School Funding Equity in Tennessee 140 districts ranked by equity score — how equitably is school funding distributed? Equity is computed from NCES F-33 school finance data covering districts in all 50 states. See our methodology .
# District Enrollment $/Pupil Free Lunch Local Rev % Score 1 Lake County 749 $14,836 — 17.5% 71 2 Hancock County 954 $14,418 — 13.0% 69 3 Crockett County 2,004 $13,702 — 17.0% 68 4 Scott County 2,524 $13,040 — 14.7% 66 5 Haywood County 2,721 $13,494 — 22.3% 64 6 Newport 701 $14,123 — 25.1% 61 7 Van Buren County 794 $14,137 — 21.9% 60 8 Wayne County 2,162 $12,698 — 16.4% 59 9 Benton County 2,163 $13,598 — 26.0% 58 10 Lauderdale County 3,413 $12,960 — 18.0% 57 11 Grainger County 3,105 $11,871 — 17.7% 57 12 Warren County 6,477 $12,663 — 24.1% 56 13 Obion County 3,113 $13,361 — 27.9% 56 14 West Carroll Sp Dist 837 $12,359 — 23.4% 56 15 Polk County 2,148 $12,511 — 23.3% 55 16 Decatur County 1,524 $12,931 — 23.6% 54 17 Hawkins County 6,304 $13,150 — 29.4% 53 18 Campbell County 5,294 $11,283 — 19.5% 53 19 Milan 1,996 $12,624 — 27.9% 53 20 McNairy County 3,831 $11,277 — 19.9% 52 21 Union City 1,540 $14,074 — 29.5% 52 22 Hickman County 3,175 $11,619 — 20.4% 51 23 Coffee County 4,395 $13,085 — 32.0% 50 24 Weakley County 3,987 $12,742 — 27.3% 50 25 Franklin SSD 3,190 $27,867 — 67.6% 50 26 Clay County 1,097 $11,817 — 21.4% 50 27 Bledsoe County 1,654 $13,451 — 17.2% 49 28 Hollow Rock - Bruceton 658 $11,101 — 20.8% 49 29 Anderson County 6,317 $13,496 — 38.3% 48 30 Greeneville 2,997 $14,079 — 42.0% 48 31 Dyersburg 2,613 $13,008 — 32.2% 48 32 Fentress County 2,270 $11,176 — 19.1% 48 33 Lexington 884 $12,982 — 24.8% 48 34 Carter County 4,764 $11,866 — 22.3% 47 35 Tennessee Public Charter School Commission 3,818 $13,599 — 0.9% 47 36 Fayetteville 1,185 $12,778 — 23.3% 47 37 Clinton 968 $13,819 — 39.3% 47 38 Hardeman County Schools 3,332 $12,112 — 25.2% 46 39 Moore County 901 $13,193 — 40.0% 46 40 Pickett County 644 $12,087 — 22.0% 46 41 South Carroll 325 $11,946 — 23.6% 46 42 Overton County 3,102 $12,058 — 21.5% 45 43 Morgan County 2,877 $11,906 — 16.6% 45 44 Humboldt City Schools 1,110 $13,904 — 22.8% 45 45 Perry County 1,069 $14,856 — 22.2% 45 46 Rogersville 624 $12,169 — 29.1% 45 47 Germantown 6,026 $14,176 — 42.8% 44 48 Union County 5,939 $5,977 — 17.6% 44 49 Sequatchie County 2,031 $13,156 — 25.7% 44 50 Meigs County 1,751 $11,474 — 18.2% 44 51 Lewis County 1,698 $11,868 — 24.2% 44 52 Jackson County 1,463 $11,725 — 19.9% 44 53 Roane County 6,344 $12,876 — 37.7% 43 54 Rhea County 4,091 $12,339 — 25.4% 43 55 Henry County 3,014 $12,154 — 32.3% 43 56 Grundy County 1,789 $11,301 — 15.9% 43 57 Bells 399 $11,084 — 10.7% 43 58 Oak Ridge 4,961 $16,005 — 49.4% 42 59 Bradford 615 $12,160 — 26.1% 42 60 Sevier County 14,455 $14,655 — 64.1% 41 61 Cocke County 4,339 $11,694 — 25.1% 41 62 Humphreys County 2,693 $14,557 — 46.3% 41 63 Claiborne County 4,070 $12,627 — 26.2% 40 64 Etowah 343 $12,980 — 19.9% 40 65 Bedford County 9,047 $10,343 — 19.1% 39 66 Lenoir City 2,568 $12,745 — 43.1% 39 67 DeKalb County 2,938 $10,335 — 19.8% 38 68 Manchester 1,583 $14,237 — 34.8% 38 69 Marion County 3,960 $11,318 — 29.4% 37 70 Chester County 2,811 $11,362 — 16.6% 37 71 Paris 1,585 $12,187 — 31.3% 37 72 White County 3,872 $10,904 — 21.8% 36 73 Hardin County 3,370 $11,924 — 38.1% 36 74 Houston County 1,281 $10,857 — 16.7% 36 75 Cleveland 5,768 $11,804 — 32.7% 35 76 Stewart County 2,002 $11,570 — 14.6% 35 77 Cannon County 1,865 $12,031 — 21.6% 35 78 Trenton 1,354 $12,800 — 29.0% 35 79 McKenzie 1,288 $10,378 — 23.5% 35 80 Alamo 578 $9,569 — 11.0% 35 81 Hamblen County 10,289 $11,692 — 29.0% 34 82 Giles County 3,670 $10,912 — 33.5% 34 83 Memphis-Shelby County Schools 109,797 $15,292 — 34.5% 33 84 Tipton County 10,249 $11,124 — 21.1% 33 85 Sullivan County 8,380 $11,930 — 42.4% 33 86 Johnson County 4,971 $7,531 — 12.5% 33 87 Bristol 4,029 $13,576 — 45.9% 33 88 Dyer County 3,645 $12,417 — 30.6% 33 89 Alcoa 2,211 $14,506 — 51.7% 33 90 Trousdale County 1,407 $11,458 — 23.0% 33 91 Greene County 6,265 $11,067 — 31.2% 32 92 Tullahoma 3,641 $12,802 — 45.5% 32 93 Lakeland 2,132 $12,571 — 34.9% 32 94 Huntingdon Special School District 1,335 $11,049 — 25.7% 32 95 Murfreesboro 9,408 $12,255 — 40.5% 31 96 Collierville 9,259 $13,453 — 42.7% 31 97 Johnson City 8,001 $12,614 — 50.6% 31 98 Bartlett 8,946 $13,364 — 40.3% 30 99 Maryville 5,671 $12,664 — 51.2% 30 100 Macon County 4,231 $11,210 — 21.0% 30 101 Bradley County 10,269 $11,709 — 28.9% 29 102 Kingsport 7,784 $12,059 — 50.2% 29 103 Franklin County 5,004 $11,739 — 32.9% 29 104 Elizabethton 2,738 $12,474 — 34.5% 29 105 Millington Municipal Schools 2,602 $12,987 — 34.3% 29 106 Unicoi County 2,220 $11,600 — 24.8% 29 107 Henderson County 4,054 $10,872 — 25.4% 28 108 Lincoln County 4,002 $11,007 — 26.8% 28 109 Williamson County 42,171 $12,699 — 68.0% 27 110 Fayette County Public Schools 3,238 $12,193 — 28.6% 27 111 Athens 1,802 $12,206 — 30.0% 27 112 Davidson County 80,651 $17,219 — 58.7% 26 113 Hamilton County 45,902 $12,591 — 47.2% 26 114 Monroe County 5,023 $11,870 — 26.4% 26 115 Lebanon 4,221 $12,177 — 44.5% 26 116 Smith County 3,061 $10,754 — 24.3% 26 117 Cheatham County 5,833 $10,582 — 27.8% 25 118 Washington County 8,281 $10,975 — 41.2% 24 119 Lawrence County 7,032 $10,977 — 24.1% 24 120 Rutherford County 50,707 $11,822 — 41.9% 23 121 Oneida 1,463 $10,988 — 22.2% 23 122 Dayton 848 $10,980 — 25.2% 23 123 Montgomery County 38,773 $12,015 — 33.3% 22 124 Maury County 13,152 $11,315 — 40.4% 22 125 Sweetwater 1,486 $10,608 — 23.4% 22 126 Knox County 60,609 $11,040 — 49.9% 21 127 Blount County 10,234 $12,120 — 44.3% 21 128 Jefferson County 6,995 $11,202 — 27.8% 21 129 McMinn County 5,225 $10,550 — 26.6% 21 130 Loudon County 4,979 $11,084 — 44.7% 20 131 Gibson Co Sp Dist 3,962 $10,735 — 28.6% 20 132 Dickson County 8,129 $11,402 — 35.6% 19 133 Marshall County 5,406 $10,957 — 28.1% 19 134 Cumberland County 7,216 $10,016 — 30.9% 18 135 Wilson County 20,308 $11,283 — 43.3% 17 136 Putnam County 12,032 $10,860 — 31.5% 16 137 Sumner County 30,732 $11,062 — 42.0% 14 138 Madison County 12,463 $11,117 — 39.3% 12 139 Robertson County 11,504 $10,316 — 29.8% 12 140 Arlington 4,803 $10,918 — 47.1% 7
How the Equity Score Works The equity score (0-100) evaluates four dimensions of school funding fairness:
Per-Pupil Spending (0-25)
Higher spending relative to peers
Need-Adjusted Spending (0-25)
Spending weighted by poverty level — rewards districts that spend more where need is greatest
Funding Diversity (0-25)
Less reliance on local property taxes, more state/federal support
Resource Access (0-25)
Lower student-teacher ratios = more individualized attention
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.