Seven in 10 Georgia voters say their communities would benefit from having a public charter school as an option for families. That’s according to a new statewide poll conducted by Echelon Insights on behalf of the Georgia Charter Schools Association (GCSA). Ahead of the midterm elections, the poll finds that Georgia voters consider improving K–12 public education a top priority for elected officials. Voters also express broad agreement for expanding public charter school options, ensuring fair funding for all public school students and making unused public school buildings available to serve more Georgia students.

Support for local public charter school options spans political parties and racial groups. Nearly eight in 10 Republicans (79%) and 65% of Democrats say their communities would benefit from having a public charter school, as do 75% of Black voters and 69% of White voters. Just 11% of voters say their communities would not benefit.

"Georgia voters are sending a clear message: families need more high-quality public school options, and they want those options to be accessible in their communities,” said Bonnie Holliday, President and CEO of the Georgia Charter Schools Association. “That means making room for successful public charter schools to serve more students and ensuring they have fair access to the funding and facilities they need. Every Georgia student deserves a great public education, regardless of which public school they attend.”

K-12 Education Needs Improvement in Georgia
Nearly two-thirds of voters say improving Georgia’s K-12 public education system should be a top priority for elected officials. A majority also say Georgia needs to improve how it prepares students for future careers. Nearly half (46%) say the state’s public education system is on the wrong track, compared with 24% who say it is heading in the right direction.

Families–Especially Low-Income Families–Want Charter School Options
Support for charter schools is strong among voters of all income levels; however, support increases significantly as voter income levels decrease. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of voters with household incomes exceeding $100,000 say their communities would benefit from a local charter school option, with support increasing to 79% among voters with household incomes below $50,000.

Parents of K–12 students are particularly supportive of having public charter school options in their communities. Nearly eight in 10 (79%) believe their community would benefit from having a public charter school, and 65% say they would want their own child to attend one.

Voters Favor Fair Funding and Facilities Access for Charter Schools
Georgia voters also support policies to ensure public charter school students have fair access to funding and facilities. More than seven in 10 voters (72%) believe public school students should have the same amount of public funding supporting their education, regardless of whether they attend a traditional public school or a public charter school. Eight in 10 (81%) favor giving public charter schools the first opportunity to purchase or lease vacant public school buildings, while 60% support additional state funding to help cover charter school facility costs.

Georgians Support the Addition of More Public Charter Schools
After learning that more than 21,000 students currently appear on charter school waitlists across Georgia, 72% of voters support increasing the number of public charter schools to offer access to more families.

The survey was fielded from September 30 to October 5, 2026, among a sample of 851 registered voters in Georgia using nonprobability quota sampling and a mixed-mode approach. Of those surveyed, 722 completed the survey online after receiving a text message invitation, and 129 were invited through web panels. The margin of sampling error is ±4.7 percentage points.