(The Center Square) – The Tennessee Department of Education said Tuesday that 38,160 families have applied for the state’s first Education Freedom Scholarships.
The General Assembly approved 20,000 scholarships of $7,295 for the 2025-26 school year at a price tag of $146 million in the first year and $188 million in future years.
Half of the scholarships will be awarded to families whose income falls 300% below the federal free or reduced-lunch price guidelines, which is $173,160 a year for a family of four, according to the education department. Less than half of the applications, 18,852, are qualified income scholarships, the education department said. The remaining 19,308 applications are from universal scholarships with no income restrictions.
Applications were received from 300 ZIP codes. The petitions came from all grades, with an estimated 2,935 applications per grade level, the department said.
“The demand for universal school choice in Tennessee is strong, and families are embracing the freedom they have been provided through the Education Freedom Scholarship Program,” said Lizzette Reynolds, Commissioner of Education. “All students deserve the ability to access a learning environment that best fits their unique needs.”
The department is still accepting applications that will be awarded on a first come, first serve basis. A waiting list will be established for families that qualify but did not receive one, according to the department.
Democrats expressed different opinions about the scholarships and voted against them during the special session.
Sen. London Lamar, D-Memphis, called them a “billion-dollar boondoggle that shortchanges Tennessee’s public school students and teachers.”
“If wealthy families want to send their kids to private schools, that’s their right,” Lamar said in a statement released last week. “But they shouldn’t expect the public to foot the bill. Tennessee’s public tax dollars belong in public schools – where those funds are subject to accountability, oversight and where every student is welcome.”
