Georgia House Bill HB918

Georgia 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 4/2/25

Caption

Quality Basic Education Act; permit private school students, home study students, and nonresident public school students to enroll as part-time students in any public school in this state

Summary

HB918 would amend Georgia’s Quality Basic Education Act to allow three categories of students to take part-time classes in public schools: private school students, home study students, and students already enrolled in another public school in Georgia. For private and home study students, the bill would require public schools to permit part-time enrollment in academic courses. For public school students, it would allow them to attend another public school part-time to access courses, academic offerings, and school-based services or programs that are not available at their resident school. The bill also sets the framework for how these enrollments would work. It defines key terms such as “home study student,” “private school student,” “part-time student,” and “resident school,” and directs local boards of education to adopt policies and rules to implement the program. Enrollment could be limited only by academic or grade-level prerequisites and by available capacity at the enrolling school. The bill further provides that local school systems would earn state funding for each eligible part-time student enrolled under the new section, calculated under existing state funding rules or State Board guidelines, and it prohibits schools from charging tuition to these part-time students.

Impact

HB918 would change state law by creating a new statutory right for eligible students to enroll part-time in Georgia public schools and by tying state funding to those enrollments. It would affect local school systems, public schools, private school families, home school families, and nonresident public school students by expanding access to public-school coursework and services while limiting schools’ ability to deny enrollment except for capacity or prerequisite reasons. The bill would also require local boards to adopt implementing policies and would likely interact with existing home study and private school provisions in Title 20.

Sentiment

Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee discussion or votes in the provided materials, the overall sentiment appears to be supportive and expansion-oriented. The bill’s structure suggests a policy goal of increasing educational access and flexibility for families seeking part-time public school participation. No recorded opposition, amendments, or divided vote history is provided here, so there is no documented controversy in the supplied context.

Contention

The main potential points of contention are funding, capacity, and local control. Because the bill requires school systems to earn state funds for part-time students and bars tuition charges, some local districts may be concerned about resource impacts or administrative burden. Another likely issue is whether allowing students from private schools, home study programs, and other public schools to enroll part-time could strain classroom space or complicate scheduling, which is why the bill limits enrollment only by academic prerequisites and available capacity. Supporters would likely emphasize expanded access and flexibility, while critics may focus on fiscal effects and the impact on resident-school priorities.