Education (K-12) · 2024–25 school year
Tennessee Public Schools
Public K-12 education statistics for Tennessee — 1,002,363 students in 1,928 schools in 2024–25, with enrollment history back to 1986 and county-level detail from 2002.
| Statistic | Value | School year |
|---|---|---|
| Student enrollment | 1,002,363 | 2024–25 |
| Public schools | 1,928 | 2024–25 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 66,181 | 2023–24 |
| Pupil-teacher ratio | 15.1 | 2023–24 |
| Free/reduced-price lunch students | 41.4% | 2019–20 |
| School poverty rate (MEPS) | 17.1% | 2022–23 |
| Charter school enrollment | 4.5% | 2024–25 |
| High school graduation rate | 90.4% | 2024–25 |
| Math proficiency (of tested) | 31.1% | 2021–22 |
| Reading proficiency (of tested) | 36.8% | 2021–22 |
| Chronically absent students | 22.6% | 2021–22 |
| White students | 56.5% | 2024–25 |
| Black students | 20.4% | 2024–25 |
| Hispanic students | 15.8% | 2024–25 |
| Asian students | 2.2% | 2024–25 |
Not every statistic is collected every year — each row shows its most recent available school year (amber when older than 2024–25). Blank/absent means not collected or below reliability floors, never zero. Some universal-meals states no longer report free/reduced-price lunch — school poverty (MEPS) is the better lens there. A 0% charter share in a state without a charter-school law is a true zero.
Tennessee state report card
Outcomes reported directly by Tennessee’s education agency — often more current than the federal series above. Because each state uses its own tests, definitions, and reporting windows, these figures are not comparable state-to-state; each row notes how Tennessee measures it.
| Measure | Latest | Trend | School year |
|---|---|---|---|
Math proficiency (state test) How Tennessee measures thisTCAP Achievement (TNReady) Math, GRADES 3-8 ONLY: percent of valid tests scoring Met Expectations or Exceeded Expectations (TN's proficient levels). High-school End-of-Course (Algebra I/II, Geometry, Integrated Math I-III) results are published separately and NOT included. Year column '2026' = SY 2025-26. No statewide row published: computed from district All Students x All Grades rows. | 43.1% | 2025–26 | |
Reading / ELA proficiency (state test) How Tennessee measures thisTCAP Achievement (TNReady) ELA, GRADES 3-8 ONLY: percent of valid tests scoring Met Expectations or Exceeded Expectations (TN's proficient levels). High-school End-of-Course (English I/II) results are published separately and NOT included. Year column '2026' = SY 2025-26. No statewide row published: computed from district All Students x All Grades rows. | 40.6% | 2025–26 | |
Chronic absenteeism (recent) How Tennessee measures thisPercent of K-12 students chronically absent under Tennessee's standard accountability definition (missed 10% or more of enrolled instructional days). No statewide row published: computed by summing n_chronically_absent / n_students for the All Students x 'All Grades' grade-band rows across 147 of 149 district-level entities. Published grade-band splits: K-8 = 15.5%, 9-12 = 22.8%. | 17.7% | 2024–25 |
Source: TennesseeDepartment of Education (public reporting), 2026 collection. Not comparable across states — proficiency reflects different assessments and cut scores; graduation, dropout, and college-going use each state’s own cohort definitions and windows. Absent rows mean the state doesn’t publish that measure in a comparable file.
Tennessee schools by county
Students enrolled, 2024–25.
Tennessee schools — FAQ
How many students attend public school in Tennessee?+
1,002,363 students were enrolled in Tennessee's 1,928 public K-12 schools in the 2024–25 school year (NCES Common Core of Data).
What is Tennessee's high school graduation rate?+
90.4% of Tennessee's adjusted cohort graduated in the 2024–25 school year — reported by Tennessee's education agency (its 4-year ACGR, more current than the federal series, which lags to 2021–22). Graduation rates run from 2010–11 onward.
Where does this data come from?+
Core statistics (enrollment, schools, teachers, poverty, demographics) come from the National Center for Education Statistics — the Common Core of Data, EDFacts, and the Civil Rights Data Collection. The most recent graduation rates and the state report-card outcomes (proficiency, college-going, dropout, chronic absenteeism) come directly from state education agencies, which publish sooner than the federal series. Full source and license details are on the methodology page. pumsdata is independent and not affiliated with NCES or any state agency.
Other states
Data: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (CCD, EDFacts, CRDC) and ED Data Express, plus current-year graduation and report-card outcomes from state education agencies. Full source and license details on the methodology page.