Families who live outside Cobb County have until Nov. 30 to apply for Spring 2027 enrollment at participating district schools. The Choose Cobb program charges $600 per student each semester, with placement dependent on eligibility and available seats.
The Cobb County School District says the plan is meant to use classroom capacity at 12 schools and bring those schools additional revenue. Students who live in Cobb County will continue to receive enrollment priority. The district has more than 105,400 students.
Schools in the program
The 12 schools are organized into four high school clusters. Harrison cluster schools are Harrison High, Lost Mountain Middle and Vaughan Elementary. The Allatoona cluster includes Allatoona High, Durham Middle and Pickett’s Mill Elementary.
South Cobb cluster participants are South Cobb High, Cooper Middle and Clarkdale Elementary. The Kell cluster includes Kell High, Palmer Middle and Kennesaw Elementary. Each cluster has one high school, one middle school and one elementary school.
Available places differ by school, grade, class and program. Applicants must meet the program’s requirements, and applying does not guarantee a seat.
District and taxpayer concerns
District officials are promoting the program by pointing to Cobb’s academic performance and a graduation rate of nearly 91% for 2026.
Heather Tolley-Bauer, who runs the parent-and-taxpayer watchdog group Watching the Funds, said the proposal should have been brought to taxpayers and the school board before applications opened. She also argued that $600 per semester is far below the yearly cost of educating a student and expressed concern that out-of-district enrollment could strain district resources.
District spokesperson Brooke Zauner put the annual cost per student at about $14,452, including buildings, utilities, teachers and staffing. Zauner said placing students in already-empty seats without adding teachers could distribute costs the district is already paying across more students and make use of existing facilities.
Questions about eligibility, applications, tuition or application status can be directed to the Choose Cobb office at choosecobb@cobbk12.org or 770-514-2844.
Marcus Jones
News Now Georgia
