Tennessee is the seventh-ranked state in the United States for education freedom, according to the Education Freedom Report Card released on Monday by the conservative Heritage Foundation, with the high ranking driven by Tennessee’s transparency and return on investment (ROI) for state education spending.
Tennessee ranked second in the nation for ROI on education spending, with the Heritage report card noting that Tennessee spends the 44th-most, or eighth least, at just $13,027 per student. Despite the comparatively low spending commitment, Heritage noted, “Tennessee ranks 16th in its combined fourth-grade and eighth-grade math and reading average NAEP score.”
The Volunteer State also received high marks on academic transparency, with the Heritage Foundation ranking Tennessee fourth in the nation, crediting efforts by the General Assembly to prohibit teaching controversial materials, including Critical Race Theory (CRT), and to block schools from socially transitioning students without parental consent.
On Education Choice and Teacher Freedom, the state scored lower, ranking 16th on Education Choice and 20th on Teacher Freedom.
While the Heritage Foundation credited Tennessee’s efforts to provide families the choice of private and public schools, as well as the Education Freedom Scholarship Program, the nonprofit said the ranking could be further improved by “boosting participation in its private education choice policies, funding ESAs via the state education funding formula, and eliminating unnecessary regulations for participating private schools.”
The report card similarly praised Tennessee for the 34 percent of teachers statewide who matriculated through “alternative certification routes”; it suggested Tennessee should establish “full reciprocity” for educators who obtain accreditation in other states. It also noted that more than one-third of Tennessee school districts continue to employ a “chief diversity officer.”
Florida, Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, and Louisiana ranked ahead of Tennessee in the Heritage Foundation report.
The three states that scored lower than Tennessee in the Education Freedom Report but still ranked in the top 10 nationwide by the Heritage Foundation are Texas, Indiana, and Alabama.
Though Heritage explained that its methodology has changed, Tennessee’s ranking has improved since the foundation began releasing report cards in 2022. At the time, they ranked Tennessee as the 10th best state for education freedom.
Tennessee’s Education Freedom Act was signed into law by Governor Bill Lee in February 2025, establishing the Education Freedom Scholarship Program with 20,000 scholarships. Tennessee parents submitted more than double that number of applications last year.
Earlier this year, the Tennessee General Assembly passed legislation to expand the total number of scholarships to 35,000 students. Governor Bill Lee signed the bill in time for the 2026-27 school year. In January, Lee reported that Tennessee families submitted more than 50,000 applications for the academic year.
Last year, data published by the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) revealed that families living in 86 of Tennessee’s 95 counties benefited from the Education Freedom Scholarship Program.
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Tom Pappert is a 2025 recipient of the Dao Prize and the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star. He also reports for the Star News Network. Follow Tom on X. Email tips to [email protected].
