Bottoms Enrolled Children in Private Schooling

Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms faces questions about her educational choices for her children.

Updated on Sept. 28, 2026 in Secondary Education

Bold flat-color editorial illustration of a stone archway, evoking institutional academic access in Georgia. — Candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms faces criticism regarding her children's enrollment in private schooling, conflicting with her proposed expansion of Georgia's public pre-K programs. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Keisha Lance Bottoms, 56, enrolled her children in Woodward Academy, a private institution where annual tuition exceeds $37,000 per student. The decision highlights her personal approach to education as she navigates a run for governor in Georgia.

Why it matters

Education and affordability remain central pillars of the campaign, putting the candidate's personal school choice at odds with the party's stance against using public funds for private education.

Woodward Academy tuition costs over $37,000 annually per child, with the total 14-year cost for four students reaching approximately $2 million. Georgia currently serves 57 percent of eligible pre-K students and ranks 26th nationally in education.

The players

Keisha Lance Bottoms

She is a 56-year-old politician and former Mayor of Atlanta who is currently campaigning for Governor of Georgia.

Rick Jackson

He is a 72-year-old supporter of state-funded school choice programs in Georgia.

Democratic Party of Georgia

This political organization formally opposes policies that utilize public funds to support private school tuition.

The details

Two of the 56-year-old candidate's four children have already graduated from the College Park-based academy, while her twins are currently enrolled. Bottoms has proposed a $330 million expansion of state pre-K programs to be financed through the legalization of casino gambling.

May 2026 marked the period when Bottoms identified education as a primary campaign issue.
The Georgia gubernatorial election is scheduled for November 2026.

Culture Shift

The debate over private versus public schooling mirrors long-standing tensions regarding the Georgia Pre-K Program. This candidacy highlights a broader societal shift as political leaders reconcile personal educational choices with public funding platforms.

Voters will weigh the candidate's personal commitment to private schooling against her proposed $330 million public pre-K funding plan. The outcome could dictate future state-level investment in early childhood development programs for Georgia families.

The takeaway

Voters in the upcoming election must decide if a candidate's personal school choice significantly undermines their platform on public education. Families should evaluate whether the proposed $330 million pre-K expansion offers a viable path to improving Georgia's 26th-place national ranking.