Welcome, Tennessee
Education Providers!
YOU make options a reality for Tennessee Kids.
We want to help you succeed.
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Eligibility to be a Provider for the Education Freedom Scholarship
First and foremost, you must provide a service that is allowable under EFS guidelines!
Are you a Private School?
Private schools are fully autonomous and you are not required to alter your policies, beliefs, or curriculum to participate in the program. Here are the requirements to participate:
- Be located in Tennessee.
- Be classified as a Category I, II, or III school under § 49-6-3001(c)(3)(A).
- Be approved by the Commissioner of Education in accordance with rules from the State Board of Education.
- Administer annual assessments (either a nationally norm-referenced test or TCAP) to scholarship recipients in grades 3–11.
- Report aggregated test data (by grade, income, race, sex) annually to the Office of Research and Education Accountability (OREA).
- Share test results directly with parents of recipients.
Are you a Tutor?
You must be:
- A licensed Tennessee educator, OR
- Employed by an accredited tutoring facility (accredited by recognized regional or national accrediting bodies such as AdvancED, SACS CASI, or WASC).
Are you providing transportation?
- You must be a business providing a fee for a service. You can’t accept these funds as a parent or family member transporting the student.
- You must meet all safety requirements established by the Tennessee Department of Education.
Are you an educational therapist?
You must be certified or licensed, and meet criteria set by the Department of Education.
Are you a technology provider?
Your products must be educational in purpose and meet Department criteria to ensure relevance and cost-effectiveness.
NOTE: The Tennessee Department of Education and the State Board of Education are authorized to, and responsible for, setting rules and standards for eligible providers, establishing requirements for non-school providers, and conducting audits and reviews.
FAQs
How will I receive payment as a provider?
For private school providers, funds will be disbursed quarterly throughout the school year (not calendar year!) through the online portal:
Quarter 1–50%
Quarter 2–20%
Quarter 3–20%
Quarter 4–10%
For non-school providers, invoices or receipts will have to be submitted by the student’s parent for approval and payment. Providers will likely have the choice to wait for pre-approval and direct payment, or to accept funds from the parent, who will then apply for reimbursement. The Department of Education is working to put final procedures in place.
How can I appear in the official provider directory?
The law indicates there will be some kind of official directory, but one has not yet been announced or published. In the meantime, a list of registered EFS schools is available online.
What would disqualify me as a provider?
To start with, not offering services that qualify as an allowable expense under the Education Freedom Scholarship Act would disqualify you as a provider. Additional disqualifying actions include 1) failing to meet Department requirements, or 2) misusing scholarship funds (not putting them towards the intended educational purpose). Read the full rule here.
Resources
We want to help you succeed as a provider for Tennessee families! Please consider these resources.
