Last verified: October 2026
What approval does a new church school need in Tennessee?
Every private school in Tennessee must be approved under one of five categories so that its students satisfy the compulsory attendance law. A congregation can join an association named in state law and operate as a Category IV church-related school, apply directly to TDOE for Category I or Category V approval, or seek accreditation that earns Category II or III.
TDOE's Category I and V application windows run from January through May each year.
Which approval category lets families use EFS and ESA at a church school?
Only Categories I, II and III. A Category IV church school, however well run, cannot take the Education Freedom Scholarship or ESA, though it can serve students who hold an IEA.
That is the central trade-off: Category IV brings fewer state rules on faculty, textbooks and curriculum, while Category I requires licensed teachers and annual testing in grades 3-11 but opens EFS once the school registers.
What do all Tennessee private schools have to do?
All categories must complete criminal history checks for staff with proximity to children, keep a calendar of 180 instructional days at 6.5 hours a day, report enrolled students to the local district each year and follow health and safety rules. Except for Category IV, a school must enroll at least ten school-age children.
Category IV schools may also run an umbrella program for homeschooling families.
How does the revenue picture change with EFS?
At $7,530 per student for 2026-27, every ten EFS students represent $75,300 a year, paid in four installments after the family approves each payment. That only applies after the school is approved in Category I, II or III and registers in the annual EFS window.
Plan the first year without it: registration for 2027-28 closes April 30, 2027, and TDOE says it makes no exceptions.
| Category IV (church-related) | Category I (TDOE-approved) | |
|---|---|---|
| How approved | Membership in an association in state law | Direct application, January-May |
| Teachers | Exempt from certain state rules | Active Tennessee license, evaluated annually |
| Testing grades 3-11 | Exempt from certain state rules | Nationally standardized test each year |
| EFS / ESA | Not eligible | Eligible after registering |
| Umbrella homeschool program | May operate one | No |