BRISTOL, Tenn. (WJHL) – The Bristol Tennessee Board of Education approved a Tuition-Free Designated Elementary program at Fairmount Elementary School last week.
Beginning in the 2022-2023 academic year, out-of-district students in kindergarten through fifth grade who live in Tennessee will be able to apply to attend Fairmount Elementary at no cost.
“Our hope is that we will gain additional students at the school to best utilize the space we have available,” said Rebecca House, public information officer with the district. “Additional students will also increase state funding, which benefits all students with increased programs and services.”
Fairmount was selected because of its programming space available to serve additional students, House said. The other four elementary schools in the district will continue to have standard tuition charges based on residence.
“At a time when we are still in COVID-recovery, increased funding, additional programs, and retaining teachers is vital to helping students recover from the lost instructional time and other detrimental effects of the pandemic,” House said. “This program is another strategy by the board to support that effort.”
At the meeting, the Board additionally approved a tuition discount of 50% for children of school district employees that live in Tennessee but reside out of the district.
