Last verified: October 2026
What approval does a new church school in Shelby County need?
A Shelby County church school needs one of Tennessee's five approval labels before its students count as attending school. The church can join a church-school association listed in state law (label IV), go straight to TDOE (label I or V), or earn an accreditor's seal (label II or III).
TDOE opens its window for labels I and V each January and closes it in May.
Which category lets Memphis families use EFS or ESA money at a church school?
Labels I, II and III. A school with label IV alone can enroll IEA students but cannot take EFS or ESA payments.
So the choice is freedom versus funding. Label IV keeps the state out of teacher hiring and curriculum; label I demands licensed teachers and yearly tests in grades 3 through 11, and in return lets the school sign up for EFS.
What must every Tennessee private school do?
No label escapes the basics: background checks on adults who work with children, a 180-day year of 6.5-hour days, a yearly enrollment report to the district, and health and safety codes. Apart from label IV, a school must also enroll ten or more school-age children.
Label IV also allows a church to enroll homeschoolers as an umbrella program, which seven programs in the three counties do.
What could EFS mean for a new school's budget?
At $7,530 per student in 2026-27, ten EFS students bring $75,300 a year, released in installments after families approve each payment. None of that arrives until the school has an eligible label and has signed up during the yearly EFS period.
Plan year one as if EFS were not coming: the 2027-28 sign-up ends April 30, 2027, and TDOE has said late schools will not be added.
| Category IV (church-related) | Category I (TDOE-approved) | |
|---|---|---|
| How approved | Membership in an association named in state law | Direct application, January-May |
| Teachers | Exempt from certain state rules | Active Tennessee license, evaluated each year |
| Testing, grades 3-11 | Exempt from certain state rules | Nationally standardized test each year |
| EFS / ESA | Not eligible | Eligible after registering or approval |
| Umbrella homeschool program | May run one | No |