Private schools in Tennessee
EFS pays $7,530 per student for 2026-27. Any Tennessee resident entitled to attend public school in kindergarten to 12th grade who is a U.S. citizen or lawfully present. When applications exceed seats, awards go in this order: current recipients; households at or below the free or reduced-price lunch limit, or on SNAP or TANF, or eligible for the state’s ESA or IEA; households at or below 300% of that lunch limit; current public school students and kindergarten entrants; then everyone else.
Start here
- 253 schools on the official EFS listBy town, with tuition where verified
- How EFS worksAward, who qualifies, how to apply
- Private schools by city27 town pages
- Private school tuition in Tennessee67 verified prices
- Homeschooling in TennesseeThe law and what the state pays
Tennessee private schools at a glance
- Counties with a private school
- 62 of 95
- Town pages
- 27
- Most private schools
- Nashville (55), Memphis (48) and Knoxville (38)
- Typical school
- 94 students, 8.5 per teacher
- Smallest and largest
- Redemption Baptist Academy, 11 students; Lighthouse Christian Academy, 4,316 students
- Co-ed or single-sex
- 9 all-girls and 13 all-boys
- Association members
- 119, most often the Association of Christian Schools International
- To a 4-year college
- 75% of graduates at the typical high school (146 reporting)
- Programs
- 28 Montessori, 16 special education
- Public charter schools
- 119, tuition-free and not counted here
Charter schools in Tennessee
- Catholic31
- Christian, not Catholic221
- Jewish6
- Islamic4
- Other faiths9
- Nonsectarian102
- Not in federal survey68
- Pre-K (and up)204
- Elementary (K to 5)327
- Middle (6 to 8)281
- High school (9 to 12)203
- K to 12, one school110
- Under 50104
- 50 to 14987
- 150 to 29951
- 300 to 59941
- 600 or more35
- Tennessee57%
Where these facts come from
- Grades, size, affiliation, co-ed, membership, college-going: NCES Private School Universe Survey 2023-24, downloaded September 20, 2026.
- Program list: Tennessee Education Freedom Scholarships schools, list dated August 24, 2026, checked November 4, 2026.
- Award and rules: Tennessee Education Freedom Scholarships, official page, read October 2, 2026.
- Tuition for 67 schools: each school’s own website, last read October 11, 2026.
- Public charter schools: NCES Common Core of Data, public school directory 2025-26 (preliminary), loaded October 8, 2026.
What Tennessee pays
Figures read from each program’s official pages, October 2, 2026. Sources and how to apply
35,000 scholarships for 2026-27 after a 15,000-seat expansion in May 2026. More than 56,000 students applied. There is a waitlist.
Worth knowing: A constitutional challenge to the program is pending in Davidson County Chancery Court.
How EFS works, start to finish
What share of Tennessee private schools are on the list, next to other states
Charter schools, private schools and school choice in Tennessee, next to other states
By city
Each count: schools in the town or within 6 miles (12 for small towns).
- Nashville (56)
- Antioch (50)
- Memphis (49)
- Knoxville (39)
- Chattanooga (30)
- Germantown (30)
- Cordova (27)
- Madison (17)
- Franklin (16)
- Brentwood (15)
- Murfreesboro (15)
- Clarksville (14)
- Cleveland (13)
- Hendersonville (12)
- Spring Hill (12)
- Johnson City (11)
- Collegedale (10)
- Collierville (10)
- Morristown (9)
- Columbia (8)
- Kingsport (8)
- Maryville (8)
- Athens (5)
- Lawrenceburg (5)
- Mc Minnville (5)
- Greeneville (4)
- Monterey (4)
Ranked lists, each on one stated measure: Top private schools in Nashville, Top private schools in Memphis
By kind of school
- Christian schools (221)
- Catholic schools (31)
- Montessori schools (28)
- Special education schools (16)
- Classical schools (11)
- Private high schools (203)
- Private elementary schools (327)
- Private middle schools (281)
- Private schools with kindergarten (289)
- Private schools with pre-K (204)
- Jewish schools (6)
- Episcopal schools (10)
- Seventh-day Adventist schools (26)
- All-girls schools (9)
- All-boys schools (13)
By county
- Anderson County (2): St. Marys School, St. Mary School - Oak Ridge
- Bedford County (3): Victory Baptist Academy, The Webb School, Cooper Christian Academy
- Blount County (6)
- Bradley County (12)
- Campbell County (3): Campbell County Christian Academy, Jellico Christian Academy, Calvary Christian Academy
- Cannon County (1): Woodbury Seventh-Day Adventist Elementary School
- Carter County (1): East TN Christian Home & Academy
- Cheatham County (2): Pleasant View Christian School, Arch Academy
- Chester County (1): New Heights School TN Childrens Home West
- Claiborne County (4): J Frank White Academy, Heritage Christian Academy of East Tennessee, Tri-State Christian Academy, New Beginning Christian Academy
- Cumberland County (4): Christian Academy of the Cumberlands High School, Trinity Academy, Inez Wrenn SDA School, Christian Academy of the Cumberlands Elementary School
- Davidson County (69)
- Decatur County (1): Souls Harbor Lighthouse Christian Academy
- Dekalb County (1): Dekalb Christian Academy
- Dickson County (1): Greater Things Christian School
- Dyer County (1): Christ Classical Academy
- Fayette County (4): Rossville Christian Academy, Fayette Academy, Fayette Christian School, Gallaway Christian Academy
- Fentress County (1): Faith Christian Academy
- Franklin County (3): Winchester Christian Academy, St. Andrew's-Sewanee School, Tullahoma SDA School
- Greene County (4): Towering Oaks Christian School, Greeneville Adventist Academy, Stokes Academy, River Academy
- Grundy County (2): Faith Missionary Academy, Cedars of Lebanon Academy
- Hamblen County (7)
- Hamilton County (36)
- Hardin County (1): Sheltering Tree Ranch
- Henderson County (2): Good News Christian School, Esther's Montessori Center
- Hickman County (1): Centerville Christian School
- Humphreys County (1): St. Patrick Catholic School
- Jefferson County (3): Lakeway Christian Academy-Lakeway Christian School, New Vision Christian School, Wayne Academy Mtn View
- Johnson County (1): Mountain Youth Academy
- Knox County (40)
- Lawrence County (5)
- Lewis County (1): The Farm School
- Lincoln County (1): Riverside Christian Academy
- Loudon County (1): Lenoir City Christian Academy
- Macon County (1): Macon Christian Academy
- Madison County (4): Family Christian School, St. Mary's School, Trinity Christian Academy, Augustine School
- Marion County (2): Jasper Adventist Christian School, Kimball Christian Academy
- Maury County (8)
- McMinn County (5)
- McNairy County (1): Gateway Christian Academy
- Montgomery County (15)
- Morgan County (1): Redemption Baptist Academy
- Overton County (3): Upper Cumberland Christian Academy, Monterey Mennonite School, Cumberland Community School
- Putnam County (3): Heritage Academy, Algood Christian Elementary, Chance Transitional School
- Rhea County (2): Rhea County Academy, Laurelbrook Academy
- Roane County (3): New System School, Mount Pisgah Christian Academy, Sailaway Learning & Academy
- Robertson County (5)
- Rutherford County (18)
- Scott County (1): Landmark Christian Academy
- Sequatchie County (1): Word of Life Christian Academy
- Sevier County (4): The King's Academy, Seymour Community Christian School, Christian Academy of the Smokies, Alpha Educational Learning Center
- Shelby County (72)
- Sullivan County (8)
- Sumner County (12)
- Tipton County (1): Tipton Christian Academy
- Warren County (4): Covenant Academy, FC Boyd Sr Christian School, Faulkner Springs Christian School, Westwood Day School
- Washington County (11)
- Wayne County (1): Wayne Academy
- Weakley County (2): Central Christian Academy, Liberty Christian Academy
- White County (1): Quebeck Christian Education Satellite-Umbrella
- Williamson County (23)
- Wilson County (3): Friendship Christian School, Cedars Preparatory Academy, Mt Juliet Christian Academy
The largest private schools in Tennessee
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Lighthouse Christian Academy | K-12 | 4,316 |
| Aliyah Academy | PreK-12 | 3,088 |
| Chattanooga Christian School ✓ | PreK-12 | 1,400 |
| Lipscomb Academy ✓ | PreK-12 | 1,298 |
| Silverdale Baptist Academy ✓ | PreK-12 | 1,195 |
| Baylor School ✓ | 6-12 | 1,078 |
| Christian Academy of Knoxville ✓ | PreK-12 | 1,054 |
| Webb School of Knoxville ✓ | PreK-12 | 1,048 |
| Boyd-Buchanan School ✓ | PreK-12 | 1,034 |
| Franklin Road Academy | PreK-12 | 1,020 |
| Columbia Academy ✓ | PreK-12 | 1,003 |
| Grace Christian Academy ✓ | PreK-12 | 1,002 |
| Collegedale Academy ✓ | PreK-12 | 872 |
| Montgomery Bell Academy | 7-12 | 850 |
| Evangelical Christain School ✓ | PreK-12 | 841 |
What private school costs in Tennessee
- Kindergarten to grade 5
- $13,250 middle, $6,200 to $53,100 (55 schools)
- Grades 6 to 8
- $15,538 middle, $6,450 to $53,100 (58 schools)
- Grades 9 to 12
- $17,145 middle, $6,500 to $53,100 (46 schools)
Prices read on each school’s own website; mostly larger schools so far, so a guide, not an average.
- K to 5 (48 schools)$12,905 vs $7,530
- Grades 6 to 8 (52 schools)$15,538 vs $7,530
- Grades 9 to 12 (41 schools)$16,990 vs $7,530
2026-27 prices only, read on each school’s own website, all private schools in Tennessee with a verified price for that band. Award from Tennessee Department of Education, Education Freedom Scholarships, read October 9, 2026.
Private school tuition in Tennessee, school by school. Tuition in every state.
Run your own numbers
What would you pay?
Enter amounts of $0 or more.
We filled in the standard EFS amount. Change it if your award letter says something different. An award can never be more than the school actually charges. This is arithmetic, not a quote.
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Questions parents ask
How much does Tennessee pay toward private school?
$7,530 per student for 2026-27.
Who can get it?
Any Tennessee resident entitled to attend public school in kindergarten to 12th grade who is a U.S. citizen or lawfully present. When applications exceed seats, awards go in this order: current recipients; households at or below the free or reduced-price lunch limit, or on SNAP or TANF, or eligible for the state’s ESA or IEA; households at or below 300% of that lunch limit; current public school students and kindergarten entrants; then everyone else.
Is there still room?
35,000 scholarships for 2026-27 after a 15,000-seat expansion in May 2026. More than 56,000 students applied. There is a waitlist.
How do I know a school takes EFS?
Schools marked here appear on the Tennessee Department of Education’s list of 290 schools registered for Education Freedom Scholarships in 2026-27, updated August 24, 2026. The state lists schools by county, so we match by name inside the county.