TL;DR: Of the 116 private schools and early-learning programs we track in Shelby, Tipton and Fayette, 61 records are signed up for the 2026-27 Education Freedom Scholarship and 50 are approved for the MSCS-zone ESA. They cluster in East Memphis and Midtown; Fayette, Tipton and the northeast suburbs have far fewer.
How many Memphis-area private schools take EFS or the ESA in 2026-27?
TDOE's EFS list dated August 24, 2026 names 59 schools in the three counties: 55 in Shelby, three in Fayette and one in Tipton. Its West Tennessee ESA list dated September 24, 2026 names 48 campus-based schools here, plus 21 online-only schools. Because the St. George's and Evangelical Christian lower campuses ride on their main campus's listing, our directory shows 61 EFS records and 50 ESA records.
Demand is real. The Daily Memphian reported in January 2026 that about 5,500 Shelby County students used roughly $45 million through the two programs in 2025-26.
Which parts of the Memphis area have the most participating schools?
The table counts every school in each area of our directory, then how many are on each state list. "Zone" tells you whether families there are usually inside the MSCS zone that the ESA requires.
| Area | Schools | On EFS list | ESA approved | MSCS zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Memphis & the Poplar Corridor | 21 | 18 | 12 | Mostly MSCS |
| Midtown, Downtown, North & South Memphis | 21 | 10 | 12 | Mostly MSCS |
| Germantown & Collierville | 16 | 7 | 6 | Split |
| Hickory Hill, Whitehaven & Southeast Memphis | 16 | 5 | 6 | Mostly MSCS |
| Bartlett, Arlington & the Raleigh-LaGrange Corridor | 13 | 4 | 4 | Split |
| Cordova & Eads | 12 | 8 | 5 | Split |
| Fayette County (Somerville, Rossville & Oakland) | 7 | 3 | 1 | Outside |
| Frayser & Raleigh | 6 | 4 | 3 | Mostly MSCS |
| Millington & Tipton County | 4 | 2 | 1 | Outside |
East Memphis stands out: 18 of its 21 schools are on the EFS list, including most of the Poplar corridor's college-prep schools and two parish schools. Midtown and downtown have the same number of ESA-approved campuses as East Memphis, 12, many of them smaller schools serving MSCS-zone neighborhoods.
Why do some areas have so few EFS schools?
Mostly because of approval labels. A school that holds Tennessee's Category IV label alone, typically a congregation-run program, cannot sign up for EFS or the ESA, and Category V schools are excluded too. Bartlett and Arlington, Southeast Memphis and Fayette County each have several small church schools and umbrella programs in that position.
Timing is the other reason. A school can hold an eligible label and still skip the yearly sign-up; 14 schools in our directory are in that group for 2026-27. They can join for 2027-28 between November 16, 2026 and April 30, 2027.
EFS list vs ESA list: are they the same schools?
No. The lists overlap heavily, but each has schools the other lacks. Lausanne Collegiate, Memphis University School and St. Mary's Episcopal are on the EFS list but not the ESA list. Memphis Heritage Christian, Miraaj Academy and the Global Learning Institute are approved for the ESA but not signed up for EFS. The ESA list also includes 21 online schools, while EFS requires a building in Tennessee.
For a family in the MSCS zone, that difference can decide the program: the larger ESA is useless at a school that is only on the EFS list.
How do Catholic, Christian and outer-county schools compare?
Catholic schools are nearly all in. Every Catholic school with a current state record, from St. Paul in Whitehaven to St. Ann in Bartlett and the two Walnut Grove high schools, is signed up for EFS and approved for the ESA. The only Catholic record without a listing is Immaculate Conception Cathedral School, which appears only in an older federal survey.
Christian schools split roughly in half: about 30 of the 56 we track are on the EFS list. The large K-12 campuses (Briarcrest, Evangelical Christian, Harding, First Assembly) are in; many small church programs are not, usually because of their label.
Outside Shelby County, the picture is thin but solid. In Fayette, Fayette Academy, Fayette Christian School and Rossville Christian Academy are on the EFS list, and Fayette Academy is also approved for the ESA, although Fayette families themselves cannot use the ESA. In Tipton, Tipton Christian Academy in Covington is the county's only EFS school, while Tipton-Rosemark Academy, just across the line in Millington, is on both lists.
Seven umbrella programs for homeschool families also appear in the state directory for the three counties. They hold label IV, so they are on neither list; Gateway Christian Schools alone reports more than 5,000 enrolled students.
What the lists do not tell you
Neither list shows tuition, open seats or aid. Schools do not report prices to the state, so the only way to know what is left after the award is to ask. Neither list measures quality either; the category label is about which rules a school follows, not how well it teaches. Use the lists to narrow your search, then call the school.
Frequently asked questions
How many Memphis-area private schools take EFS or the ESA in 2026-27?
The state lists name 59 EFS schools and 48 ESA campuses in Shelby, Tipton and Fayette, which our directory shows as 61 and 50 school records.
Which parts of the Memphis area have the most participating schools?
East Memphis leads on EFS with 18 schools, and East Memphis and Midtown tie on ESA approvals with 12 each.
EFS list vs ESA list: are they the same schools?
No; several schools appear on only one list, so check both before choosing a program.
Related questions
- Browse the full school directory
- East Memphis schools
- What the Category I-V labels mean
- ESA or EFS for an MSCS-zone family?
Sources
- TDOE — 2026-27 Registered EFS Schools
- TDOE — ESA Participating Schools: West Tennessee
- Daily Memphian — Thousands more applied for Tennessee vouchers (Jan 16, 2026)
See which programs fit your child →
