Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Program End of School Year Report 2015-2016 School Year For the Georgia General Assembly per O.C.G.A. § 20-2-2118 Georgia Department of Education Table of Contents Contents Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................. i Executive Summary ......................................................................................................................... 1 Program Overview .......................................................................................................................... 2 2015-2016 School Year - Student Participation by Ethnicity .......................................................... 3 2015-2016 School Year - Student Participation by Gender ............................................................ 4 2015-2016 School Year - Student Participation by Disability Type ................................................ 5 2015-2016 School Year - Student Participation by Grade Level ..................................................... 6 2015-2016 School Year - School System of Origin for Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Students .......................................................................................................................................... 7 Map: 2015-2016 School Year - School Systems where Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Private Schools Located ............................................................................................................................ 11 2015-2016 School Year - Student Participation by Ethnicity ........................................................ 12 2015-2016 School Year - GSNS Average Tuition Costs by Private School Providers .................... 19 Georgia Department of Education i of i Executive Summary Senate Bill 10 as signed into law on May 18, 2007, created the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship (GSNS) Program which allows parents of eligible special needs students to transfer their children to another public school, public school system, state school, or approved participating private school. On July 1, 2013, OCGA § 20-2-2114 was amended to authorize the State Board of Education to waive the prior school year requirement on a case-by-case basis for specific medical needs of a student upon the request of a parent or guardian. On July 1, 2015, OCGA § 20-2-2114 was further amended so that prior year enrollment in a Georgia public school requirement shall not apply if the student’s parent is an active duty military service member stationed in Georgia within the previous year. This report represents the results for the 2015-2016 school year as required by O.C.G.A. § 20-2- 2118, which stipulates that the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement, in conjunction with the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) shall provide the General Assembly with a report regarding the scholarship program for the previous fiscal year. This was the ninth school year the GSNS Program was administered. 2015-2016 Program Highlights Number of participating private schools increased from 245 to 260 private schools. 17 was the average number of students enrolled in each private school. 0-176 was the range of students enrolled in each private school. 25 participating private schools did not enroll any students under the GSNS Program. Total student participation in the program increased from the previous school year by 511 with 4,154 students enrolled in private schools. 2,846 students continued their participation in the program from the previous school year. Of the 4,154 students enrolled: 32% Female, 68% Male. 34.79% Black, 56.45% White, and 8.76% Asian/Hispanic/Native American/Multi- Racial. 30.3% had a disability type of Specific Learning Disability. 27.9% had a disability type of Other Health Impairment. $23,495,631 was paid in fiscal year 2016 for scholarships to students. $5,656 was the average annual scholarship amount for students. $1,000 - $53,000 was the range of tuition of private schools participating in the GSNS Program. Georgia Department of Education Page 1 of 25 Program Overview – 2015-2016 Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Program Program Information Count Total number of students receiving scholarships at start of the 4,154 2015-2016 school year. Total number of new private schools submitting an application 16 for participation in the 2015-2016 school year. Number of new private schools participating in the GSNS 15 Program for the 2015-2016 school year. Number of private schools returning from 2015-2016 school 245 year. Total number of private school participating in GSNS for 2015- 260 2016 school year. Total number of private schools with enrolled GSNS students. 235 Highest enrollment in a single school. 177 Range of student enrollment in participating private schools. 1-177 Average number of scholarship students per school. 18 Georgia public school systems impacted by scholarship student 128 withdrawals. Range for number of students withdrawing from a Georgia 1-524 public school system to use the scholarship at an authorized private school. Financial Information Amounts Total scholarship payments statewide for FY16. $23,495,631 Range of annual scholarship amounts for GSNS students. $580 - $14,519 Average annual scholarship amount. $5,656 Average tuition amount of participating private schools $13,382 Range of tuition amounts of participating private schools. $1,000 - $53,000 Georgia Department of Education Page 2 of 25 2015-2016 School Year - Student Participation by Ethnicity Race/ Asian Black Hispanic Indian Multi- Pacific White Not Total Ethnicity racial Islander Available GSNS 6 1,445 144 13 114 56 2,345 31 4,154 Students GA 66,453 648,747 256,080 3,453 59,390 1,967 721,121 0 1,757,211 Students* GSNS 0.14% 34.79% 3.47% 0.31% 2.74% 1.35% 56.45% 0.75% 100% Percentage GA 3.78% 36.92% 14.57% 0.20% 3.38% 0.11% 41.04% 0.0% 100% Percentage *Enrollment from first FTE count of 2015-2016 school year. 70.0% 56.45% 60.0% 50.0% 41.0% 40.0% 36.9% 34.79% 30.0% 20.0% 14.6% 10.0% 3.8% 3.47% 2.74%3.4% 0.14% 0.31%0.2% 1.35% 0.1% 0.75%0.0% 0.0% Asian Black Hispanic Indian Multi-racial Pacific White NA Islander GSNS Students Georgia - All Students Georgia Department of Education Page 3 of 25 2015-2016 School Year - Student Participation by Gender Female Male Total GSNS Students 1,335 2,819 4,154 GA Students* 857,764 899,447 1,757,211 GSNS 32.1% 67.9% 100% Percentage GA 48.8% 51.2% 100% Percentage *Enrollment from first FTE count of 2015-2016 school year. 80.0% 67.9% 70.0% 60.0% 51.2% 48.8% 50.0% 40.0% 32.1% 30.0% 20.0% 10.0% 0.0% Female Male GSNS Students GA All Students Georgia Department of Education Page 4 of 25 2015-2016 School Year - Student Participation by Disability Type Primary Area of Exceptionality Number Percent Autism 526 12.66% Blind 1 0.02% Deaf 5 0.12% Emotional/Behavioral Disorder 223 5.37% Hearing Impairment 23 0.55% Mild Intellectual Disability 132 3.18% Moderate Intellectual Disability 45 1.08% Not Available 12 0.29% Orthopedic Impairment 17 0.41% Other Health Impairment 1,157 27.85% Profound Intellectual Disability 1 0.02% Severe Intellectual Disability 7 0.17% Significant Development Delay 395 9.51% Specific Learning disability 1,258 30.28% Speech/Language Impairment 341 8.21% Traumatic Brain Injury 4 0.10% Visual Impairment 7 0.17% Grand Total 4,154 100.00% Autism 12.66% Blind 0.02% Deaf 0.12% Emotional/Behavioral Disorder 5.37% Hearing Impairment 0.55% Mild Intellectual Disability 3.18% Moderate Intellectual Disability 1.08% Not Available 0.29% Orthopedic Impairment 0.41% Other Health Impairment 27.85% Profound Intellectual Disability 0.02% Severe Intellectual Disability 0.17% Significant Development Delay 9.51% Specific Learning disability 30.28% Speech/Language Impairment 8.21% Traumatic Brain Injury 0.10% Visual Impairment 0.17% 0.00% 5.00% 10.00% 15.00% 20.00% 25.00% 30.00% 35.00% GSNS Students Georgia Department of Education Page 5 of 25 2015-2016 School Year - Student Participation by Grade Level Grade Level Number Percent Elementary 876 21% Middle 1,353 33% High 1,925 46% Total 4,154 100% 46% 21% 33% Elementary Middle School High School Georgia Department of Education Page 6 of 25 2015-2016 School Year - School System of Origin for Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Students Percentage of Students School System Number of Students Enrolled in GSNS Program Atlanta Public Schools 270 6.50% Baldwin County 12 0.29% Banks County 1 0.02% Barrow County 14 0.34% Bartow County 8 0.19% Ben Hill County 20 0.48% Bibb County 44 1.06% Bleckley County 1 0.02% Brantley County 7 0.17% Bryan County 8 0.19% Bulloch County 3 0.07% Butts County 13 0.31% Calhoun City 1 0.02% Camden County 28 0.67% Carroll County 8 0.19% Carrollton City 2 0.05% Cartersville City 4 0.10% Chatham County 262 6.31% Chattooga County 1 0.02% Cherokee County 82 1.97% Clarke County 12 0.29% Clayton County 94 2.26% Cobb County 524 12.61% Coffee County 1 0.02% Columbia County 28 0.67% Coweta County 64 1.54% Crawford County 6 0.14% Dalton City 5 0.12% Dawson County 4 0.10% Decatur City 19 0.46% DeKalb County 457 11.00% Dodge County 2 0.05% Dougherty County 4 0.10% Douglas County 71 1.71% Effingham County 10 0.24% Elbert County 10 0.24% Evans County 1 0.02% Georgia Department of Education Page 7 of 25 Percentage of Students School System Number of Students Enrolled in GSNS Program Fannin County 5 0.12% Fayette County 116 2.79% Floyd County 10 0.24% Forsyth County 136 3.27% Franklin County 10 0.24% Fulton County 496 11.94%