In ZIP code 38120 in east Memphis, nearly 1 in 4 students receives a Tennessee private school voucher, the highest share in the state. In a nearby Memphis ZIP code where 78% of residents are Black, it is about 1 in 500.
The comparison comes from state Department of Education data obtained by Chalkbeat Tennessee, which mapped where recipients of the Education Freedom Scholarships live in the program’s second year. The median household income in 38120 is $119,309, nearly double Shelby County’s. More than 80% of its residents are white. The Black ZIP code Chalkbeat compared it with has a median income about a third of that.
Across the state, the pattern holds. Twenty ZIP codes account for 12,217 of the program’s roughly 35,000 recipients, or 34.9%, and most of those are wealthy and majority white, according to Chalkbeat. Nearly 200 ZIP codes have no recipients at all.
The scholarships are worth more than $7,500 for private school tuition and other education expenses. The Legislature expanded the program this year to 35,000 seats, and Gov. Bill Lee signed the expansion in May.
Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson has described the program’s purpose this way: “The purpose of Education Freedom Scholarships is straightforward: to give Tennessee families greater freedom to choose the education that best meets their children’s needs.”
The ZIP code data shows where that choice is being exercised, and where it is not.
The biggest concentration outside the wealthy suburbs is in Jackson. ZIP code 38305 has the most recipients of any in the state, 947, and is more racially diverse and lower-income than the other top ZIP codes. Much of that total traces to one school: University School of Jackson has 530 voucher recipients among its 1,139 students, with tuition from $11,300 in kindergarten to $14,700 in high school. Head of School Don Roe told Chalkbeat, “We’ve not changed our admissions policy.”
The ACLU of Tennessee has sued, arguing the program violates the state constitution by sending public funds to private schools with no obligation to serve all students equitably.
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