a private school voucher, aims to give students greater choice on where they can enroll, though it can only serve an estimated 22,000 students in the state.

Bibb County had 12 private schools on the eligible list: Central Fellowship Christian Academy, Covenant Academy, First Presbyterian Day School, Montessori of Macon, Mount de Sales Academy, SEAL Preparatory Academy, St. Andrews Montessori School, St. Joseph’s Catholic School, St. Peter Claver Regional Catholic School, Tattnall Square Academy, Windsor Academy and Wynfield Christian Academy.

Achieve Academy and Sacred Heart School in Warner Robins also made the list. The Westfield School in Perry was also named.

Georgia Military College Preparatory School and John Milledge Academy in Milledgeville, as well as Twiggs Academy, Inc. in Jeffersonville, also were named.

Applications have opened in different windows for private schools to apply. Application review is still being finalized for schools that applied in the window ending on Dec. 6. The next private school application window will open on Jan. 21 and close on Feb. 21, according to state officials.

For eligibility to participate in the scholarship program, private schools must be accredited (or in the process of becoming accredited) by a recognized accrediting agency, be in operation for at least one school year (or provide the Georgia Educational Savings Authority with requested financial information) and maintain administrative compliance, according to the Georgia Promise Scholarship website.

Meanwhile, the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement has yet to complete reevaluating and releasing its revised list of the state’s lowest-performing schools. The office has pulled its initial list twice, removing and adding school systems both times.

“GOSA is conducting a very careful, thorough, and conscientious analysis and validation process to ensure the school list is accurate. The list will, therefore, be posted at a later date in the new year,” the office’s website has said for more than two weeks.

The Georgia Promise Scholarship was created through Senate Bill 233, which Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law in April.

This story was originally published January 2, 2025 at 10:08 AM.