Events
Tiers Free Homeschool Cooperative to Graduate 189 Students Who Once Gave Up on Education
This Saturday, 189 students who never thought they’d finish high school will walk the stage in Waynesboro as homeschool graduates of Tiers Free Homeschool Cooperative. Tiers Free operates as a program under the Dr. Annise Mabry Foundation and was founded by Dr. Annise Mabry, who created the program in 2012 to homeschool her own children after seeing how traditional schools failed them. She opened it to the public in 2016 and it’s now the only grant-funded homeschool cooperative in Georgia that works directly with law enforcement agencies to help at-risk youth earn their diplomas.
“These graduates aren’t just crossing a stage, they’re crossing into a new chapter of their lives,” said Dr. Mabry. “Every student here represents a story of courage, redemption, and hope.”
The Tiers Free model combines trauma-informed education with wraparound community support, helping students who’ve faced homelessness, incarceration, or school exclusion find stability and success.
Over the past decade, the cooperative has helped more than 6,000 familiesearn diplomas and rebuild their futures. Saturday’s graduation in Waynesboro marks one of its largest classes yet — a visible reminder that it’s never too late to begin again.
About Tiers Free Academy
Tiers Free Academy was founded by Dr. Annise Mabry with a bold vision: to create a supportive, trauma-informed education community where every student has a second chance to succeed. Driven by her personal journey as a mother fighting to transform adversity into opportunity for her own children, Dr. Mabry turned her experience into a movement that reimagines what education can be.
What began as a deeply personal mission has grown into Georgia’s leading online homeschool cooperative, serving students who have been left behind by traditional systems—youth impacted by bullying, academic exclusion, trauma, and systemic barriers. Under Dr. Mabry’s leadership, Tiers Free Academy has empowered thousands of students across Georgia and beyond to earn homeschool high school diplomas, build real-world skills, and reclaim their futures.
At Tiers Free Academy, Dr. Mabry’s belief remains at the heart of everything we do: education should meet students where they are—and take them where they dream to go.
