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Tennessee has awarded private school vouchers to students in 86 of the state’s 95 counties, the education department announced Friday after weeks of dodging questions around the new program.
Though the state received applications this summer from all but one county, voucher funds will not flow to students in nine counties: Benton, Fentress, Hardin, Henry, Jackson, Lake, Pickett, Scott, and Weakley counties.
It’s not clear why applicants from these counties were not selected for the program, though application timing and access to private school enrollment could play a factor.
As of Friday, 19,997 scholarships out of 20,000 have been awarded, and students are enrolled in their selected school. Three scholarships are currently in the appeals process, the department said.
Tennessee Republicans earlier this year launched the Education Freedom Scholarship program with 20,000 slots available for the 2025 school year, 10,000 of which were reserved for an income-capped pool of about $175,000 for a family of four. Applications for the scholarships were split evenly between the two pools, the department said.
The program is expected to cost the state $1.1 billion during the first five years, according to a state analysis.
Though the program is limited to 20,000 participants this year, mechanisms in the current law mean Tennessee lawmakers could expand the program next year.
