New polling released this month shows nearly two-thirds of Tennessee Republicans support expanding the Education Freedom Scholarships that began last year, as well as charter schools, as the Tennessee General Assembly is reportedly set to consider plans for expansion during the upcoming legislative session.
Completed by Anchor Research for the TennesseeCAN Action Fund this month, the pollsters found 61 percent of Republican primary voters in Tennessee support expanding the Education Freedom Scholarships, while just 31 percent were opposed.
The data comes months after House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) indicated last October that he would like to see the program doubled, from 20,000 available seats to 40,000, citing the roughly 42,000 families who applied for the available seats in 2025.
“The Speaker is committed to at least doubling the EFA scholarships to meet the demand from this year’s application process,” a spokesman for Sexton told Chalkbeat last year. “Our goal is to ensure parents are in control of their child’s education by having additional opportunities and access to a quality education-no matter their zip code or family income.”
Last year, the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) confirmed that families in 91 percent of Tennessee’s counties benefited from the scholarships, and Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge) said last month that an expansion would hinge on the state’s available revenue.
The pollsters also found that 62 percent of Republican primary voters support expanding “high-performing charter schools,” and 58 percent support increasing state funding for charter schools. Additionally, 68 percent of respondents support open enrollment for students across district and county lines.
Tennessee Republicans also support public reporting requirements to understand how the $13 billion it spends on education is used, tests to measure how much students are learning, and the A-F letter grades assigned to schools in the Volunteer State.
Regular voters were also the most likely to name education as one of their top concerns, according to the pollsters, who reported that 69 percent of respondents, and 76 percent of consistent primary voters, said education is an “extremely or very important” issue for them.
The survey included 635 likely Republican primary voters in Tennessee and was conducted December 2-4.
When it comes to the Education Freedom Scholarships, the pollsters’ data appears to align with the July 2025 survey by Tennesseeans for Putting Students First, which found that 66 percent of likely Republican primary voters supported raising the total number of scholarships.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
This is one Tennessee Republican that does not agree with the so-called school voucher program as it is currently implemented. It simply costs taxpayers double for every “scholarship” given out. The public school losing the student should have its state funding cut by an amount equal to the scholarship value. We are paying DOUBLE for that student. That is flat out wrong.
They need to expand Charter Schools, They have done such a good Job with the children, It just gives every child the ability to choose. Stop thinking about the Union and what it is going to think. Politicians only worry about the money that comes in for their campaigns.
School vouchers provide parents with public funds to use towards tuition at private schools or to continue at their public school.
Parents have greater choice in their child’s education, allowing them to select a school that best fits their individual needs and values. This can include religious schools, a specialized curriculum, or smaller class sizes. And vouchers can branch off to new schools.
That’s what happened in Greensboro, NC. My grandchildren opted for a new school made possible by the voucher program. I’ve been there many times. The students there are made up of all colors and ethnicities.
The students have a highly disciplined academic day. They wear uniforms, they learn how to interact politely, and best of all, they learn.
They learn reading, writing, and arithmetic; they learn about this great country; they recite the Pledge of Allegiance to our country every morning. They sing a patriotic song every morning.
Increased competition from private or religious schools can lead to improvements in public schools as they strive to attract and retain students.
Studies show that students who attend private schools with vouchers perform better academically than their public school counterparts. Vouchers are particularly beneficial for low-income students who may not have access to high-quality public schools in their area.
This is a challenge. At least in my county, not a single charter school has been approved despite numerous tries. I’ve even talked to school board members who basically tell you without telling you they don’t like charter schools. It’s an uphill battle given the way Tennessee has structured approvals that must go through school boards and state boards that don’t want charter schools.
Frankly I find it hilarious that they won’t approve a charter school given the failures in the public system.