Millions of dollars are heading to students attending Hamilton County private schools through Tennessee’s tuition grant programs, according to an analysis of state data.
The Education Freedom Scholarship Program, which Republican Gov. Bill Lee signed into law in February, gives 20,000 Tennessee students state funding to pay for a private education. The program enrolled its first students this fall.
At $7,295 apiece, the cost of providing the 20,000 subsidies is $145.9 million.
More than 2,500 students attending a Hamilton County private school are receiving an Education Freedom Scholarship, according to a list of recipients by school provided by the Tennessee Department of Education. The state suppressed data for private schools with less than 10 recipients to comply with federal student privacy laws that limit the information that can be released about small groups of children.