PARENTS believe they should have the ability to customize their child’s education by sending them to other public options, such as public charter schools.
January 2026 Parent Priorities survey
Parents are the best advocates for their children, and their voices are essential to informing a quality public school system. To better understand and reflect the opinions and concerns of parents – and how they continue to evolve over time – TN Parents for Public School Options conducts an annual survey to explore how parents feel about the state’s public education landscape.
Our January 2026 statewide survey builds on prior surveys (see below for previous survey results) and examines Tennessee parents’ attitudes and recommendations toward the state’s public K-12 education system. The survey, which interviewed 400 parents across the state, was completed in January 2026. Overall, parents have a favorable image of Tennessee’s public school system (79%), and 57% believe that public K-12 education is headed in the right direction.
Top findings from the survey include:
Parents across all demographics and voting patterns overwhelmingly support the ability to customize their child’s public education, with 87% supporting access to public charter schools, including nearly four in ten who strongly support expanded public school choice options.
63% of parents believe public charter schools produce better results for students than traditional schools, up five points from 2025.
81% of parents support districts sharing bond-funded facility dollars with public charter schools. Vast majorities of Republicans (83%), Independents (79%), and Democrats (79%) agree with this proposed requirement.
82% of those surveyed are in favor of requiring districts to make vacant and underused school buildings available to charter schools at no cost.