Equity
Tennessee's Special Education Graduation Gap Fell by More Than Half
The gap narrowed from 20.3 points in 2015 to 9.2 in 2025 as the special education graduation rate rose 14.2 points.
Tennessee
Education News & Data
Local education reporting from every corner of Tennessee, grounded in Tennessee Department of Education data.
Tennessee's Graduation Rate for Students Experiencing Homelessness Reached 82.0% in 2025, Narrowing the Gap to 10.3 Points
Students experiencing homelessness in Tennessee graduated at 82.0% in 2025, up from 73.6% in 2018. The gap to the state average narrowed from 15.5 to 10.3 points on a growing cohort.
Tennessee's Gender Graduation Gap Is the Smallest Since the State Began Tracking It
The female-male graduation gap in Tennessee narrowed from 5.7 points in 2018 to 3.3 points in 2025, driven by male improvement of 4.4 points over seven years.
Tennessee's Poverty Graduation Gap Narrowed 6.6 Points From 2021 to 2025
Tennessee's four-year graduation gap between free/reduced-price lunch and other students fell from 12.9 points in 2021 to 6.3 in 2025.
Hamilton County's Graduation Rate Rose 10.4 Points in Nine Years
Hamilton County's graduation rate rose from 83.8% in 2015-16 to 94.2% in 2024-25 while the graduating cohort grew.
More Coverage
District Spotlight
Nashville's Graduation Rate Fell in 2025 as Tennessee Reached a Ten-Year High
Davidson County's graduation rate fell from 85.7% to 83.6% in 2025, while Tennessee reached 92.3%, the highest in its published series. Hispanic students in Nashville graduated at 73.2%.
Demographics
Tennessee's English Learners Gained 11.5 Points in Two Years — But the Gap Is Still 13.7
Tennessee's English-learner graduation rate rose from 67.1% in 2023 to 78.6% in 2025, while the gap to the state average remained 13.7 points.
Equity
Tennessee's Graduation Rate for Students in Foster Care Rose 8 Points in Three Years, to 56.9%
Tennessee's graduation rate for students in foster care rose from 48.7% to 56.9% since 2023. The 35.4-point gap to the state average is the state's widest.
Demographics
Tennessee's Hispanic Graduation Cohort Doubled. The Gap Remains.
Tennessee's Hispanic graduation cohort has more than doubled since 2018, but the 2025 Hispanic graduation rate still trails the state average by 6.1 points.
District Spotlight
Nashville Cut Chronic Absenteeism by 5.6 Points. The Gaps Stayed.
Davidson County posted the strongest attendance recovery among Tennessee's largest districts, but Black and low-income students still miss school at rates that dwarf their peers.
Equity
Tennessee's Hispanic-White Absence Gap Cut by More Than Half
The Hispanic-white chronic absenteeism gap in Tennessee narrowed from 6 percentage points to 2.5, even as the Black-white gap barely moved.
Graduation Rate
Tennessee Breaks Its Own Record: 92.3% Graduation Rate Marks the Highest Point in State History
Tennessee's graduation rate hit 92.3% in 2025, setting an all-time record on a growing cohort of nearly 75,000 students.
Absence
Three in Four Districts Still Above 2021 Levels
Only 35 of 142 Tennessee districts have recovered to 2020-21 chronic absenteeism levels. The pandemic reset attendance norms for 75% of communities.
Absence
One in Four High Schoolers Is Chronically Absent
Tennessee's high school chronic absenteeism rate is nearly 50% higher than K-8, and the gap has widened every year since 2023.
Equity
Three in Four Black Students in Tennessee Are in Class. Nashville's Playbook for the Rest.
Three in four Black students in Tennessee attend school regularly. Nashville cut its Black chronic absence rate 7.8 points in three years — the steepest sustained recovery of any large district in the state.
