Tennessee Education Statistics
The following facts and statistics provide a high-level overview of Tennessee’s K-12 education system, student demographics, and academic achievement outcomes.
967,356
Tennessee PreK-12 Students in the 2021-22 Academic Year
1,921
Tennessee Public Schools across 147 School Districts
67,915
Tennessee Classroom Teachers and 4,102 Instructional Leaders
ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT
Tennessee, like many states, experienced learning loss due to the disruption during the COVID-19 pandemic. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)provides important information about student achievement and learning experiences in various subjects. The Nation’s Report Card highlights the impact of the pandemic on students scoring at or above Proficient and the continued need for going student assessments.
READING:
Percent At or Above Proficient
Math:
Percent At or Above Proficient
STUDENT DEMOGRAPHICS
As Tennessee’s K-12 student population continues to grow, our schools are also becoming more diverse and must meet the needs of more historically underserved student groups. Approximately 37 percent of Tennessee K-12 students are students of color, 58 percent are eligible for free or reduced price lunch, 8 percent are English Learners, and 13 percent are students with disabilities.
Percent of Students eligible for Free or Reduced-Price Lunch
Percent of Students with Disabilities
Percent of English Language Learners
K-12 OUTCOMES
Tennessee has made great progress in improving K-12 outcomes in recent years. The state graduation rate reached a new milestone of 90.6 percent in 2023, achieving the highest graduation rate on record since 2012. While there are several programs in Tennessee to prepare students for postsecondary opportunities, college and career readiness remains a challenge; just 40 percent of students are designated “Ready Graduate” - indicating they are prepared for college or career after high school and the state’s dropout rate is close to nine percent.
School accountability
In 2018, the Tennessee Department of Education began implementing a new school accountability system to evaluate schools and identify those that are in need of additional support. This accountability framework takes into account a variety of factors, including chronic absenteeism, discipline, ACT scores, and graduation rates, to determine each school’s status.
400
In 2024, 400 Tennessee schools were designated as Reward Schools for the 2022-23 school year, meaning they are improving in terms of student achievement and growth across all student groups. Reward status is a top distinction, and all schools are eligible to achieve Reward status based on performance.
99
In 2023, 99 schools in Tennessee were designated as Comprehensive Support and Improvement Schools, the schools in need of support and improvement because they fall in the bottom five percent of performance or have a graduation rate below 67 percent. These schools are eligible for funding from the Department of Education.
112
In 2023, 112 schools in Tennessee were designated as Targeted Support and Improvement Schools, schools that fall in the bottom 5 percent for their weighted overall accountability score for any student subgroup. These schools are eligible for additional funding from the Department of Education.
Education Funding and Per-Pupil Spending
Tennessee spends $10 billion annually on public preK-12 education. The funding is derived from three sources: federal, state, and local governments. The majority of education funding (47.6%) in Tennessee is from the state.
$10 Billion
Tennessee invests roughly $10 billion in annual funding to support K-12 education, while the national state average for K-12 funding is $14 billion ($739 billion total across all 50 states).
$10,581
In the 2021-22 school year, average K-12 per-pupil spending in Tennessee was just over $10,000. Per-pupil spending has steadily increased in Tennessee over the last five years.
$15,621
In the 2018-19 school year, average per-pupil spending for public K-12 education in the U.S. increased to $15,621. This is the sixth year in a row that per-pupil spending has increased.