Expanded Program and Record Enrollment Highlight School Choice Gains in Georgia, New School Choice Yearbook Reveals

WASHINGTON, Jan. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- More than 11,000 children are participating in the two publicly funded private school choice programs in Georgia, according to the School Choice Yearbook 2011-12—the annual award-winning publication offering the most comprehensive data on the nation's 27 private school choice programs—released yesterday by the Alliance for School Choice.

Georgia's two school choice programs increased enrollment by nearly 2,500 students since last year, with much of that growth coming as a result of significant expansions to the Georgia Scholarship Tax Credit Program. Thanks to bipartisan legislative action last spring, the program now allows students to enter at an earlier age and has strengthened transparency and accountability measures. The state's other program—a voucher program for children with special needs—also increased enrollment by nearly 500 students, keeping pace with consistent gains made every year since the program was enacted in 2007.

Last year's expansions also mean that the Peach State joins Florida as the only two Southern states in the country each with more than 10,000 private school choice students.

Learn more about the programs both in Georgia and nationwide by downloading the Yearbook at www.YearofSchoolChoice.com.

"Around the nation, school choice flourished in 2011, and Georgia played a large role in that broader effort," said Alliance Chairman Betsy DeVos. "Neighboring Southern states should look to Georgia as an example for expanding parental options and giving more children immediate access to a quality education."

The Alliance's annual Yearbook, entitled School Choice Now: The Year of School Choice, chronicles new programs and significant expansions throughout the nation during 2011. The 2011-12 edition contains an analysis of trends and information regarding school choice, a directory of the accountability provisions and requirements for each of the 27 private school choice programs throughout the nation, and a chronicle of the events from the past year.

The Alliance for School Choice is a leading national organization promoting school choice. For more information, or to download the Yearbook, visit www.AllianceForSchoolChoice.org.

SOURCE Alliance for School Choice