TENNESSEE

The American Federation for Children – Tennessee seeks to empower families, especially lower-income families, with the freedom to choose the best K-12 education for their children. We are a project of the American Federation for Children.

TENNESSE’S SCHOOL CHOICE PROGRAMS:

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR PRIVATE SCHOOL CHOICE IN TENNESSEE!

Education Savings Account

STUDENT ELIGIBILITY

  • Have previously enrolled in and attended a Tennessee public school for the one full school year immediately preceding the school year for which the student receives an education savings account; or

  • Be eligible for the first time to enroll in a Tennessee K-12 public school; or

  • Have received an education savings account in the previous school year.

  • Be a student in grades K-12.
     
  • Be a member of a household with an annual income for the previous year that does not exceed 200% of the amount required to qualify for the federal free lunch program ($98,050 for a family of four in 2021-22).
     
  • Be zoned to attend a school in a local education agency (LEA), including the Achievement School District (ASD), that has 10 or more schools which are:
    • Identified as priority schools in 2015, as defined by the state’s accountability system. 
    • Among the bottom 10% of schools, as identified by the education department in 2017; and
    • ldentified as priority schools as defined by the state’s accountability system in 2018; or 
    • Is zoned to attend a school that is in the ASD on the effective date of this act If the program’s student enrollment cap is met in a given year, scholarships will be distributed with priority to children from the lowest-income families and those zoned for the lowest-performing schools.

Special Needs Education Savings Account Program

STUDENT ELIGIBILITY

Student must:

  • Be a Tennessee resident; and

  • Be in grades K-12 at the time of enrollment in the IEA Program; and

  • Have an active Individualized Education Program (IEP) through a Tennessee public school district in effect at the time of request for participation in the program; and

  • Have one of the following disabilities in the active IEP at the time of request for participation in the program: autism, deaf-blindness, developmental delay, hearing impairments, intellectual disability, multiple disabilities, orthopedic impairments, traumatic brain injury or visual impairments.

  • Student must meet at least one of the following requirements: 
    • Was previously enrolled in and attended a Tennessee public school for the one full school year immediately preceding the school year in which the student receives an Individualized Education Account (IEA); or 
    • Is entering kindergarten for the first time; or 
    • Has not previously attended a school in Tennessee during the one full school year immediately preceding the school year in which the student receives an IEA, and moved to Tennessee less than one year prior to the date of enrollment in the IEA Program; or 
    • Received an IEA in the previous year.

AFC BOOTS ON THE GROUND

Our team focuses its time and resources on supporting state-level efforts to provide low-income and middle-income families with access to great schools through private school choice.

RELEVANT NEWS

WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT AFC TENNESSEE?

SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER

Thank you for signing up! An email has been sent to your inbox.

Request a Fellow to Speak at Your Event