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.
Tennessee's controversial new school vouchers, known as Education Freedom Scholarships, worth $7,295 were earmarked for 20,000 students statewide for this school year. The data presented to the board showed per-pupil state spending in public schools comes out to $7,023. That means the state is spending $272 more on voucher recipients than the average public school student this year.
Gov. Bill Lee has championed the voucher expansion as part of his push for school choice, saying it empowers more parents to access the best education options for their children. The expansion was met with opposition and delays for years but passed earlier this year during a short special legislative session. According to a state estimate released ahead of the session, the voucher progam will cost at least $1.1 billion in its first five years.
Sen. Charlane Oliver, D-Nashville, referred to the program as "Lee's voucher scam" and called the $272 difference "insulting" to tax-paying parents of public school children.
"That disparity is a slap in the face to the students and educators who make up the backbone of our communities," Oliver said in an emailed statement to The Tennessean on Aug. 20. "By diverting $1.1 billion to private schools, Republicans are showing just how little respect they have for public schools. Instead of boosting private profits for the few, that money should have gone into strengthening our underfunded classrooms and supporting every child who depends on a neighborhood school."
Who is public education for in TN? It depends on who you ask
Along with state funding, Tennessee school districts also receive local and federal funding for students. Per-pupil spending also varies widely by district.
In an Aug. 14 email, Tennessee Senate Democratic Caucus spokesperson Brandon Puttbrese pointed to a recent National Education Association report that ranked Tennessee 47th in the nation for per-pupil spending during the 2023-24 school year. According to the report, $13,041 was spent per student. That falls well below the national average of $18,451 for that year. However, that figure includes local and federal funding, along with state funding.
"Every neighboring state spends more," Puttbrese said. "The next lowest state is Mississippi which spends nearly $1,000 more per student than Tennessee."
Learn more
See the TISA funding chart for yourself at TN.gov/SBE/meetings/meetings-calendar/2025/8/15/august-15--2025-sbe-meeting. The chart is listed as a report item in section II, part C.
See the National Education Association report, which includes per-pupil expenditure rankings for every state, at NEA.org/resource-library/educator-pay-and-student-spending-how-does-your-state-rank.
Rachel Wegner covers education and children's issues for The Tennessean. Got a story you think she should hear? Reach her via email at [email protected]. You can also find her on X or Bluesky under the handle RachelAnnWegner.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee spends more per voucher than per average public school kid
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