TDOE Releases Education Freedom Scholarship Application Dates

Thursday, November 20, 2025 | 02:00pm

Renewal Applications Opening December 9 for the 2026-27 School Year

Nashville, TN— Today, the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) announced key dates for the Education Freedom Scholarship (EFS) Program’s second year of implementation, and encouraged interested families across the state to apply for the universal school choice program that allows parents to choose the school that best fits their child’s needs, regardless of income level or zip code.

“In its first year of implementation, the Education Freedom Scholarship Program has been a remarkable success, and I look forward to continuing to deliver families with quality educational choices to best serve their students’ unique needs,” said Lizzette Reynolds, Commissioner of Education. “I’m grateful to the families and schools who have engaged in the program, and encourage interested families to apply.”

The following are key dates to submit applications for the EFS Program:

  • December 9: Application Window Opens for Renewal EFS Applications for students currently receiving EFS scholarship
  • January 13: Application Window Opens for New EFS Applications
  • January 30: Application Window Closes for ALL Applications

Students who applied for the EFS program last year but did not receive a scholarship are considered new applicants for the 2026-27 school year and may apply beginning January 13, 2026.

To support families through the application process, resources for renewal and new applications for the 2026-27 school year will be released soon, ahead of the window opening. Families may sign up for regular email updates here, which will include details on registered participating schools for the 2026-27 school year as more information becomes available.

During the Tennessee General Assembly's extraordinary legislative session in January 2025, the Tennessee General Assembly passed the Tennessee Education Freedom Scholarship Act, Chapter 7 of the Public Acts of 2025, 1st Extraordinary Session, and Governor Bill Lee signed the landmark legislation on February 12, 2025, to establish Tennessee’s universal school choice program into law. The Tennessee EFS Program is also guided by the State Board of Education Rule 0520-01-24.

In the EFS Program’s first year of implementation, the high demand for the program was apparent, resulting in a total of 42,827 applications submitted, 30,000 of which were received in the first two hours of the application’s launch. Applications were received from families in 94 of 95 counties, with enrollments at 220 out of 241 participating schools across the state, spanning all grade levels.

To learn more about the EFS Program and access additional resources, visit the EFS webpage.

For Tennessee Department of Education media inquiries, contact Edu.MediaInquiries@tn.gov.

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