Being a parent means making choices — a seemingly endless number of choices. And among the parental decisions at the top of the list is school. What type of school are you going to send your kids to? Which particular school is the best for your family? What school district should you live in?
There’s public school — multiple kinds of public school, in fact — and there are private or home-school options. Choosing the right school for your child can help set them up for educational success. So here’s a look at the academic options available.
Public School
What it is: A public school is one that receives public funds as its primary support and is operated by an education agency, the National Center for Education Statistics website says. In Hamilton County, the Department of Education operates 76 schools, serving 45,000 students from grades PreK-12. Of these schools, 66 have attendance zones that determine the school that serves your child based on your residential address. For example, a child living in the Signal Mountain area might be zoned for Thrasher Elementary or for Nolan Elementary, depending on which attendance zone their home is in.
Why choose it: Perhaps the most obvious benefit of public school is that it is tuition-free with few exceptions and therefore largely more accessible to more people. In Hamilton County, students are guaranteed a seat at the school they’re zoned for, and they can attend an out-of-zone school without incurring costs (some exceptions, such as workforce development programs, may apply).
Hamilton County’s school choice process gives families the opportunity to send their children to schools “that best fit their individual interests and skill sets,” the county Department of Education website says. The Hamilton County Schools choice lottery application is open through Jan. 30, with results shared in February. A second round runs from April through July. For more information, visit hcde.org/choosehamilton.
Charter School
What it is: Charter schools are “public schools operated by independent, nonprofit governing bodies,” the Tennessee Board of Education’s website says. A charter for this kind of school exempts the institution from “certain state or local rules and regulations,” and “in return for flexibility and autonomy, the charter school must meet the accountability standards outlined in its charter,” the Hamilton County Department of Education website explains. A school’s charter can be revoked if guidelines and standards are not met. Hamilton County’s charter school options include Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy, Chattanooga Preparatory School, Ivy Academy, Montessori Elementary at Highland Park and others.
Why choose it: The Tennessee Public Charter Schools Act, according to the State Board of Education’s website, established goals for these schools. These include encouraging the use of different and innovative teaching methods, providing greater decision-making authority to schools and teachers in exchange for greater responsibility for student performance, measuring the performance of pupils and faculty to ensure children have the opportunity to reach proficiency on state academic assessments and affording parents substantial meaningful opportunities to participate in the education of their children. Like public schools, charter schools are tuition-free.
Magnet School
What it is: A magnet school is a public school that offers “innovative, theme-based curricula,” the U.S. Department of Education says. This means a magnet school might focus on subjects such as the performing arts or science, technology, engineering and mathematics. A magnet school could also “adopt distinct instructional models, such as dual language or the Montessori or International Baccalaureate programs.” In Hamilton County, magnet schools include the Barger Academy of Fine Arts, Battle Academy, Chattanooga High School Center for Creative Arts and Tyner Middle High Academy, among others.
Why choose it: Magnet schools’ “unique learning environments provide instruction not available in other schools, helping students thrive through focused pathways and innovative learning models,” the Hamilton County Department of Education website says. If your student has a special interest — say they want to pursue the dramatic arts or engineering — then a magnet school could be the right fit for their educational journey. Admission to a Hamilton County magnet school requires an application, and in the case that more applications are received than there are seats available, then a random lottery determines placement. A school like the Center for Creative Arts requires an audition as part of the admission process. Like public and charter schools, magnet schools are tuition-free.
Private School
What it is: Private schools “are accredited by, or are members of, an organization or association approved by the State Board of Education or those that are directly approved by the department,” the Tennessee Department of Education website says. Private and church-related schools are divided into five categories and must receive approval for operation under at least one of these categories. Private schools in Hamilton County without a religious affiliation or with a nondenominational Christian affiliation include Baylor School, McCallie School, Girls Preparatory School, Skyuka Hall and Wauhatchie Forest School, among others. There are also plenty of options for Hamilton County private schools associated with specific Christian denominations, such as the Baptists, the Catholics and the Seventh-Day Adventists.
Why choose it: When choosing a school, whether it’s private or public, parents are advised to consider such factors as schools’ educational outcomes, class size, teacher training and affordability, according to a report by U.S. News. With private schools, parents can expect to pay tuition that could be up to tens of thousands of dollars per year. Tennessee offers the Education Freedom Scholarship program as a means of providing state funds for students to put toward the cost of a private education. For the 2025-26 academic year, the proposed amount of these scholarships is $7,295, according to the Tennessee Department of Education’s website. Hamilton County has over 20 private schools that are registered for the scholarship program for the 2025-26 academic year.
Home School
What it is: In Tennessee, a home school is one that is “conducted or directed by a parent or parents or a legal guardian or guardians for their own children,” the Tennessee Department of Education website says. There are two means by which parents or guardians can home-school their children. One method is independent home-schooling, where the parent or guardian is the teacher and is therefore responsible for “ensuring all educational requirements are met under the law,” the state website says. For this method, a parent or guardian must have a high school diploma or equivalent credential and must submit an intention form to the school district where the family lives. The other method is for students to attend an approved church-related non-public school, a satellite program offered by some non-public schools. These programs allow parents or guardians “to participate as a teacher in the church-related school under the supervision of the school’s director,” the website states.
Why choose it: Some of the top reasons parents chose home-schooling for their children are because of a concern about the school environment (such as safety), a desire to provide moral/religious instruction, a desire to emphasize family life together and a dissatisfaction with academic instruction at other schools, according to a report by the National Center for Education Statistics. A parent desiring greater flexibility with and personalization of their child’s education may find satisfaction with home-schooling. Hamilton County parents considering home-schooling options can learn more through the Chattanooga Southeast Tennessee Home Education Association at csthea2025.weebly.com.