Education Freedom Scholarship

Three young women are sitting on a couch in what appears to be a casual office or lounge setting, engaged in conversation and smiling.

Education Freedom

Scholarships

The GPS Board of Trustees has approved the acceptance of Education Freedom Scholarships (EFS) for the 2025-26 school year to help support the investment in your daughters’ education.

More information about the Education Freedom Scholarships can be found here.

As outlined in the bill, private schools accepting these scholarships are not required to change their creed, practices, admission policies, hiring policies, or curriculum—aligning with our status as an independent school. Should the state change its stance and infringe upon this independence, we reserve the right to modify our position. But as advocates for all our students and their families, we feel it is incumbent upon us to help you access the $7,295 value and take full advantage of the credit.

All families (regardless of income level) will be eligible to apply, and a limited number of scholarships will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis following the application deadline. It is imperative that you stay informed and monitor the process, and we are here to assist. While the state has not communicated the application date (only saying it will open in late spring), GPS will carefully monitor this process and encourages all GPS families to apply.

Tennessee Education Freedom Scholarship Program

Education Freedom Act in Tennessee One-Pager

EFS Step-by-Step Guide to Applying

EFS Student Application Checklist

EFS Family Handbook

EFS FAQs

Past GPS Communications Regarding the EFS

November 21, 2025

IMPORTANT EFS DATES & REMINDERS

Dear families,

The Education Freedom Scholarship (EFS) timeline for the 2026-27 school year was just announced for both current EFS recipients and new applicants. The EFS scholarship is Tennessee’s universal school choice program and if approved, pays $7,295 (2025-26 amount) towards eligible independent school education. All GPS families are encouraged to apply and all GPS families applying for tuition assistance are required to also apply for the EFS.

Current EFS Recipients

Current EFS recipients must submit a renewal application to receive funds for the 2026-27 school year. Renewal applications will open on December 9, at 1 p.m. ET. To renew, you will log into your EFS portal and click “New/Renewal Application.” You will receive an email on December 1 with additional guidance for renewal. Renewal applications will close on January 30, 2026, but we encourage you to reapply early to help ensure continued funding for your daughter.

New EFS Applicants

Applications for new EFS scholarships open January 13, 2026, at 1 p.m. ET. New EFS scholarships will be awarded based on the prioritization outlined in the Education Freedom Act of 2025. Applicants who were on the waiting list for 2025-26 are viewed as new applicants. Applications should be completed as soon as possible on January 13.

GPS Tuition Assistance – EFS Reminders

In support of providing tuition assistance for a GPS education to as many deserving girls as possible, all tuition assistance applicants who reside in the state of Tennessee must apply for the EFS. Tuition assistance policies may be reviewed here. Evidence of EFS application is a required document in Clarity.

What you need to do:

Current EFS recipients should reapply on December 9 and upload proof of 2026-27 application in the Clarity portal if also applying for Tuition Assistance.
New EFS applicants should review the application checklist and gather all required documents prior to January 13, 2026. On January 13, applications should be completed and submitted, and proof of application should be uploaded to the Clarity portal if also applying for Tuition Assistance.

GPS will continue to monitor the EFS program and update you with any additional information as it comes available. If you have any questions pertaining to the EFS specifically, please contact us at EFS@GPS.edu. If you have any questions about tuition assistance, please contact us at TA@GPS.edu.

Here's to the girls!

Megan D. Cover

Head of School

June 10, 2025

Important EFS Reminders and Updates

Dear families,

We write today with some crucial updates and time-sensitive reminders regarding the EFS state voucher program. (If you have not applied for the state voucher, feel free to disregard this email.)

First, a reminder that if you received a message from the state telling you that your daughter is ”conditionally approved” for a voucher, you need to log in to the state voucher site and confirm that she will attend GPS in the fall. If you do not complete this step by July 15, you will forfeit the voucher. Many of you have already done so, but we are not made aware of those who have received a voucher until this step is completed.

Once you inform the state of intent to enroll at GPS, we confirm enrollment with the state and adjust your FACTS account to reflect this anticipated credit on your account. When we do so, you will receive a message from the state saying your voucher is “formally approved” and another from FACTS saying your payment plan has been updated to reflect the scholarship amount; also, your FACTS account will reflect this adjustment. In fact, we have completed all registrants as of this morning, so if you designated GPS, you should have received this email and see the credit in FACTS. The FACTS credit will look like the following, below your other scheduled payments, reflecting our understanding that the state will pay GPS on your behalf by the end of the next school year, June 15, 2026:

This image is an example of what the payment would look like in a GPS FACTS account.

As the year progresses, we understand the state will send quarterly notices requesting your confirmation of enrollment prior to sending funds to GPS. This will be a critical step toward ensuring the credit to your account; if you do not confirm release of these funds in a timely manner, your FACTS balance will be adjusted to reflect this amount you then owe GPS. Remember, too, that you must inform the state when your daughter turns 18.

Lastly, please be reminded that the full tuition due remains the responsibility of each family. If circumstances are such that we cannot collect anticipated voucher funds from the state (because the student changes schools, for example) then the family will be responsible for the full amount due including uncollected voucher funds.

With this in mind, we are correcting what we’d previously stated: Believing we might not hear from the state until July, we said that families paying full tuition in one payment would need to pay the full tuition then receive a refund from GPS when we received funds from the state. Instead, we have corrected amounts currently due, avoiding the need to collect full amount and issue refunds; full-pay amounts due are correctly reflected in FACTS as of today.

As always, please let us know if you have any questions via EFS@GPS.edu.

Here's to the girls!

Megan D. Cover

Head of School

June 4, 2025

EFS Portal Update to Designate GPS as School

Dear families,

The TN Department of Education has now granted GPS access to the EFS portal, so we may review and approve the applications that designated GPS as their school for this fall. Doing so will finalize the application, shifting from conditional to formally approved status, so we are committed to expediting this effort during the next several days. Upon our approval, you will receive a confirmation EFS email indicating that the state has formally approved your child as a recipient.

If you've received a conditionally approved voucher email from the state but have not logged into the state portal to designate GPS, please do so as soon as possible so we may finalize this status and guarantee your receipt of the voucher. If you have already designated GPS, and/or soon after you do, please be on the lookout for this formal approval email from the TN Department of Education.

Again, please complete your GPS designation or let us know if you have any questions at EFS@GPS.edu.

Here's to the girls!

Megan D. Cover

Head of School

June 2, 2025

IMPORTANT UPDATES TO EFS FOR 2025-26 SCHOOL YEAR

Dear families,

For those individuals who have received a conditionally approved voucher from the state, we look forward to partnering with you to facilitate this program. Among other information, the state communicated that you would be able to confirm enrollment at a qualifying school—GPS, of course—on or after June 2. We understand that the portal opened at noon today; though the state doesn’t appear to have notified participants, recipients can now finalize their application by notifying the state of their selected school. We encourage you to log in and select GPS and to be on the lookout for additional communication from the state. You have until July 15 to finalize this enrollment.

PAYMENT ADJUSTMENTS

Additionally, the state has promised to notify GPS of student voucher status in the coming weeks. Until then, we cannot adjust payment schedules or amounts due, but we will do so in FACTS as the voucher status becomes clear. At that point, FACTS will continue to demonstrate a balance due, with anticipated collection from the state later in the year. If a family makes a one-time payment for the full tuition due before July 1, then the school later receives voucher reimbursement from the state, GPS will refund money to the family shortly after receipt of funds from the state. Alternatively, families may choose a 2- or 10-payment option, both of which include the TRP (Tuition Refund Plan) and will allow for adjustments to later payments during the year, after GPS is made aware of voucher acceptance.

STUDENTS WHO TURN 18

Please note that if your student turns 18 during the school year, you need to review page 17 of the EFS Handbook, which states, in part, any student who turns 18 years old during the EFS contract year must take action to continue using the EFS. Once a student reaches age 18, the existing EFS will be suspended, and no further EFS payment disbursements can be made, unless or until the department receives documentation indicating one of the following:

The student will enter a contract and serve as his or her own account holder.
The student’s parent or legal guardian will serve as the student’s account holder. The parent or legal guardian must submit a valid notarized power of attorney or an order of conservatorship indicating that the following rights have been transferred from the student to the parent or legal guardian:
- The right to make educational decisions regarding placement and participation of the student in the EFS Program;
- The right to make banking and financial decisions and transactions, limited to management, control, and access to the EFS.

We continue to welcome your questions or feedback regarding this program, and encourage you to email EFS@GPS.edu or follow the state website.

Here's to the girls!

Megan D. Cover

Head of School

May 14, 2025

EFS APPLICATIONS TO OPEN TOMORROW AT 1 PM ET

Dear families,

Please be prepared to apply for the Education Freedom Scholarships tomorrow at 1 p.m. ET (12 p.m. CT) As a reminder:

Just released: A step-by-step guide.
If you're applying for more than one child, consider submitting the younger child first as they will use the scholarships longer.
Applications will be reviewed in the order received by the department.
Application decisions will be communicated on a rolling basis, sent via email, and updated on the online portal dashboard.
Once an application is submitted, an email will be sent from Notifications@TheoLearning.com to confirm receipt; you may want to add this email to your safe-sender list to avoid its going to spam.
Families may review the status of their application by logging into the online application portal at any time.
Only complete applications will be reviewed for scholarship eligibility, so it is imperative that applications have all required documentation uploaded, documentation is clear and legible, and all required fields are completed.
Incomplete applications will be returned and will not maintain their place in line for scholarship consideration.
Applications returned as incomplete may be resubmitted with complete information, but the application will be considered received when the application is resubmitted with all required information.
Do not scan your proofs of residency and tax information as one document; save your uploaded documents as single files.
GPS will not be notified of your application, only if and when you receive a scholarship.

Please refer to our web page for the links to the EFS Family Handbook, FAQs, application checklist, and previous communications. As a reminder, GPS will continue to participate in the program as long as it aligns with our status as an independent school. Should the state change its stance and infringe upon this independence, we reserve the right to modify our position.

Here's to the girls!

Megan D. Cover

Head of School

May 13, 2025

EFS APPLICATIONS TO OPEN IN 48 HOURS

Dear families,

This serves to remind you that applications for Education Freedom Scholarships for the 2025-26 school year open at 1 p.m. ET (12 p.m. CT) this Thursday, May 15, for all Tennessee families to submit an eligible student application. Please mark your calendars to ensure you are first in line for these scholarships as they are distributed in order of completed submissions.

Here are some helpful links as you prepare to apply:

In the meantime, if we can be of assistance, please email EFS@GPS.edu.

All my best,

Megan D. Cover

Head of School

May 7, 2025

UPDATES TO FAQS REGARDING EFS APPLICATIONS

Dear families,

Yesterday, the state issued an updated FAQ document with a few points that are worth noting, especially if your tax filing situation had you doubting your ability to apply.

For example, these points were added:

For the first year of the program and due to the IRS extension, if you have not completed your 2024 taxes and would like to submit income verification for a Qualified Scholarship, you can upload your 2023 Form 1040 US Individual Tax Return as additional documentation related to income level; however, the income documentation will be denied, and you will be permitted to file a step 1 appeal within 10 business days of receiving the denial, which will maintain your place in line and permit more time to submit your 2024 taxes. (Previously the state has said you must have 2024 1040 completed.)

They also provided a bit more clarity on how sibling applications will work:

How will applications be managed if I apply for more than one student in my family?

As always, this communication and the link to the updated FAQs is on our website for your convenience. We will send out another reminder next week as the application date nears. Should you have specific concerns, you may email the state's EFS program coordinators directly at EFS.Questions@TN.gov or our office at EFS@GPS.edu.

REMINDER: Applications open next Thursday, May 15, at 12 p.m. CT, 1 p.m. ET.

Here's to the girls!

Megan D. Cover

Head of School

An individual application must be submitted for each student intending to participate in the EFS Program in the 2025-26 school year.
Parent/guardian information and Tennessee residency documentation will be pre-populated on subsequent applications after it is entered in one student’s application.
As with all applications, applications completed for multiple children in one family will be reviewed in the order in which they are received; no preference is given for approval of sibling applications.

Chair, Board of Trustees

EFS Fast Facts:

EFS are funded by the state of Tennessee, not by the federal government.
EFS are available to Tennessee residents only; GPS cannot accept Georgia vouchers, and Georgia residents cannot apply for Tennessee EFS.
The EFS application will open late spring with no definitive date yet announced.
There is one application per student, not per family, so if you are applying for more than one child, you will need to submit multiple applications.
Funding for submitted applications is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
EFS will be awarded in the order in which the department receives COMPLETED scholarship applications.
Those who apply and receive EFS for the 2025-26 school year will be given preference for future EFS applications by the state of Tennessee.
Should the state change the rules or the spirit of the rules that were approved on March 20, 2025, GPS reserves the right to decline these scholarships.
There will be 20,000 total vouchers awarded the first year, with an additional 5,000 awarded each year thereafter.
- Half of the scholarships in year one will be available for students at or below 300% of income qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch ($173,160 for a family of four), have a disability, or are eligible for the existing Tennessee Education Savings Account (ESA) program.
- The remaining 10,000 scholarships will be available to a universal pool of students.
In year two, the vouchers will be prioritized as follows:
- Students who already hold a voucher;
- Students with lower income threshold (1x income limit for free/reduced lunch; $57,720 for family of 4);
- Students with higher income threshold (3x poverty level; $173,160 for family of 4);
- Currently enrolled students in a public school but moving to private school; and
- All other groups.