Access to quality education is society’s greatest equalizer. Every child deserves access to a quality education that best fits their unique needs. However, when we rely on a ZIP code to determine a child’s access to education, we trap low- and middle-income families in a system with no options. If a child is zoned to a school that can’t meet his or her unique needs, that family’s only option is to take on the financial responsibility of finding an alternative for that student. This cost barrier prevents the majority of families across the state from sending their child to the school that best suits their needs and prepares them for a bright future.
The Beacon Center believes the state should fund students, not systems. Tennessee began to change that paradigm in 2015 by passing the Individualized Education Account Program for students with special needs, making the Volunteer State just the fourth in the nation to offer access to Education Savings Accounts or “ESAs”, considered to be the most state-of-the-art and modernized approach to education reform. Lawmakers followed that victory with another win for Tennessee families by passing the Course Access Program in 2016, which gives public high school students statewide access to course curricula not offered at their individual schools.
In 2019, Tennessee passed the Education Savings Account Program, giving 15,000 children trapped in districts with a high concentration of failing schools a real opportunity to achieve an education that best suited their individual needs. This was followed by the passage of Tennessee’s first universal school choice legislation, the Education Freedom Act, in 2025. This program currently provides scholarships to 20,000 students to attend the school of their choice. However, nearly 43,000 applications were received in the first year, meaning demand outstripped supply two to one.
However, much work remains to be done. While our state’s education outcomes have improved, Tennessee continues to rank in the middle of the pack. Here’s how Tennessee can continue to give parents control of their child’s education:
- Expand the Education Freedom Scholarship Program to meet the demand for school choice across the state, regardless of their demographic, geographic area, or income levels.
- Opt-in to the federal school choice tax credit program.
- Increase access to charter schools and other opportunities for families, particularly those in rural communities with limited options.
We challenge Tennessee lawmakers to commit to the above agenda and embrace the changes necessary to expand the horizons of hope for our future generations.
Do you have an education story to tell? Share it by clicking here.
