NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Families in Tennessee’s statewide Education Freedom Scholarship program are moving through a mid-October funding step and a late-month marketplace launch as the 2026-27 school year advances.
The Department of Education lists a projected Quarter 2 funding event on Oct. 15 that would send another 20 percent of the scholarship. A marketplace for students without pending tuition is projected to open later in October, with more family office hours scheduled Dec. 10 and again in January before a Quarter 3 funding event on Jan. 15, 2027.
Each award for the coming school year is set at $7,530. Students who live in Tennessee and qualify for a public K-12 seat can point the award at approved private Category I through III campuses inside the state, with tuition and fees paid first.
EFS is separate from the older Education Savings Account and Individualized Education Account programs. Each has its own application path and online portal, so a login from one program does not automatically open another.
Gov. Bill Lee signed the EFS statute on Feb. 12, 2025, after the General Assembly created the universal choice program in a January 2025 special session. State Board of Education rules guide day-to-day operation.
Parents with questions can call the Office of Programs and School Choice at the number posted on the department’s EFS page, and the department urges families to confirm that schools have verified enrollment in the portal so offers do not expire.
Districts across Tennessee and participating private schools are still reconciling enrollment checks after the October verification window, so families who have not seen a portal confirmation should contact both the school and the state help line before the next disbursement.
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