Reporter’s Note
Will you be attending one of this week’s five public meetings about Hamilton County Schools facilities? I will be at several of them and hope to hear from community members, as well. Click here for more information on this week’s meetings. Click here to find out what the preliminary report could mean for your school.
Feel free to share your thoughts about the school district’s preliminary building plan with me by emailing mmangrum@timesfreepress.com.
– Meghan
THIS WEEK IN EDUCATION NEWS
For decades, community members, school leaders and elected officials have said students were fleeing Hamilton County’s public schools to attend private schools instead.
Some officials have used the numbers to claim public schools were left with less academically sound students and less engaged families. Some have blamed private school families for abandoning local schools or have used the same families as arguments for or against tax increases for public schools.
The percentage of Hamilton County students who attend private schools has been cited as 20%, 25%, 30% and even recently, as high as 33%.
But how many students in Hamilton County actually attend a private school?
The Times Free Press reviewed district and state data, Tennessee Department of Education records and private school enrollment numbers to bring you the answer.
Find that story, and more, below.