TENNESSEE’s CHARTER schools STATISTICS

115

There are 115 public charter schools in Tennessee serving more than 44,000 students.

 

5

Tennessee’s charter schools are located in five school districts: Hamilton County, Knox County, Metro Nashville, Rutherford County, and Shelby County.

 

7

Currently, there are 7 districts that have approved charter schools in Tennessee: Hamilton County, Jackson Madison, Knox County, Metro Nashville, Rutherford County, Shelby County, and the Charter Commission.

 

21

Tennessee’s first charter schools opened 21 years ago. In 2003, one charter school opened in Nashville and three were opened in Memphis.

 

550%

Charter school enrollment in Tennessee has grown 550% since 2010, up from 5,000 students to over 44,000 today.

 

2%

The average high school graduation rate for Tennessee charter schools is 2% higher than the average high school graduation rate at traditional public schools.

 

88%

When analyzing the student demographics of public charter schools in Tennessee, on average, 88%  of students are people of color, 40% of students are economically disadvantaged, and 14% of students are multilingual learners.

 

11pts

Public charter schools continue to sustain strong growth on Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) proficiency compared to peers with a growth rate of 11 points in ELA and 12 points in Math scores from 2021 to 2024 for grades 3-8.

 

According to a recent study from Stanford University's Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO), students at charter schools across Tennessee receive the equivalent of over a month and a half of extra teaching in reading and math.

A new report from the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI), released in October 2024, concludes that increased public school choice lifts school quality and that cities improve in closing the achievement gap when even a small share of their students attend public charter schools.

Tennessee public Education Statistics

971,741

Tennessee PreK-12 Students in the 2023-24 Academic Year

 

1,921

Tennessee Public Schools across 147 School Districts

 
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58,811

Tennessee Classroom Teachers and 4,134 Instructional Leaders

 

READING:
Percent At or Above Proficient

Math:
Percent At or Above Proficient

Y-Axis denotes percent at or above Proficient. Source: National Assessment of Educational Progress

Y-Axis denotes percent at or above Proficient. Source National Assessment of Educational Progress

Percent Graduation Rate 2008-2023 (2023 US graduation rate data not available). Sources: TN Department of Education and National Center for Education Statistics

Average ACT Composite Scores 2012 - 2023. Sources: TN Department of Education and ACT

Education Funding and Per-Pupil Spending

Tennessee spends more than $9 billion annually on public pre K-12 education through the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) public school funding formula. The funding is derived from three sources: federal, state, and local governments. The majority of education funding in Tennessee is from the state.

$18,614

In the 2020-21 school year, average per-pupil spending for public K-12 education in the U.S. increased to $18,614. This is the eighth year in a row that per-pupil spending has increased.