The Tennessee Department of Education celebrated the expansion of the Education Freedom Scholarship (EFS) Program on May 7, 2026, after receiving a strong response from families statewide. For the 2026-27 school year, all 35,000 available scholarships have been reserved following the program’s expansion by 15,000 seats, which was signed into law by Governor Bill Lee. More than 56,440 applications were submitted—a 31.8% increase from the previous year—with a 99% renewal rate from the program’s first year. Scholarships were awarded to students in 93 of Tennessee’s 95 counties, and participating families can choose from nearly 300 EFS-registered non-public schools across the state.

Eighty-one percent of new applicants qualified through income requirements or eligibility under the Individualized Education Account (IEA) or Education Savings Account (ESA) programs. The 35,000 reserved scholarships were allocated by priority groups: Priority 1 (renewals) received 18,553; Priority 2 received 3,970; Priority 3 received 9,360; and Priority 4 received 3,117. An additional 17,735 applications remain on a waitlist. Families have until June 30, 2026, to verify enrollment in a participating school.

Commissioner Lizzette Reynolds thanked families and participating schools for their partnership, highlighting the state’s commitment to giving parents more options for their children’s education. More information about the program is available on the EFS webpage.