Transfer & Admissions Procedures

New families moving to Georgia and planning to enroll children in school should contact the office of the school superintendent in the county or city school system where they will be living. Registration of new students is usually held in the spring, and registration procedures vary from system to system. You should contact your local school district for specific registration information. School contact information can be found under "School Finder" located in the Georgia map on our homepage.

Most schools are closed during the summer, but the administrative offices operate year-round. Each local board of education determines attendance zones for the schools in the system.

Local boards also establish their own school calendars which include opening and closing dates, holiday schedules, and teacher staff development days.

Each system determines what credits or grades it will accept for transfer students in accordance with local board of education policy and State Board of Education rules. The public school will verify credits of a student who transfers from a non-accredited school or home study program through either trial placement or achievement testing.

If possible, it is a good idea for parents or guardians to request the student’s academic and discipline records be forwarded to the student’s new school at the time the student officially withdraws from the previous school. Otherwise, the student’s new school will request the records from the previous school.

Immunizations and Health Certificates (Forms 3300 and 3231)

Form 3300 (Certificate of Eye, Ear, Dental Exam)
A student, regardless of grade level, who has never been in a Georgia public school must provide certification of eye, ear and dental examinations on the Georgia Department of Human Resources Form 3300. Any child admitted to school without a certificate must present one within 120 calendar days. Forms may be obtained and completed at the local public health departments or physician offices.

Form 3231 (Certificate of Immunization)
Georgia Law requires children attending school (Kindergarten – 12th grade) to be age appropriately immunized with all the required vaccines at the time of first entry in school. A new entrant is a child entering a school in Georgia for the first time or entering after having been absent from a Georgia school for more than 12 months or one school year. All students, regardless of grade and including foreign exchange students, must have the Georgia Department of Human Resources Form 3231 immunization certificate marked “Complete for School” unless any of the following situations exist:

1. Medical exemption: in this case the 3231 has an expiration date no more than 12 months from date of issue. There must be an annual review of the medical exemption and the certificate must be reissued with or without indication of the medical exemption.
2. Religious exemption: For a child to be exempt from immunization on religious grounds, the parent or guardian must furnish the school with a notarized statement and it must meet the following criteria: (A) State that their religious beliefs conflict with immunization requirements; (B) the statement must be signed and dated by the parent/guardian; (C) The statement must be notarized, dated, and signed by a Notary Public; (D) The statement should be submitted to the school in lieu of an immunization certificate (form 3231); (E) The statement does not expire.
3. Waiver of 30 calendar days granted to new entrants by the superintendent or designee.
4. Waiver of 90 calendar days may be granted by the superintendent or designee to students entering Georgia public schools from out of state, if documentation is on file from the county health department or a medical doctor stating that an immunization sequence has been started and can be completed within the 90 day waiver period.
5. Immunizations are required for diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, hepatitis B, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella (chicken pox). Protection against each of these diseases must be addressed on the form 3231. The form can be computer generated and if the child attends more than one school, an original or a photocopy of the form must be submitted to the second school.

Sixth Grade Requirements

All currently enrolled children entering sixth grade on or after July 1, 2007, must meet the following requirements:

1. Two doses of Measles vaccine, two doses of Mumps vaccine, one dose of Rubella vaccine, or laboratory proof of immunity against each of these three diseases.
2. Two doses of Varicella (chicken pox) vaccine or documentation of disease or laboratory proof of immunity. At the time your child entered school, only one dose of this vaccine was required.

For more information about Georgia's immunization program or the immunization requirements for school entry and attendance, please click on the following link to the Georgia Department of Human Resources:
health.state.ga.us/programs/immunization/index.asp.

Compulsory Attendance

Georgia law requires that students attend a public or private school or a home study program from their sixth to their 16th birthdays. Public Kindergarten is available in every school system, but it is not mandatory.

Entry Age for Public Kindergarten and First Grade

A child must be five years old on or before September 1 to enter a public Kindergarten. The child must be six years old on or before September 1 to enter first grade. School systems must verify age before enrollment.

A child who was a legal resident of one or more states for a period of two years immediately prior to moving to Georgia and who was legally enrolled in either a public Kindergarten or first grade, or a private Kindergarten or first grade accredited by a state or regional association, would be eligible to enroll in Georgia schools, provided that the Kindergartner is five years old by December 31 or the first grader is six by that date.

Pre-K

Georgia also provides a public Pre-Kindergarten Program for students who are four years old on or before September 1. This program is administered by Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning. For more information about Georgia’s Pre-K programs, click on the link below:

• DECAL

Social Security Numbers

Students enrolling in Georgia public schools for the first time will be asked by the school or school system to furnish a Social Security number. However, the Social Security Number is not required for enrollment in public schools. If they prefer, parents or guardians may sign a statement declining to provide the number without giving a reason. Students for whom Social Security numbers are not available will be assigned other student identification numbers.

Enrollment and Withdrawal Rule

For more details about enrolling students in our public schools, please click on the following link to State Board Rule 160-5-1-28:
Student Enrollment and Withdrawal