Survey Finds Tennessee More Likely to Support Charter Schools, Open Enrollment, and Raising Teacher Pay Than Other States

(Logo by TennesseeCAN)

Education advocacy organization TennesseeCAN announced the release of the second edition of its parent survey, which found that Tennessee parents are more likely to support public charter schools, open enrollment, and raising teacher pay than parents in most other states.

50CAN’s The State of Educational Opportunity in Tennessee: A Survey of Tennessee Parents polled more than 23,000 families nationwide, including 516 Tennessee parents, between September and December 2025. TennesseeCAN is the state chapter of 50CAN.

Support For Charter Schools, Open Enrollment and Improving Teacher Salaries

One of the key findings in the survey is that Tennessee ranks above the national average for parents who strongly favor charter schools (ranked 15th), open enrollment (ranked 15th), and higher teacher salaries (ranked 18th).

The study found 68 percent of parents have a favorable opinion of public charter schools, including 36 percent who indicated they “strongly favor” them. 37 percent of Democrats polled expressed strong support, as well as 34 percent of independent voters, 38 percent of Republican voters.

TennesseeCAN says 77 percent of parents polled favor open enrollment policies, including 46 percent who “strongly favor” them. 47 percent of Democratic voters polled also expressed strong support for open enrollment, as did 44 percent of independent voters, and 47 percent of Republican voters. The polling is the second this month that found support for open enrollment policies as lawmakers consider legislation to make the process easier.

44 percent of Democrat voters polled also expressed views that teacher salaries are too low, along with 41 percent of independent voters, 36 percent of Republican voters.

Other Findings from the Survey

The survey also polled parents on a range of other issues.

According to TennesseeCAN, Tennessee parents are 1 percent below the national average for number of parents who reviewed their child’s school performance, 3 percent above the national average for parents who attended meetings at their child’s school and being even with the national average for parents who say they are “very familiar” with ho budget decisions are made at their child’s school.

“Parent voice is essential to understanding whether our education system is delivering on its promise to students and families,” TennesseeCAN Executive Director Chelsea Crawford said in the release. “This year’s data shows Tennessee has made meaningful progress in parent satisfaction and confidence, but it also makes clear that families still need better access to information, school quality and opportunity, and high-quality learning supports like tutoring.”