Applications for the Education Freedom Scholarship Program Exceed Last Year’s Total with Two Weeks Left to Apply

Stock photo of a teacher talking to a student, used in Education Freedom Scholarship promotions (Photo by TDOE)

 Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced Thursday that the state has already exceeded last year’s application total for the Education Freedom Scholarship by more than 7,500 applications.

According to a news release, the Tennessee Department of Education has received more than 50,304 new and renewal applications for the program that allows families to use taxpayer dollars for private school expenses. More than 31,000 of those applications were submitted within 48 hours of the portal opening on January 13.

The department will continue accepting applications until 4 pm CST on January 30.

“Entering the program’s second year with even more interest statewide is a clear indicator that the EFS Program is successfully expanding educational choices for families,” said Education Commissioner Lizzette Reynolds. “We are proud to support this initiative as it continues to grow and meet the needs of all Tennessee families.”

The governor’s office says nearly 100 percent of previously enrolled families applied to renew.

The legislation lawmakers passed last year caps participation at 20,000, with half of those slots reserved for students who meet income requirements. The state will award scholarships for the 2026-27 school year based on a prioritization process, and the remaining qualified applicants will be placed on a waitlist if additional seats become available.

Expansion Remains on the Table

Lawmakers and gubernatorial candidates have discussed expanding the number of scholarship recipients during this year’s legislative session, and recent polling suggests Republican voters support such a move.

Governor Lee referenced his support for such a move on Thursday but didn’t signal a target number of scholarships he’d like to see the program expand to.

“As demand for Education Freedom Scholarships continues to grow, I look forward to working with the General Assembly to increase the number of available scholarships for the 2026-27 school year,” said Governor Lee. “It’s clear that Tennessee parents want choices when it comes to their child’s education, and expanding access to this program will ensure every child has an opportunity to thrive, regardless of income or zip code.”

Opposition Remains from Democrats

Democrats in the Tennessee General Assembly have opposed the program universally, calling it “school vouchers.”

Those opponents claim the program will divert money from local school districts, and on Thursday, Tennessee House Democrats released a statement attacking the potential expansion.

“In addition to gifting billions to out-of-state corporations and awarding no-bid contracts, Republicans just created the largest welfare program in the last 50 years and now want to remove the spending cap from that voucher scam. Their fiscal recklessness and failures are literally killing Tennesseans, destroying local economies and delivering devastating blows to middle class families,” the statement said.