Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) allocation and expenditures by district in Tennessee

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Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding was a series of grants totaling roughly $190 billion that Congress sent to K-12 public schools during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Congress included the funding in three separate spending packages between 2020 and 2021. The first of these occurred in March 27, 2020, when President Donald Trump (R) signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, releasing $13.2 billion to schools. In an April 23, 2020, letter sent to state education commissioners, then-Education Secretary Betsy DeVos wrote: "The ESSER Fund provides you, and your local educational agencies, with emergency relief funds to address the impact that COVID-19 has had, and continues to have, on elementary and secondary schools."[1]

In response to the pandemic, all 50 states closed schools to in-person instruction between February and April 2020.

At the time, the $190 billion was the largest injection of federal funding into the education system in a one-year period.[2] Trump signed the second ESSER package, providing roughly $54 billion through the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act, into law on December 27, 2020. President Joe Biden (D) signed the final ESSER package on March 11, 2021, apportioning $122 billion to schools through the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act. Each of the three ESSER packages came with their own spending deadlines. Districts had until January 2025 to spend the last round of the funding, known as ESSER III.[3]

Congress placed few strings on the grants, largely relying on districts to make their own spending decisions.[4] The expiration of the ESSER funding posed a challenge to districts that allocated a relatively greater portion to recurring expenses, such as teacher salaries or new staff.[5] An August 2023 School Superintendents Association (AASA) survey found that 53% of respondents said they would need to cut support staff in response to the expiration of ESSER funding.[6] A 2024 survey of district leaders by the management consulting firm McKinsey & Company found that 53% of district leaders "expect a fiscal cliff in their district’s spending when ESSER concludes."[7]

On this page, you will find data on the funding Congress allocated to Tennessee's school districts through the three ESSER grants (I, II, and III). Data is made available by Georgetown University's Edunomics Lab.[8] Navigate the page using the following links:

ESSER I

The table below shows the total amount of ESSER I funding allocated to each district in Tennessee.

Tennessee ESSER I allocation and expenditures by district
District Name Total ESSER I Allocation
Achievement School District $6,197,942
Alamo $90,590
Alcoa $249,119
Anderson County $1,363,923
Arlington $861,929
Athens $579,169
Bartlett $2,167,190
Bedford County $1,689,354
Bells $85,414
Benton County $590,185
Bledsoe County $477,864
Blount County $1,968,061
Bradford $89,758
Bradley County $1,601,837
Bristol $784,372
Campbell County $1,953,048
Cannon County $371,004
Carter County $1,592,960
Cheatham County $795,786
Chester County $535,860
Claiborne County $1,198,676
Clay County $352,997
Cleveland $1,304,558
Clinton $158,764
Cocke County $1,552,245
Coffee County $807,018
Collierville $2,093,808
Crockett County $341,655
Cumberland County $1,697,533
Davidson County $26,338,351
Dayton $256,581
Decatur County $397,053
DeKalb County $788,288
Dickson County $1,422,463
Dyer County $710,169
Dyersburg $880,153
Elizabethton $631,129
Etowah $102,060
Fayette County Public Schools $991,790
Fayetteville $358,002
Fentress County $736,879
Franklin County $1,008,389
Franklin SSD $388,870
Germantown $1,502,673
Gibson Co Sp Dist $418,445
Giles County $801,986
Grainger County $814,913
Greene County $1,562,629
Greeneville $470,138
Grundy County $654,906
Hamblen County $2,311,034
Hamilton County $10,936,976
Hancock County $436,110
Hardeman County Schools $1,004,653
Hardin County $1,012,278
Hawkins County $1,752,340
Haywood County $835,548
Henderson County $678,117
Henry County $787,332
Hickman County $879,730
Hollow Rock - Bruceton $177,158
Houston County $298,211
Humboldt City Schools $423,807
Humphreys County $561,245
Huntingdon Special School District $291,215
Jackson County $438,448
Jefferson County $1,528,635
Johnson City $1,516,113
Johnson County $706,241
Kingsport $1,685,795
Knox County $12,909,061
Lake County $371,342
Lakeland $373,184
Lauderdale County $1,318,596
Lawrence County $1,614,116
Lebanon $543,678
Lenoir City $331,075
Lewis County $464,313
Lexington $205,468
Lincoln County $642,930
Loudon County $756,437
Macon County $976,783
Madison County $3,897,423
Manchester $296,116
Marion County $905,595
Marshall County $793,791
Maryville $485,519
Maury County $2,101,141
McKenzie $277,826
McMinn County $1,337,114
McNairy County $1,026,874
Meigs County $433,452
Milan $405,972
Millington Municipal Schools $805,062
Monroe County $1,219,873
Montgomery County $6,085,141
Moore County $119,030
Morgan County $722,847
Murfreesboro $1,298,108
Newport $481,270
Oak Ridge $756,515
Obion County $609,721
Oneida $239,346
Overton County $702,873
Paris $424,272
Perry County $406,166
Pickett County $149,425
Polk County $513,901
Putnam County $2,413,382
Rhea County $1,028,199
Richard City $66,841
Roane County $1,395,190
Robertson County $1,701,096
Rogersville $168,053
Rutherford County $4,439,061
Scott County $986,929
Sequatchie County $556,966
Sevier County $2,886,821
Shelby County $48,776,803
Smith County $546,293
South Carroll $90,754
Stewart County $384,918
Sullivan County $2,130,587
Sumner County $3,529,444
Sweetwater $357,377
Tipton County $1,959,322
Trenton $276,323
Trousdale County $238,609
Tullahoma $606,228
Unicoi County $515,335
Union City $613,466
Union County $915,449
Van Buren County $210,360
Warren County $1,631,071
Washington County $1,312,492
Wayne County $539,056
Weakley County $939,041
West Carroll Sp Dist $234,253
White County $928,876
Williamson County $599,881
Wilson County $1,332,271


ESSER II

The table below shows the total amount of ESSER II funding allocated to each district in Tennessee.

Tennessee ESSER II allocation and expenditures by district
District Name Total ESSER II Allocation
Achievement School District $24,577,705
Alamo $403,559
Alcoa $955,548
Anderson County $5,211,798
Arlington $2,935,408
Athens $2,370,524
Bartlett $7,850,156
Bedford County $7,091,905
Bells $347,756
Benton County $2,651,825
Bledsoe County $2,238,874
Blount County $7,534,471
Bradford $305,684
Bradley County $6,994,966
Bristol $3,709,696
Campbell County $7,045,983
Cannon County $1,601,093
Carter County $6,694,243
Cheatham County $2,767,863
Chester County $2,169,203
Claiborne County $5,163,118
Clay County $1,454,668
Cleveland $5,422,194
Clinton $674,525
Cocke County $6,764,455
Coffee County $3,727,221
Collierville $7,130,725
Crockett County $1,439,624
Cumberland County $6,740,239
Davidson County $123,220,824
Dayton $1,108,871
Decatur County $1,593,522
DeKalb County $2,980,856
Dickson County $5,956,809
Dyer County $2,763,070
Dyersburg $3,999,463
Elizabethton $2,519,890
Etowah $422,608
Fayette County Public Schools $4,002,575
Fayetteville $1,212,555
Fentress County $3,000,370
Franklin County $4,349,833
Franklin SSD $1,324,348
Germantown $5,034,823
Gibson Co Sp Dist $1,575,981
Giles County $3,426,637
Grainger County $3,293,690
Greene County $6,556,021
Greeneville $2,038,638
Grundy County $2,363,318
Hamblen County $8,982,341
Hamilton County $40,530,275
Hancock County $1,887,230
Hardeman County Schools $4,212,343
Hardin County $4,082,889
Hawkins County $7,302,816
Haywood County $3,293,753
Henderson County $2,999,594
Henry County $3,501,496
Hickman County $3,497,161
Hollow Rock - Bruceton $796,355
Houston County $1,203,454
Humboldt City Schools $1,974,874
Humphreys County $2,246,003
Huntingdon Special School District $1,357,322
Jackson County $1,745,743
Jefferson County $6,274,352
Johnson City $1,516,113
Johnson County $2,669,142
Kingsport $7,603,109
Knox County $50,810,034
Lake County $1,479,306
Lakeland $1,270,925
Lauderdale County $5,961,910
Lawrence County $6,975,456
Lebanon $2,171,342
Lenoir City $1,299,854
Lewis County $1,877,216
Lexington $855,286
Lincoln County $2,604,689
Loudon County $3,021,183
Macon County $3,944,586
Madison County $16,781,246
Manchester $1,347,321
Marion County $3,600,263
Marshall County $3,635,556
Maryville $1,824,291
Maury County $8,095,368
McKenzie $1,113,420
McMinn County $4,998,734
McNairy County $4,168,042
Meigs County $1,790,997
Milan $1,565,987
Millington Municipal Schools $3,175,530
Monroe County $4,905,008
Montgomery County $26,035,379
Moore County $429,553
Morgan County $2,906,065
Murfreesboro $5,642,067
Newport $2,020,575
Oak Ridge $3,120,709
Obion County $2,599,575
Oneida $1,056,651
Overton County $2,767,127
Paris $1,957,339
Perry County $1,478,307
Pickett County $604,790
Polk County $2,109,623
Putnam County $9,206,455
Rhea County $4,332,305
Richard City $257,666
Roane County $5,904,014
Robertson County $6,573,071
Rogersville $833,166
Rutherford County $19,491,251
Scott County $3,556,493
Sequatchie County $2,217,131
Sevier County $12,255,157
Shelby County $224,032,804
Smith County $2,190,324
South Carroll $385,546
Stewart County $1,624,544
Sullivan County $9,176,961
Sumner County $14,009,560
Sweetwater $1,351,078
Tipton County $7,944,180
Trenton $1,283,332
Trousdale County $960,311
Tullahoma $3,151,300
Unicoi County $2,088,986
Union City $2,247,631
Union County $3,528,092
Van Buren County $917,019
Warren County $8,338,012
Washington County $5,326,780
Wayne County $2,138,612
Weakley County $3,871,149
West Carroll Sp Dist $1,038,244
White County $3,894,543
Williamson County $2,325,327
Wilson County $5,589,864

ESSER III

The table below shows the total amount of ESSER III funding allocated to each district in Tennessee.

Tennessee ESSER III allocation and expenditures by district
District Name Total ESSER III Allocation
Achievement School District $55,198,035
Alamo $906,336
Alcoa $2,146,025
Anderson County $11,704,958
Arlington $6,592,510
Athens $5,323,861
Bartlett $17,630,335
Bedford County $15,927,412
Bells $781,011
Benton County $5,955,622
Bledsoe County $5,028,192
Blount County $16,921,352
Bradford $686,523
Bradley County $15,709,701
Bristol $8,331,451
Campbell County $15,824,277
Cannon County $3,595,827
Carter County $15,034,318
Cheatham County $6,216,226
Chester County $4,871,721
Claiborne County $11,595,630
Clay County $3,266,979
Cleveland $12,177,478
Clinton $1,514,886
Cocke County $15,192,005
Coffee County $8,370,809
Collierville $16,014,595
Crockett County $3,233,191
Cumberland County $15,137,618
Davidson County $276,736,466
Dayton $2,490,367
Decatur County $3,578,825
DeKalb County $6,694,580
Dickson County $13,378,147
Dyer County $6,205,462
Dyersburg $8,982,227
Elizabethton $5,659,315
Etowah $949,117
Fayette County Public Schools $8,989,216
Fayetteville $2,723,227
Fentress County $6,738,404
Franklin County $9,769,108
Franklin SSD $2,974,298
Germantown $11,307,498
Gibson Co Sp Dist $3,539,429
Giles County $7,695,741
Grainger County $7,397,160
Greene County $14,723,891
Greeneville $4,578,492
Grundy County $5,307,676
Hamblen County $20,173,062
Hamilton County $91,025,240
Hancock County $4,238,451
Hardeman County Schools $9,460,325
Hardin County $9,169,588
Hawkins County $16,401,088
Haywood County $7,397,302
Henderson County $6,736,663
Henry County $7,863,862
Hickman County $7,854,126
Hollow Rock - Bruceton $1,788,500
Houston County $2,702,786
Humboldt City Schools $4,435,286
Humphreys County $5,044,204
Huntingdon Special School District $3,048,352
Jackson County $3,920,690
Jefferson County $14,091,304
Johnson City $13,881,918
Johnson County $5,994,514
Kingsport $17,075,503
Knox County $114,112,118
Lake County $3,322,311
Lakeland $2,854,317
Lauderdale County $13,389,602
Lawrence County $15,665,884
Lebanon $4,876,525
Lenoir City $2,919,288
Lewis County $4,215,961
Lexington $1,920,852
Lincoln County $5,849,762
Loudon County $6,785,149
Macon County $8,858,981
Madison County $37,688,296
Manchester $3,025,892
Marion County $8,085,680
Marshall County $8,164,943
Maryville $4,097,099
Maury County $18,181,046
McKenzie $2,500,584
McMinn County $11,226,447
McNairy County $9,360,830
Meigs County $4,022,324
Milan $3,516,984
Millington Municipal Schools $7,131,788
Monroe County $11,015,950
Montgomery County $58,471,762
Moore County $964,716
Morgan County $6,526,608
Murfreesboro $12,671,280
Newport $4,537,926
Oak Ridge $7,008,670
Obion County $5,838,276
Oneida $2,373,089
Overton County $6,214,575
Paris $4,395,905
Perry County $3,320,067
Pickett County $1,358,273
Polk County $4,737,913
Putnam County $20,676,390
Rhea County $9,729,742
Richard City $578,681
Roane County $13,259,578
Robertson County $14,762,183
Rogersville $1,871,172
Rutherford County $43,774,580
Scott County $7,987,379
Sequatchie County $4,979,360
Sevier County $27,523,342
Shelby County $503,145,853
Smith County $4,919,156
South Carroll $865,882
Stewart County $3,648,495
Sullivan County $20,610,150
Sumner County $31,463,482
Sweetwater $3,034,329
Tipton County $17,841,500
Trenton $2,882,182
Trousdale County $2,156,722
Tullahoma $7,077,372
Unicoi County $4,691,566
Union City $5,047,860
Union County $7,923,594
Van Buren County $2,059,494
Warren County $18,725,992
Washington County $11,963,190
Wayne County $4,803,019
Weakley County $8,694,050
West Carroll Sp Dist $2,331,749
White County $8,746,590
Williamson County $5,222,354
Wilson County $12,554,040


ESSER allocations by state

Click a state below to see a detailed breakdown of ESSER allocations by district in each state.

History of ESSER

Throughout Spring 2020, all 50 states shuttered K-12 public schools to in-person learning. In most states, students would not return to classrooms for the remainder of the academic year. Congress allocated roughly $190 billion to schools between March 2020 and March 2021 through three rounds of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund grants.[9]

Congress also allocated about 10% of ESSER funding—or about $19 billion—to state education agencies.[10]

Each tranche of ESSER funding came with its own deadline. States had until September 30 to commit money they received in the third round (ARP Act) of ESSER funding—unless they requested and received an extension.[11] Districts were required to have spent the funds by the end of January 2025 (though they could request an extension from the federal government).[12]

According to the U.S. Department of Education, “These Federal emergency resources are available for a wide range of activities to address diverse needs arising from or exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, or to emerge stronger post-pandemic, including responding to students’ social, emotional, mental health, and academic needs and continuing to provide educational services as States, LEAs, and schools respond to and recover from the pandemic.”[13]

Districts, already facing declining public school enrollment, grappled with the loss of billions of dollars in federal aid as ESSER funds expired.[14] To put the loss in perspective, in 2019, the last year before Congress began allocating ESSER grants, the federal government spent a total of $57.9 billion on K-12 public schools—less than a third of what Congress allocated to schools through ESSER.[15]

A 2023 Education Next analysis of 22 states found that districts had spent about half of the money on labor costs, which could include new hires and raises for existing personnel.[16] A December 2023 Education Week survey of 250 district leaders found that a quarter of respondents said they didn’t anticipate finding alternative funding to cover ongoing expenses made with ESSER grants.[17]

Some districts announced staff and teacher layoffs due to losing ESSER funds.[18][19][20] Districts also cut expenses in other ways, including ending after-school programs, tutoring services, and more.[21][22]

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Footnotes

  1. U.S. Department of Education, "ESSER Fund Cover Letter," accessed June 13, 2025
  2. The 74, "ESSER Post-Mortem: How Did Districts Spend $190B in Federal Funds? Did It Work?" June 29, 2025
  3. Intercultural Development Research Association, "How Schools Will Be Impacted by the End of Federal COVID-19 Relief Funding," October 8, 2024
  4. District Administration, "Learning loss can still be overcome with ESSER," August 15, 2024
  5. Brookings, "The ESSER fiscal cliff will have serious implications for student equity," September 12, 2023
  6. Intercultural Development Research Association, "How Schools Will Be Impacted by the End of Federal COVID-19 Relief Funding," October 8, 2024
  7. McKinsey & Company, "When the money runs out: K–12 schools brace for stimulus-free budgets," September 18, 2024
  8. Edunomics Lab,"ESSER Expenditure Dashboard," accessed June 29, 2025
  9. K-12 Dive, "ESSER funding: What it is and how to use it before it expires," February 21, 2023
  10. CCSSO, "States Leading: How State Education Agencies Leveraged Pandemic Relief Funds," accessed February 4, 2025
  11. New America, "Size: More Money Than Ever Before," accessed February 4, 2025
  12. School Superintendents Assocation, "The Advocate March 2024: ESSER Late Liquidation," March 8, 2024
  13. U.S. Department of Education, "Frequently Asked Questions," May 2021
  14. Brookings, "Breaking down enrollment declines in public schools," March 14, 2024
  15. United States Census, "K-12 School Spending Up 4.7% in 2019 From Previous Year," May 18, 2021
  16. Education Next, "The Massive ESSER Experiment: Here’s what we’re learning.," April 4, 2023
  17. Education Week, "When ESSER Funds Are Gone, Here’s Where Districts May Turn to Fill Gaps," December 5, 2023
  18. NBC DFW, "Arlington ISD faces layoffs with COVID-era ESSER grants coming to an end," March 25, 2024
  19. K-12 Dive, "Teacher layoffs are growing — and won’t be going away anytime soon," March 26, 2024
  20. CT Insider, "Hartford school board approves $429 million budget with staffing cuts across the district," April 18, 2024
  21. Chalkbeat, "Many schools want to keep tutoring going when COVID money is gone. How will they pay for it?" February 1, 2024
  22. KOSU, "The end of pandemic-era federal dollars may mean the end of some Oklahoma school programs," April 18, 2024