TN Department of Education

Welcome to the Tennessee Department of Education. A quality education is the fundamental right of every child in Tennessee. The department provides many services, and it is our responsibility to ensure equal, safe, and quality learning opportunities for all students, pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. Therefore, our mission is to help teachers teach and children learn.

This department consists of several divisions – Special Education, Vocational-Technical Education, Resources and Support Services, Office of Early Learning and Teaching and Learning. Remembering our priority of putting teachers and students first drives the department’s daily operations:

Service: We are here to support the 136 school districts and 1,677 schools in Tennessee and to help them in their daily efforts to educate our children. We also provide services to approximately 575 private schools and thousands of home-schooled students across the state. When making inquiries to our department, you should expect prompt, thoughtful, and courteous responses.

Accountability: The department fills a role as a keeper and distributor of pertinent education data. This information is used to demonstrate academic performance, to reward schools performing well, and to provide additional resources and assistance to schools in need of improvement.

Partnership: We believe that more can be accomplished when we all work together rather than separately. By partnering with local schools, parents, businesses, and organizations, we can provide more books, more awards, more grants, and more expertise. This means more, and better, educational opportunities for our students.

Innovation: The way children learn is changing every day. We are committed to using technology in the classroom. We are also working to involve parents and community leaders to ensure that students are equipped with the skills necessary for higher levels of education, the world of work, and lifelong learning.