Tennessee Department of Education (department) shared additional details on Tennesseans’ enthusiastic response to the Education Freedom Scholarship (EFS) Program, which launched less than one week ago on May 15. As of Monday, more than 38,000 applications have been submitted statewide. Roughly 50 percent of scholarship applications were from families with a qualified income.

In the 2025-26 school year, a total of 20,000 scholarships will be awarded: 10,000 scholarships are reserved for eligible students in a household with a qualified income, and 10,000 universal scholarships are available to eligible students regardless of income. These scholarships may be used at more than 200 participating Category I, II, and III non-public schools, with the updated list of schools officially registered or intending to participate available on the EFS webpage.

As of the beginning of this week, the department has received a total of 38,160 applications:

• 18,852 applications for qualified income scholarships.
• 19,308 applications for universal scholarships.
• Applications have been received from more than 300 zip codes across the state. 
• An average of 2,935 applications per grade level have been submitted for students entering Kindergarten through 12th grade.

Interested families are encouraged to continue applying for Tennessee’s first-ever universal school choice program here, as the application review process is just beginning and a waitlist will be established, should additional seats become available.

“The demand for universal school choice in Tennessee is strong, and families are embracing the freedom they have been provided through the Education Freedom Scholarship Program,” said Lizzette Reynolds, Commissioner of Education. “All students deserve the ability to access a learning environment that best fits their unique needs.”

The department is beginning to review applications, and completed applications will be reviewed in the order they are received. Families will receive an email from Notifications@TheoLearning.com with application status updates and next steps.