Six private schools in the Upper Cumberland region have signed on to participate in Tennessee’s new Education Freedom Scholarships program, also known as the state’s school voucher initiative.
Three schools in Warren County, two in Putnam County, and one in Cumberland County completed registration before the state’s deadline. Participating schools include Covenant Academy, Faulkner Springs Christian School, and F.C. Boyd Christian School in Warren County; Highland Rim Academy and Heritage Academy in Putnam County; and Trinity Academy in Cumberland County. Inez Wrenn Seventh-Day Adventist School has also submitted a request to participate.
The scholarship program aims to provide eligible families with direct financial assistance from the state to help cover private school tuition. Debbie Baker, president of Heritage Academy in Monterey, said the goal is to make private education more accessible.
“Some families may want the opportunity but be unable to pay tuition,” Baker said. “This provides an opportunity for parents to afford private education when they would not be able to otherwise.”
Brooke Bauer of Covenant Academy in McMinnville said the program may help families seeking smaller class sizes or faith-based education.
“There are fewer distractions and more personal attention,” Bauer said. “It allows families to choose what kind of environment they want for their children.”
More than 30,000 applications were submitted within the first few hours of the program’s launch, although the state expects to award around 20,000 scholarships. Final notifications for accepted families are expected in July. School officials say they are unsure how many students will be added to enrollment until those results are confirmed.