WBIR TV in Knoxville reports that students in Knoxville received more state-funded school vouchers than any other city this year, according to newly released data from the Tennessee Department of Education. The state’s Education Freedom Scholarship program began this school year, awarding 20,000 scholarships of $7,295 each to students. Half of those scholarships can be awarded to anyone, and the other half can be awarded to families who meet specific income requirements.
Records requested by WBIR revealed detailed information about who applied for school vouchers and who received them. On Oct. 2nd, the state filled a request sent on Sept. 16th, with data as of Sept. 22. The state did not track prior enrollment of students per state statute, a department spokesperson said. That spokesperson also told WBIR they “do not have records or reports that aggregate income data from applications”.
Of the 20,000 scholarships awarded statewide, 2,557 went to students in Knoxville. Memphis students received the second-most with 1,888, followed by Nashville with 1,267.
In total, the state received more than 42,000 applications for the program, with an equal number of applications from both income-qualified and universal categories. Knoxville ranked second in total applications with 4,567, just behind Memphis, according to WBIR.
The state received 42,827 applications for the program, with an equal number split between universal and income-qualified categories.
Most applicants identified as White (about 68%), followed by Black or African American (10%), multi-racial (8%), and Hispanic or Latino (4%). Around 2% of applicants identified as Asian, and less than 1% of applicants applied identified as Middle Eastern/North African, American Indian/Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander. The other 7% of applicants declined to report their race or ethnicity.
The state also tracked the cities from which applicants came. People who live in Memphis submitted the most applications, at 4,580, accounting for more than 10% of all applications. Knoxville submitted the second-highest number of applications, with 4,567.
Following that, Nashville submitted 3,061, Chattanooga submitted 2,294, Murfreesboro submitted 1,616, and Jackson submitted 1,357.
Together, those six cities accounted for 41% of the applications statewide.
The state also received an unspecified number of applications from outside the state, including Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Pearl City, Hawaii, and Tulsa, Oklahoma. The state noted that some data was suppressed from areas with fewer than 10 applications.
Tennessee awarded 20,000 vouchers, with the 14,970 scholarships going to white students, around 75%.
Other recipients included multi-racial students (7%), Around 1,000 Black students (5%), and 580 Hispanic students (3%).
Smaller numbers went to groups identifying as Asian, Middle Eastern/North African, American Indian/Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander. About 1,300 students, or 7% of recipients, chose not to report their race or ethnicity.
Students in Knoxville were awarded the most scholarships, with 2,557 getting the vouchers. Memphis ranked second, with 1,888. Nashville came in third with 1,267 scholarships, and 1,188 students in Chattanooga were awarded vouchers.
Murfreesboro saw 793 students in the program, and 725 students in Jackson also got the voucher.
The state continues to block requests for information about the number of students who are already enrolled in private schools who have received the vouchers.Critics are also pointing out that tax dollars are funding schools that promote an Islamic agenda in Tennessee.
