Several Sources of Data Are Linked In This Article
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The Tennessee Conservative [By David Seal] –
The number of students attending non-public schools in Tennessee currently stands at 154,425 students, according to data provided by the Tennessee Department of Education for this article.
A spreadsheet detailing the numbers in all 144 Tennessee school districts is linked here.
Included in all categories, the number of non-public enrollment stands at 1411 students in DCS Affiliated Schools for students in state custody. The remaining 153,014 students have been purposely held out of public school by their parents or guardians.
Public school districts in Tennessee are required to report non-public student enrollment twice each school year, once at the end of first semester in December, and once at the end of second semester in May. The data herein is a reflection of the December 2024 reporting period.
Tennessee has 4 categories of non-public enrollment for grades K-12, plus 2 categories of home schools. A detailed description of each non-public enrollment category is linked here.
A non-public schools category description is linked here.
The Tennessee Department of Education Non-Public School page is linked here.
There are varied reasons that parents are pulling their children out of public schools. The Tennessee Conservative News interviewed teachers, students, parents, and citizens last year and reported the findings in a 4-part series of news reports linked here.
As expected, the larger population counties have the most students in non-public schools.
Davidson County has the highest number of non-public students in Tennessee at 18269, Knox County at 14410, Shelby County at 12332, Williamson County at 10,113, Hamilton County at 8956, Rutherford County at 6408, Wilson County at 5088, Maury County at 5176, and Montgomery County at 5343.
With 154,425 students already enrolled in non-public schools in Tennessee, the raw numbers indicate a simple reality. The proposed voucher program is capped at 20,000 students, enough scholarships for only 12% of students enrolled in non-public schools as of the December 2024 reporting period.
With the trend for parents to remove students from public schools, some parents are asking if the proposed voucher system will be truly universal and more importantly why school districts will continue to receive funding after a student withdraws from public school to attend a voucher school.
Withdrawals from public schools have actually accelerated in some districts since the end of the so-called Covid pandemic, the opposite of many predictions.
As one fiscally conservative parent observed when interviewed for this report, the annual funding that stays with the public school district after a student withdraws to attend a voucher school would be better spent providing a voucher scholarship for another student.
About the Author: David Seal is a retired Jefferson County educator, recognized artist, local businessman, 917 Society Volunteer, and current Chairman of the Jefferson County Republican Party. He has also served Jefferson County as a County Commissioner and is a citizen lobbyist for the people on issues such as eminent domain, property rights, education, and broadband accessibility on the state level. David is also a 2024 winner of The Tennessee Conservative Flame Award & has received an accolade from the Institute For Justice for successfully lobbing the TN legislature to protect property rights. David can be reached at david@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
