Supporters say the expansion is needed because the program has reached its 20,000-scholarship capacity for two consecutive years.

Nearly a year into the school’s first year, the executive director of Nurses Middle College – Nashville is dealing with rapid expansion while trying to secure new buildings, resources, and funding.

Representatives Yusuf Hakeem and Sam McKenzie helped preserve barriers for families enrolling out-of-district.

The charter school has spent its first year operating in a cluster of buildings behind the Donelson First Baptist Church.

Slater is sponsoring legislation to make it easier to enroll children outside their zoned school district.

Just 11 percent of participating students tested proficient in math on state testing during the program’s initial 2022-23 year. That number rose to 19.5 percent in the 2024-25 school year.

Last school year, 3,693 students in Nashville, Memphis, and Chattanooga received assistance for private school expenses through the Education Savings Account (ESA), frequently referred to as school vouchers.

The program, frequently referred to as vouchers, is providing 20 thousand children with tax dollars to pay for private school expenses, and Blackburn says it will be a key part of her education policy if she’s elected governor next year.

By offering a 100 percent dollar-for-dollar federal tax credit for donations to private school scholarship organizations, the bill would allow individuals to redirect their tax dollars to educational causes, potentially reshaping Tennessee’s K–12 landscape.

One major difference between Governor Bill Lee’s proposal this year  to let families use public dollars to send their children to private school, sometimes referred to as school vouchers, and last year’s plan that failed, is a provision designed to ease fears about potential lost revenue for school districts.

Despite criticizing Gov. Bill Lee’s plan previously as “terrible,” Representative Scott Cepicky’s, R-Culleoka, expects lawmakers to iron out their differences about school choice legislation next year.

A new study from the Progressive Policy Institute indicates that low-income students in both public charter schools and traditional public schools in 10 major cities are catching up to statewide performance levels.