The best microschools in Tennessee for variety of model and a working program are Acton Academy Johnson City, a learner-driven school in Johnson City; The Lab School of Memphis, a Memphis microschool built on student-led discovery; and Arbor Learning Lab, a project-based school near Murfreesboro. microschool.directory lists 25 microschools across Tennessee, and these three were chosen as an editor's pick.
| School | City | Model | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acton Academy Johnson City | Johnson City | Learner-Driven | $873/mo ($9,603/yr); part-time $488/mo |
| The Lab School of Memphis | Memphis | Microschool | Contact school |
| Arbor Learning Lab | Murfreesboro | Project-Based | Contact school |
All three schools appear in our list of microschools in Tennessee, and each runs a different model, so a family can compare a learner-driven studio, a discovery-based microschool, and a project-based lab side by side.
Acton Academy Johnson City is a learner-driven microschool serving ages 4 to 14. Four studio levels run the program: Spark for ages 4 to 7, Discovery for ages 7 to 11, and Adventure for ages 11 to 14, with a Launchpad studio planned for 2027. Students work at their own pace and meet in Socratic discussion instead of sitting for standard tests.
An 11-month calendar sets the schedule, and full-time tuition is $873 per month, or $9,603 a year. Part-time enrollment costs $488 per month for younger learners attending three days a week.
Middle States Association accreditation is listed on the school's site. Families who want the Acton model in East Tennessee will find it as one of two Johnson City microschools in our directory.
The Lab School of Memphis is a microschool serving kindergarten through 8th grade. Students group in multi-age studios, and the school leans on student-led discovery rather than fixed grade-level lessons. Each week includes a farm day as part of the regular schedule.
Two side programs, a forest school and a summer camp, run alongside the main studio, so a family can sample the approach before committing to the full studio year.
Memphis is one of the two largest microschool cities in Tennessee, with four listed schools, so The Lab School of Memphis sits in a market where families have room to compare options nearby.
Arbor Learning Lab is a project-based microschool in Rutherford County serving grades 6 through 12. This school combines Montessori-inspired methods with real-world, project-based work and is part of the KaiPod Learning network. Full-time and part-time enrollment are both available, plus weekend learning pods.
Grades 6 through 12 are the focus, a stage where fewer microschools operate, which makes Arbor Learning Lab a useful option for families of older students in the Murfreesboro and Smyrna area.
These three schools are an editor's pick, not a scored ranking. We chose them because each is listed in our Tennessee directory, each has a working website that confirmed an operating program, and together they cover three different models and three different cities. None of the three was ranked by test scores or outcomes.
Our criteria were simple. Every pick had to be in our Tennessee directory. Every pick needed a live website we could read to confirm grades, model, and schedule. We also picked for spread, so a family sees more than one type of microschool and more than one region of the state.
Other strong Tennessee schools are listed in our directory, including project-based and microschool options in Chattanooga, Gallatin, and Columbia. A "best" list is a starting point, and the right school depends on a family's grade level, location, and budget. Read our complete guide to microschools before you tour.
Listed Tennessee microschool tuition runs from about $175 to $14,000 per year. Many schools price by the month or by the number of days a student attends, so a part-time schedule costs less than a full-time one. Acton Academy Johnson City lists $873 per month full-time and $488 per month part-time.
Tennessee now funds private-school choice through the Education Freedom Scholarship. The scholarship pays $7,295 per student for the 2025-26 school year and can be applied at registered Category I, II, or III non-public schools in the state. A microschool that registers under one of those categories can apply the scholarship toward much of a year's tuition. Details and eligibility are on the Tennessee Department of Education Education Freedom Scholarship page.
Confirm a school's registration status before you count on scholarship funds. A school that is not registered cannot accept the scholarship, even if the program otherwise qualifies a family.
To choose a microschool in Tennessee, start with grade range, location, and learning model, then book a tour and ask about class size, the daily schedule, how teachers track progress, and total cost including fees. Confirm registration if you plan to use an Education Freedom Scholarship.
Walk through these steps in order. First, filter our microschools in Tennessee by city and model. Second, read each school's website to confirm the grades and schedule fit your family. Third, schedule a tour and bring questions about staffing, safety, and how a student's progress gets reported home.
If a term on a school's site is new to you, our glossary of terms defines learner-driven, project-based, Montessori, and other models in plain language. To go deeper on how microschools work and what to ask, read our complete guide to microschools.
microschool.directory lists 25 microschools in Tennessee across 16 cities. Nashville and Memphis lead with 4 each, followed by Knoxville with 3. The most common model among listed schools is project-based learning, with 13 schools, then learner-driven with 6.
Listed Tennessee microschool tuition runs from about $175 to $14,000 per year. Many schools price by the month or by the number of days attended. For example, Acton Academy Johnson City lists $873 per month full-time and $488 per month part-time.
The Tennessee Education Freedom Scholarship pays $7,295 per student for the 2025-26 school year. A family can apply the scholarship toward tuition at a registered Category I, II, or III non-public school in Tennessee. Confirm a school's registration status before you count on the funds.
Start with location, grade range, and learning model, then schedule a tour. Ask about class size, the daily schedule, how teachers track progress, and total cost including fees. Confirm the school is registered if you plan to use an Education Freedom Scholarship.
Microschools are small private schools or learning programs, and Tennessee regulates private schools through category registration. A registered Category I, II, or III school can accept Education Freedom Scholarship funds. Always verify registration, staff, and program details directly with the school.
Browse 969 microschools and homeschool co-ops across 47 states on an interactive map.