Macon ranks high in number of school voucher program applicants, recipients

When Macon mother of two Jena Newman saw her daughter’s private school tuition bill drop, the Georgia Promise Scholarship finally felt real.

“I heard about the bill when it was being considered and passed,” she said. “I thought, ‘Wouldn’t this be great if this was an actual thing? It didn’t feel real. It just felt like, ‘Oh yeah, that would be nice.’”

Newman, whose daughter is about to turn 5, was approved for the new state-funded scholarship, which provides up to $6,500 per student for private school tuition or other approved educational expenses.

For Newman’s family, it means help paying tuition at a Montessori private school in Macon — something they had been stretching their budget to afford. Newman said she values the Montessori philosophy because it emphasizes child-led learning and individualized attention in small settings, which she believes will benefit her daughter.

“Her cost of tuition exceeds the amount of the scholarship, so all of our scholarship amount is going there,” Newman said. “Having the scholarship is just giving us a lot more financial freedom as a family. I mean, we were paying more for school tuition than our mortgage payment.”

Newman is one of hundreds of parents in Macon who applied for the scholarship.

As the fall semester nears, Bibb County has emerged as a top participant in the voucher program, ranking third in both total family applications and number of eligible students — behind only DeKalb and Henry counties.

More than 865 applications were submitted by Bibb County families between March and June for the fall 2025 semester, according to the Georgia Student Finance Commission. Of those, 582 students were found eligible as of July 22.

Statewide, nearly 15,300 students applied for the scholarship, and about 8,600 were deemed eligible. The program is designed to serve about 22,000 students attending public schools that rank in the bottom 25% for academic achievement.

More than 30 schools in the Middle Georgia Regional Education Service Agency appeared on the state’s final list of underperforming schools, and about 63% of those were located in Macon.

The influx of scholarship participants is expected to affect both public and private education sectors in the region.

Public school leaders are monitoring how the program may impact enrollment, which is tied to state funding.

Critics of the program, such as Rep. Floyd Griffin (D-Milledgeville) who sought to repeal the voucher program, previously said it will divert funds from public schools to private institutions that won’t be held to public accountability, as well as potentially benefiting wealthier families while disadvantaging marginalized communities.

Meanwhile, private and microschools are preparing to meet increased student interest.

Taneesha Thomas is co-founder of Jonesboro-based Focused Minds Education Group, one of the state-approved service providers for the scholarship program. The group offers literacy and personalized support to families statewide, including in Macon.

“Our tutoring services are designed to meet students where they are academically,” Thomas said. “We’re able to provide high-qualified and certified educators, both in person and virtually, to any of our parents who are eligible and have received the scholarship.”

Thomas noted that parents can view and select services through the scholarship program’s online marketplace.

“It is parent choice, so whatever those parents choose to do with our model, we can do it,” Thomas said.

Newman said the scholarship gave her family a level of financial flexibility they didn’t have before. She said the savings allowed her family to reallocate money toward other needs, like purchasing a minivan.

“It just gives families more options,” she said. “I think finances are limiting educational choice for so many people … so these funds influencing more options is just really powerful.”

Newman added that she hopes her 2-year-old son will benefit from the scholarship in the coming years.

How many applied, were approved in Middle GA?

As of July 22, nearly 8,600 students across Georgia had met full eligibility criteria for the program.

About 75% of preliminary eligible students come from lower-income households whose incomes do not exceed 400% of the federal poverty level, according to statewide data from the GSFC.

Demographically, 52% of eligible students identified as Black, 33% as white, 9% as multiracial, 4% as Hispanic, 1% as Asian or Pacific Islander, and less than 1% as Native American or Alaska Native.

Most scholarship recipients are in the lower grades: 32% will be in kindergarten, 45% in grades 1 through 6, 11% in grades 7 and 8, and 12% in grades 9 through 12 during the 2025–26 school year.

What’s next?

The $6,500 will be disbursed in four quarterly payments of $1,625 — scheduled for July 2025, October 2025, January 2026, and April 2026, the GFSC said.

The money can also cover services and materials through the GA Promise Scholarship Marketplace, a state-run online platform offering more than 7,300 products and services. Families can use the scholarship funds for tuition, certified tutoring, textbooks, therapy services and more.

Additional application windows will open in September and December for families seeking funding for the spring 2026 semester.

For parents interested in learning more about the scholarship, Newman recommends joining the “Georgia Promise Fellowship Program Resources for Parents” Facebook group.

This story was originally published July 24, 2025 at 12:09 PM.