Headline Roundup • August 28th, 2025
TN to Spend More On School Vouchers than Per Public School Student, on Average
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Tennessee’s new school voucher program allots more money to students receiving vouchers than the average state spending per student in public schools, according to data presented to the State Board of Education.
The Details: Tennessee’s new school voucher program, called the Education Freedom Scholarship, provides about 20,000 students with vouchers worth $7,295 to attend private schools. Data broken down for the education board revealed that per-student state spending is $7,023. The Tennessean (Center bias) noted the $272 disparity between voucher spending and public school student spending.
For Context: The Tennessee Education Freedom Act passed the state house and senate and was signed into law by Republican Gov. Bill Lee in January. Some Democrats were critical of the bill, as half of the 20,000 scholarships available have no income or zip code limitations.
Local and Federal Funding: Lee’s spokesperson noted that both the federal government and local governments contribute to per-pupil spending and that additional funding from those sources brings public school spending up to at least $9,810.54 per student. This number varies by area.
How the Media Covered It: The Tennessee Star (Right) reported on the scholarships being available but did not note the data presented to the education board. It included Lee’s statement, “A quality education has the power to change the trajectory of a child’s life, and for the first time, families across Tennessee have the opportunity to choose the best school for their child.” The Tennessean included comments from a Tennessee Senate Democratic Caucus spokesperson, who expressed discontent with the fact that Tennessee is ranked 47th nationally for per-pupil spending. At the time of writing, AllSides did not find original coverage from the left on this topic; however, both Tennessee Lookout (Lean Left) and Governing (Lean Left) reprinted the article from Chalkbeat (Center).
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Featured Coverage of this Story
Tennessee public school students this school year will receive less state per-pupil funding than private school students using the state’s new voucher program, drawing sharp criticism from public education advocates and Democrats who argue the state is prioritizing voucher participants at the expense of other students.
Tennessee will spend an average of $7,023 per public school student in the state’s education funding formula, compared to the $7,295 given to students participating in the new Education Freedom Scholarship program.
Public school students will still receive more public funds, though, due to local...
Nicole Hester/The Tennessean
Tennessee spends more on students who receive taxpayer-funded school vouchers to pay for private school than it does on the average public school student, new state data shows.
Data presented to the State Board of Education during an Aug. 15 meeting broke down per-pupil state spending for the 2025-26 school year based on the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement, or TISA, formula. The student-based formula took effect in 2023, marking the first revision to the formula in 30 years.
Families will be able to submit an eligible student application for Tennessee’s new Education Freedom Scholarship Program for the upcoming school year next month, the Tennessee Department of Education announced.
On May 15, at noon Central Time, the scholarship application will open for families seeking to take advantage of the 20,000 scholarships made available for the 2025-2026 school year.
The 20,000 scholarships, which will allow recipients to use state funds for private K–12 education expenses, were established by the Tennessee Education Freedom Act, which was passed earlier this year by the...
