School Choice

General Provisions

January 13, 2025 - January 31, 2025

Residency

A student must be a current Henry County resident to apply for school choice. If a student is approved for a transfer and subsequently moves outside of Henry County, the school choice transfer will end at the time of the move.

If the student receives Exceptional Student Educational services, the school selected must have the Exceptional Student Educational services required by the current Individual Education Plan (IEP).

Attendance and Code of Conduct Expectations

Students approved for school choice are expected to have regular and punctual attendance and to abide by all disciplinary rules outlined in the Code of Conduct.
Applications for school choice can be denied if the student has a history of attendance or Code of Conduct violations, defined as:

• Any combination of ten (10) or more unexcused tardies, checkouts, or absences in a calendar year; or
• Code of Conduct violations - four (4) or more In-School Suspensions, or 1 Out-of-School Suspension in a calendar year.

A student’s approval for transfer may be revoked by the department responsible for student transfers if attendance or Code of Conduct violations (as defined above) occur at the requested school and the student will be expected to immediately enroll in the school of their residence.

Georgia Special Needs Scholarship

To qualify for the Georgia Special Need Scholarship award with an IEP for the 2025-2026 school year the student must meet the following requirements: 

1) The student's parent currently resides within Georgia and has been a Georgia resident for at least one calendar year however, that the one-year requirement shall not apply if the student's parent is an active-duty military service member stationed in Georgia within the previous year; AND

2) The student had an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) in effect during the 2024-2025​ school year; AND

3) The student spent the prior school year in attendance* at a Georgia public school. 

*Prior school year in attendance means the student was enrolled and reported by a public school system or school systems for funding purposes at the time of both FTE program counts, conducted each school year in October and March. See OCGA 20-2-2112 (5)  

Prior school year in attendance shall not apply if:

• The student's parent is an active-duty military service member stationed in Georgia within the previous year; OR
• The student has been adopted or placed in a permanent guardianship from foster care pursuant to an order issued by a court of competent jurisdiction within the previous year; OR
• The student previously qualified for a scholarship as provided in state law.

​​​​Please note that previously qualified only waives the prior school year in attendance provision, all other requirements including having an IEP in the previous school year and enrollment in a public school are still in effect.

School Choice Application Process

Online applicants will be provided a confirmation email (copy of responses) that the application has been received. This is not a confirmation of approval.

Parents/Guardians will be notified of final transfer approval prior to Spring Break each year. Notification will be in writing and mailed to the address provided by the parent/guardian on the application. It is the responsibility of parents and guardians to have current addresses on file with the district.

Expectations

Selected students may complete the highest grade of that particular school before having to re-apply if the student maintains acceptable attendance and behavior per regulation JBCCA. Parents/Guardians are also expected to maintain a cordial and cooperative working relationship with school personnel.

Parents/Guardians are responsible for timely transportation to and from the approved transfer school and providing excuses for absences.

Once a school choice transfer is approved, the parent/guardian must officially accept the transfer by the established date for the transfer to be valid.  Failure to accept the transfer by this deadline will result in the school choice transfer being nullified.

The window to accept an approved school choice transfer for School Year 2025-2026 is March 25 through March 28, 2025.

The deadline to accept an approved school choice transfer for School Year 2025-2026 is March 28, 2025.

High School Athletics

If the student transfers at the high school level, he/she must meet Georgia High School Association requirements to participate in competitive interscholastic activities. Please consult the school athletic director before the transfer.

HCS School Choice | Spanish 
HCS Employee School Choice | Spanish

Frequently Asked Questions - School Choice | School Choice (Spanish)

Board Policy JBCCA: Student Assignment to Schools 

Regulation JBCCA-R(1): Student Assignment to Schools - Procedures

Employee School Choice - Submit Requests Here:  Employee Children Enrollment

SB10 Parent Notification Letter - English | Spanish

The Henry County Schools Welcome Center is located at 166 Holly Smith Drive, McDonough, GA 30253 and is open weekdays from 8 a.m.-4 p.m.