Tiers Free Academy Homeschool Cooperative is Georgia’s only trauma-informed nonprofit alternative high school diploma program for sex trafficking survivors, homeless LGBTQ youth, and high school dropouts.

Dr. Annise Mabry, founder of The Dr. Annise Mabry Foundation, has one of the most interesting stories of resilience to date. She may be short in stature and has overcome a series of disabilities that she discuss in her blog (CLICK HERE), but she has had a mighty in impact with helping to make the dreams of her community come true.

2025 Graduations

In 2025 Dr. Mabry held four different graduation ceremonies for communities across the state of Georgia, helping students who dropped out of school gain their high school diploma. This is accomplished through her home school cooperative, entitled Tiers Free Academy, where they offer an alternative diploma program, chief’s diploma program, and a separate high school program for transgender students of color. All of this is done in the name of love for her community.

In 2025 Tiers Free Academy held 4 graduation ceremonies:
TOTAL: 433 New Graduates
Montezuma (Macon County) Ceremony: 35 graduates
Burke County Ceremony: 262 graduates
Peach County Ceremony: 63 graduates
Rockdale County Ceremony: 73 graduates

The mission of The Dr. Annise Mabry Foundation is to empower underserved, at-risk, and justice-impacted individuals through trauma-informed education, workforce development, and healing-centered practices such as beach coaching, journal therapy, and restorative retreats. They create inclusive pathways to high school diplomas, job training, and personal transformation. Their work breaks generational cycles of poverty, exclusion, and systemic injustice—opening doors to lasting change for individuals and their communities.

Dr. Mabry, who carries two Ph.D’s and five master’s degrees to her name, has always deemed education to be one of the most important tools to success. However, above the accolades, her most important role is “mom”. In 2018 Mabry shared her journey of using homeschool laws to educate her children.

After the trauma of bullying escalated and eventually resulting in her oldest child attempting suicide 13xs in a 12 month period, Dr. Mabry began to realize that she would have to build a safe space for her own child. She then left her own academic career as the Dean of Graduate Studies and decided she was going to learn everything there is to know about homeschooling. From there she wrote a book called “Educational Disobedience” that became a movement in equipping parents with the tools they need to continue to educate their children in a homeschool environment. Since then, she has graduated over +1,500 students, 40-50% of which are of the LGBTQIA+ community and 60% people of color.

What started as a personal story soon became a movement dedicated to helping families transform their academic landscapes through alternative education.

Today, Tiers Free Academy serves as Georgia’s only alternative diploma pathway for the state’s most vulnerable youth, offering a structured, homeschool-based route to high school completion.

THE BAD NEWS

Unfortunately, as a result of recent administration changes that have altered access to government grants, on page 6 of their May 2025 commencement program, a letter from Dr. Mabry stated the following:

Dear Rural Communities Diploma Program Families and Friends,

As I sit down to write this, my heart is filled with so many emotions—gratitude, pride, and yes, a little bit of sadness too.After our Rockdale County graduation ceremony on May 10, 2025, and our Peach County graduation ceremony on June 7, 2025, the Rural Communities Diploma Program will officially conclude its services. When we lost our United Way grant funding on April 25, 2025, we knew this season was coming to a close. But what we didn’t lose is the legacy we built together.

Since we first started, this program has helped more than 300 students in Rockdale County earn their high school diplomas. But even more importantly—we helped students believe in themselves again. We showed families that it’s never too late for a fresh start. We created a space where hope was louder than fear, and dreams were bigger than barriers.

I want you to know that while the Rural Communities Diploma Program is ending, Tiers Free Academy Homeschool Cooperative will continue to exist and will still provide services to students across Georgia and beyond. However, without grant funding, we recognize that this will create barriers for many families who cannot afford the opportunity to homeschool. Please know this decision was not made lightly—and we deeply understand the burden this places on our most vulnerable students.

Even though this chapter is closing, the mission continues. The Dr. Annise Mabry Foundation remains committed to fighting for students who deserve second chances. We will continue to advocate, innovate, and build new pathways— because every student deserves a future filled with possibilities.

Thank you for being part of something truly extraordinary. Thank you for believing in us—and more importantly, for believing in yourselves.

I am forever grateful to each and every one of you.

With love and pride,
Dr. Annise Mabry
Founder, The Dr. Annise Mabry Foundation
Creator, Rural Communities Diploma Program

Now, Dr. Mabry is maximizing every opportunity she can to continue to be a champion for education and provide access to all students regardless of age, race, gender, background, physical ability and more.

About Tiers Free Academy

The Tiers Free program is a transtheoretical model evidence-based academic curriculum designed to help learners obtain their high school diploma online. The target population for this program are students who have dropped out of school.

Tiers Free learners are successful in our program because (1) we create educational safe spaces where students learn based on their academic strengths—not their weaknesses; and, (2) we remove the traditional learning tiers that trap many students in a failing academic cycle. We achieve this not by doing something for them, but by helping them do it for themselves. We believe that all parents deserve to see their children graduate.

About Educational Disobedience™

Educational Disobedience began as a memoir by Dr. Annise Mabry documenting her experience in how she first used the GA homeschool laws to homeschool her children. Later, her memoir became a movement to help families to transform their academic landscapes. Bring an Educational Disobedience ™ Event to your community.

THE FACTS Empowering Georgia Homeschool Graduates:

Advocate Against Misinformation
Know Your Rights! Familiarize yourself with your rights as a homeschool graduate in Georgia under O.C.G.A. § 20-2-690.

Georgia only requires parents to file an annual Declaration of Intent to Homeschool.
Key Points for Georgia Homeschool Graduates Homeschool Diplomas are valid, legal documents.
Parents and guardians can legally issue a homeschool high school diploma to their child at any age.
Homeschool diplomas must be signed by parents or guardian. Parent issued diplomas do not need accreditation.

Accreditation Misconception

Accreditation applies only to schools–not homeschool. Public, private, and charter schools must have accreditation.
Homeschool cooperatives, even those called “schools” or “academies,” are not private schools and do not need accreditation.

Tiara’s Graduation Reflections Speech (2023)

Jessica’s Speech, “The Box Breaker” (2019)

Tiers Free Academy October 2025 Burke County Commencement Ceremony

Dr. Annise Mabry, Founder of The Dr. Annise Mabry Foundation