While the U.S. is one of the most educated countries in the world, it doesn’t provide the same quality elementary school or secondary school education to all students. In many states, more affluent school districts receive a greater amount of funding per student than poorer districts, with one estimate claiming that low-income districts are underfunded by around $6,700 per pupil.
Discrepancies between the rich and poor have been exacerbated even more due to the lasting impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Low-income students have suffered the greatest “learning loss” due to partial or total remote learning. One contributing factor is that people in low-income districts are less likely to have the technological resources they need.
States that provide equitable funding to all school districts can help prevent poor students from having lower graduation rates, lower rates of pursuing higher education and smaller future incomes than their wealthy peers. The difference is dramatic: College graduates have $154 - $1,115 higher median weekly earnings than people with a high school diploma and no college experience, depending on the degree.
Tennessee has the 14th most equitable school districts in the U.S. overall, but some districts within the state are fairer than others. To find out where school funding is distributed most equitably, WalletHub scored 140 districts in Tennessee based on two metrics: average household income and expenditures for public elementary and secondary schools per pupil.
Main Findings
Note: For visual purposes, we included only the top 7 school districts by enrollment from each category. Rank 1 on the “Expenditures Ranking” means highest expenditures and Rank 1 on “Income Ranking” means lowest income.
Most & Least Equitable School Districts in Tennessee
| Rank* | School District | Score | Expeditures for Public Elementary and Secondary Schools per Pupil | Income by School District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gibson County Special District | 0.09 | $8,662 | $61,074 |
| 2 | Dyer County | 0.51 | $10,160 | $53,616 |
| 3 | West Carroll Special District | 0.86 | $11,030 | $49,289 |
| 4 | Bells | 1.10 | $9,813 | $55,729 |
| 5 | McMinn County | 1.26 | $9,532 | $55,938 |
| 6 | Greeneville | 1.34 | $11,720 | $45,960 |
| 7 | Milan | 1.89 | $10,455 | $50,811 |
| 8 | Marshall County | 1.92 | $9,067 | $60,036 |
| 9 | Hawkins County | 2.04 | $10,636 | $49,794 |
| 10 | Monroe County | 2.13 | $10,437 | $50,780 |
| 11 | Van Buren County | 2.19 | $12,099 | $44,444 |
| 12 | Trousdale County | 2.60 | $9,476 | $58,274 |
| 13 | Giles County | 2.85 | $9,731 | $54,061 |
| 14 | Rhea County Department Of Education | 3.30 | $10,414 | $50,275 |
| 15 | Dyersburg | 3.39 | $11,234 | $45,974 |
| 16 | Manchester | 3.54 | $11,677 | $47,348 |
| 17 | Meigs County | 3.58 | $9,587 | $54,420 |
| 18 | Shelby County | 3.72 | $10,862 | $47,728 |
| 19 | Clinton | 4.26 | $10,664 | $52,991 |
| 20 | Millington Municipal Schools | 4.57 | $10,899 | $51,933 |
| 21 | Lebanon | 4.78 | $9,938 | $57,034 |
| 22 | Jefferson County | 4.87 | $9,465 | $54,371 |
| 23 | Chester County | 4.92 | $9,783 | $52,692 |
| 24 | Hickman County | 5.20 | $10,557 | $48,527 |
| 25 | Madison County | 5.53 | $9,946 | $51,526 |
| 26 | Washington County | 5.65 | $9,379 | $60,395 |
| 27 | Sullivan County | 5.98 | $10,344 | $55,565 |
| 28 | Cannon County | 6.30 | $9,347 | $54,223 |
| 29 | Obion County | 6.34 | $10,435 | $48,554 |
| 30 | Bristol | 6.70 | $11,287 | $43,941 |
| 31 | Cleveland | 6.84 | $10,408 | $48,431 |
| 32 | Franklin County | 6.98 | $9,877 | $51,111 |
| 33 | Anderson County | 7.08 | $10,656 | $54,526 |
| 34 | Marion County | 7.09 | $9,377 | $53,648 |
| 35 | Johnson City | 7.23 | $11,327 | $43,452 |
| 36 | Coffee County | 7.55 | $10,170 | $57,297 |
| 37 | Cumberland County | 7.62 | $9,519 | $52,630 |
| 38 | Dickson County | 7.64 | $9,391 | $61,388 |
| 39 | Polk County | 7.70 | $10,125 | $49,446 |
| 40 | Unicoi County | 8.07 | $10,440 | $47,610 |
| 41 | Tipton County | 8.09 | $8,976 | $63,783 |
| 42 | Stewart County | 8.98 | $9,606 | $51,460 |
| 43 | Bedford County | 9.05 | $8,848 | $55,354 |
| 44 | Etowah | 9.11 | $10,845 | $44,958 |
| 45 | Bradley County | 9.12 | $9,788 | $60,117 |
| 46 | Kingsport | 9.20 | $11,223 | $42,948 |
| 47 | Roane County | 9.27 | $10,501 | $56,494 |
| 48 | Tullahoma | 9.97 | $11,359 | $52,411 |
| 49 | Perry County | 10.33 | $11,516 | $51,786 |
| 50 | Bledsoe County | 10.45 | $11,510 | $51,884 |
| 51 | Fayetteville | 10.63 | $10,962 | $43,547 |
| 52 | Lincoln County | 10.73 | $9,359 | $63,197 |
| 53 | Carter County | 10.80 | $10,479 | $45,962 |
| 54 | Smith County | 11.25 | $9,266 | $52,018 |
| 55 | Greene County | 11.67 | $9,834 | $48,849 |
| 56 | Robertson County | 11.96 | $8,637 | $67,597 |
| 57 | Trenton | 12.01 | $10,121 | $47,178 |
| 58 | Sevier County | 12.06 | $11,196 | $54,363 |
| 59 | Houston County | 12.27 | $10,218 | $46,535 |
| 60 | Wayne County | 12.65 | $10,398 | $45,402 |
| 61 | Putnam County | 12.72 | $9,654 | $49,228 |
| 62 | Morgan County | 13.33 | $10,380 | $45,133 |
| 63 | Humphreys County | 13.81 | $9,443 | $49,745 |
| 64 | Benton County | 13.88 | $11,263 | $40,258 |
| 65 | Lenoir City | 13.93 | $9,244 | $50,710 |
| 66 | Lauderdale County | 14.09 | $10,709 | $43,025 |
| 67 | Sequatchie County | 14.42 | $9,748 | $47,835 |
| 68 | Alamo | 14.63 | $8,939 | $51,923 |
| 69 | Montgomery County | 14.84 | $9,647 | $63,880 |
| 70 | Richard City | 15.55 | $10,805 | $41,750 |
| 71 | Knox County | 15.63 | $9,915 | $62,911 |
| 72 | Henderson County | 15.75 | $9,377 | $49,057 |
| 73 | Haywood County | 15.76 | $11,130 | $39,952 |
| 74 | Alcoa | 16.43 | $11,487 | $55,174 |
| 75 | Warren County | 16.69 | $9,833 | $46,189 |
| 76 | Grainger County | 16.76 | $10,071 | $44,917 |
| 77 | Bradford | 17.10 | $10,300 | $43,551 |
| 78 | Maury County | 17.54 | $9,447 | $66,353 |
| 79 | Crockett County | 18.31 | $8,654 | $51,452 |
| 80 | Grundy County | 18.54 | $9,845 | $45,150 |
| 81 | Weakley County | 19.04 | $10,059 | $43,773 |
| 82 | Pickett County | 19.15 | $10,210 | $42,931 |
| 83 | Cocke County | 19.18 | $10,150 | $43,224 |
| 84 | Humboldt City Schools | 19.45 | $11,608 | $35,513 |
| 85 | Hardin County | 19.46 | $9,762 | $45,092 |
| 86 | Athens | 19.52 | $10,297 | $42,283 |
| 87 | Henry County | 19.70 | $9,792 | $44,805 |
| 88 | Fentress County | 19.71 | $10,050 | $43,464 |
| 89 | Decatur County | 19.73 | $9,980 | $43,817 |
| 90 | Claiborne County | 19.89 | $10,325 | $41,938 |
| 91 | Cheatham County | 20.03 | $9,166 | $69,132 |
| 92 | Hardeman County Schools | 20.24 | $10,444 | $41,138 |
| 93 | Rogersville | 20.34 | $10,325 | $41,703 |
| 94 | Jackson County | 20.52 | $10,270 | $41,890 |
| 95 | Union County | 20.56 | $8,537 | $50,868 |
| 96 | Campbell County | 20.58 | $9,451 | $46,110 |
| 97 | Elizabethton | 20.69 | $10,631 | $39,927 |
| 98 | McKenzie | 20.88 | $9,212 | $47,190 |
| 99 | Lawrence County | 21.26 | $9,457 | $45,721 |
| 100 | Hamblen County | 22.19 | $9,447 | $45,275 |
| 101 | McNairy County | 22.47 | $9,917 | $42,691 |
| 102 | Blount County | 22.47 | $10,415 | $63,943 |
| 103 | Lake County | 23.27 | $11,331 | $34,923 |
| 104 | Scott County | 23.45 | $10,191 | $40,745 |
| 105 | Hamilton County | 24.08 | $11,137 | $61,050 |
| 106 | White County | 24.55 | $9,302 | $44,777 |
| 107 | Lexington | 25.09 | $10,687 | $37,302 |
| 108 | Clay County | 25.50 | $10,374 | $38,709 |
| 109 | Dekalb County | 25.51 | $9,021 | $45,728 |
| 110 | Huntingdon Special School District | 27.44 | $9,541 | $42,004 |
| 111 | Johnson County | 27.56 | $9,423 | $42,552 |
| 112 | South Carroll | 27.69 | $9,247 | $43,400 |
| 113 | Paris | 27.92 | $10,429 | $37,139 |
| 114 | Macon County | 28.62 | $9,112 | $43,605 |
| 115 | Union City | 29.46 | $10,483 | $36,042 |
| 116 | Dayton | 29.58 | $9,680 | $40,148 |
| 117 | Lewis County | 29.77 | $9,946 | $38,664 |
| 118 | Hancock County | 32.50 | $11,404 | $29,650 |
| 119 | Loudon County | 32.95 | $10,036 | $71,467 |
| 120 | Murfreesboro | 34.09 | $11,077 | $66,667 |
| 121 | Newport | 34.52 | $10,410 | $33,736 |
| 122 | Fayette County Public Schools | 34.75 | $10,555 | $69,729 |
| 123 | Sumner County | 37.01 | $10,056 | $73,517 |
| 124 | Sweetwater | 37.09 | $9,017 | $39,605 |
| 125 | Overton County | 37.29 | $8,971 | $39,737 |
| 126 | Moore County | 37.34 | $11,745 | $64,926 |
| 127 | Hollow Rock - Bruceton | 38.69 | $9,771 | $34,843 |
| 128 | Rutherford County | 39.04 | $9,674 | $76,579 |
| 129 | Oak Ridge | 43.99 | $13,269 | $60,542 |
| 130 | Maryville | 45.88 | $11,350 | $71,503 |
| 131 | Davidson County | 57.84 | $13,624 | $66,047 |
| 132 | Oneida | 60.53 | $8,708 | $28,777 |
| 133 | Bartlett | 63.33 | $10,500 | $85,171 |
| 134 | Wilson County | 65.55 | $9,319 | $92,482 |
| 135 | Lakeland | 79.44 | $9,431 | $99,266 |
| 136 | Arlington | 96.02 | $9,600 | $107,184 |
| 137 | Franklin Ssd | 125.59 | $17,061 | $84,140 |
| 138 | Collierville | 127.00 | $10,401 | $119,461 |
| 139 | Williamson County | 143.61 | $10,483 | $127,844 |
| 140 | Germantown | 151.17 | $10,272 | $132,949 |
*1=Most Equitable
Methodology
In order to rank the states with the most and least equitable school districts, WalletHub first scored 12,870 school districts throughout the U.S. based on two metrics: average household income and expenditures for public elementary and secondary schools per pupil.
For expenditures, for each 1 percent above the state's average we removed 1 point from a base score of 50 points for each district. For household income, for each 1 percent above the state's average we added 1 point to a base score of 50 points for each district. The inverse was true for each 1 percent below the state's average.
The final score for each district was calculated by taking the absolute difference between the score for expenditures and the score for household income. We then ranked the districts based on the total score, with the lowest value, representing the most equitable, being ranked 1.
Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from of the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center for Education Statistics.
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