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Tennessee Charter Schools
Year charter school law was enacted
Estimated number of charter schools in 2020-2021
Estimated number of charter school students in 2020-2021
The first public charter school opened in 1992, only one year after the enactment of the 1991 Omnibus K-12 Education Finance Bill.
We’d love to get your charter school added to our map! Please submit the following details below and our team will verify listing. kindly expect a few days to get confirmed.
Email info@publiccharter.org for questions on status.
Most of the more than 1,700 public schools in Tennessee are operated by one of the state’s 147 school districts. Charter schools account for 116 of the state’s public schools, which operate with more autonomy than district schools, but also with higher levels of accountability. Charter schools operate under a contract with an authorizer, either the Public Education Commission or a school district.
In Tennessee, schools chartered by a district have more autonomy than other district schools but are still part of their local district, and are required to administer the same assessments and meet the same standards as traditional public schools. Charter schools must first apply to their local education authority (LEA) for authorization. The Achievement School District (ASD), a statewide turnaround district for low-performing schools, also has the ability to authorize public charter schools within their district and serves as the LEA for their schools. Charter schools authorized by the ASD that meet success standards have the ability to apply to the Tennessee Charter School Commission for authorization when they leave the ASD.
*information up to date as of 2022
– Montrell Bessley, Director of Community Engagement at Chattanooga Preparatory School, Chattanooga, Tennessee
National Alliance for Public Charter Schools
800 Connecticut Ave NW, Suite 300
Washington, D.C. 20006
Tel: 202.289.2700
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For questions regarding wire transfers, please email of call Celia Hagerman at celia@publiccharters.org or 202-600-8994.
For questions regarding stock, please email of call Celia Hagerman at celia@publiccharters.org or 202-600-8994.
If you or your spouse work for a company that provides matching gifts, you can make an even bigger impact! To have your gift matched, you must submit your company’s completed matching gift form.
Please send all completed matching gift forms to:
National Alliance for Public Charter Schools
800 Connecticut Ave. N.W. Suite 300
Washington, DC 20006.
If this donation will be potentially matched, please provide the company name.
Contact Celia Hagerman at celia@publiccharters.org or 202-600-8994 to learn more about the Legacy Society or for any other inquiries regarding planned giving.
