Governor Bill Lee announced on Thursday that the state received more than 33,000 applications for Tennessee Education Freedom scholarships, with the interest in the universal school choice option dwarfing the 20,000 scholarships created by lawmakers earlier this year.
The governor revealed in a post to the social media platform X that the Tennessee Department of Education saw “more than 33,000 applications” for scholarships “within hours of the program’s successful launch.”
Calling it a “remarkable response,” Lee said the level of interest, “demonstrates the importance of giving [Tennessee] parents choices in their child’s education.”
Interested TN families are encouraged to continue applying, as the application review process is just beginning & a waitlist with be established, should additional seats become available.https://t.co/G3smIZY3MY
— Gov. Bill Lee (@GovBillLee) May 15, 2025
Despite the number of applicants exceeding the number of available scholarships within hours, Lee urged parents to continue to apply, noting that lawmakers may expand the program in the future.
“Interested TN families are encouraged to continue applying, as the application review process is just beginning & a waitlist [will] be established, should additional seats become available,” wrote the governor.Â
Additionally, 10,000 of the scholarships will be prioritized based on income, meaning many will not be assigned on a first come, first serve basis.
School choice proponent Corey DeAngelis wrote to X that the response from Tennessee families proves the “demand is huge,” and that “families want education freedom.” He added, “When I clicked the link there was a two hour wait to get the application.”
BREAKING: Over 33,000 families have already applied for Tennessee’s new private school choice program in the past few hours.
This demand is huge.
When I clicked the link there was a two-hour wait to even get to the application.Families want education freedom.
It's happening.
— Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist (@DeAngelisCorey) May 15, 2025
The activist noted that 33,000 applications represented about 3 percent of eligible children in Tennessee.
DeAngelis also said that the intense interest in the scholarships means lawmakers should expand the Tennessee Education Freedom plan to all Tennessee students.
“Families can still apply. The problem is Tennessee’s school choice program is capped at 20,000 students right now,” he said. “Parents need to demand lawmakers get rid of the cap immediately. No more picking winners and losers.”
As passed in the General Assembly during a special legislative session in January, the Education Freedom Act will increase by 5,000 scholarships annually, so long as at least 75 percent of scholarships are used each year.
By last month, more than 200 schools had requested to participate in the program.
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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].
