ACADEMICS / PUBLIC EDUCATION SYSTEM
Georgia
Transferring Students
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. Administrative offices operate throughout the year. Local boards determine attendance zones for the schools in the system and establish school calendars. 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 student’s parents or guardian usually will need to request that records or transcripts be forwarded to a student’s new school or system.
Registration Requirements
Georgia law requires that children must be five years old on or before September 1 of the enrollment year to be eligible for public school kindergarten programs. Parents must provide the child’s Social Security number and bring proof of age such as a legal birth certificate, two proofs of residence, and an immunization certificate on Georgia form 3231 (available at physicians’ offices and the county health department). Eye, ear, and dental examination records on Georgia Form 3300 are also required.
A child entering school in Georgia for the first time must be age-appropriately immunized with all required vaccines. This includes DTP, DTaP, DT, or Td; Hepatitis B; Hib; OPV or IPV; Measles, Mumps and Rubella or MMR; and Varicella (chicken pox). Proof of Hepatitis B vaccination is required to enter kindergarten. For complete information on Georgia Public Schools or answers to specific questions, contact:
Georgia Department of Education
205 Jesse Hill Jr. Drive SE
Atlanta 404-656-2800
800-311-3627
https://www.gadoe.org
South Carolina
Registration Requirements
All children between the ages of five and 16 are required to attend public school in South Carolina. Kindergarten students must be five years of age by September 1 of the current enrollment year, and those entering first grade must turn six by the same date. Registration occurs at your local school district and requires certain documentation that includes your child’s social security card and a legal birth certificate. Guardianship papers are required if applicable. You will also need a South Carolina Certificate of Immunization, which can be obtained from physicians, county health departments, or military clinics. Two proofs of residence in the school district to which you are zoned can take the form of a recent utility bill, mortgage or lease papers, or a rental agreement. Parents of children who are new to the district may bring sealed permanent records from their previous school or pre-sign a release form and then provide contact information for the previous district. For complete information on public education in South Carolina, contact:
South Carolina Department of Education
Columbia
803-734-8500
https://ed.sc.gov
South Carolina Association of Public Charter Schools
Greenville
864-232-8654
https://www.sccharterschools.org
