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Special education in Georgia

What Georgia calls special education, how long each step takes, who to call, free help, paying for services, and how the state scores.

Special education in Georgia

Special education is called
Special Education
The IEP meeting
IEP team meeting
Eligibility team
Eligibility team
Evaluation timeline
60 calendar days. From consent; periods of 5 or more consecutive non-school days do not count (160-4-7-.04)
IEP timeline
30 days (federal)
Transition planning starts
16 (being checked)
Rights transfer to the student at
18
Developmental delay category
3 to 9 (Significant Developmental Delay; child count)
Dyslexia law
yes: O.C.G.A. 20-2-159.6 (SB 48, 2019): K-3 screening for characteristics of dyslexia
State categories
Significant Developmental Delay (SDD); Emotional and Behavioral Disorder (EBD)

Find your district and schools

253 districts and charter districts. 53 special education schools and 96 public charter schools.

Get your Hall PassSchools in GeorgiaServices for children in Georgia (on Disability Atlas)

The state office and your options when you disagree

State special education office
Procedural safeguards (your rights notice)
Mediation
State complaint
Due process
Ombudsman

Free help for families

Parent centers

Disability rights agency

Advocacy groups in Georgia

Paying for it

Medicaid for children
Georgia Medicaid
CHIP
PeachCare for Kids
Apply
Medicaid for children with disabilities, whatever the family's income
yes: TEFRA/Katie Beckett
Schools bill Medicaid for health services
yes (limited services for all Medicaid-enrolled students)
Autism insurance law
yes. 20 and under; ABA $35,000 per year
Scholarship or ESA for students with disabilities
SWD-specific: Georgia Special Needs Scholarship (SWD voucher); Georgia Promise Scholarship ESA (limited to students zoned to low-performing schools); Qualified Education Expense tax-credit scholarship
Program page

How school, Medicaid and insurance fit together

How Georgia scores

First edition. These grades are new (November 2026) and the weights may still change. Texas graduation data is being confirmed with the state.

State of Schools

C

Rank 28 of 51

State of Support

D

Rank 38 of 51

Combined

D+

Rank 40 of 51

PillarGrade
Following the lawD+
Learning togetherD+
ResultsC
School fundingC-
Family protectionsA-
Options and transitionC+

IDEA determination 2026: Needs Assistance (2 or more years). How we grade.

Sources for this page are listed in the K12 Atlas research tables (state terms, state help, paying for it). Items marked "being checked" are waiting on a primary source.

Last reviewed: November 2026. Rules, programs and phone numbers change. Check with the office named on this page. Report outdated or wrong information.