Last verified: October 2026
What income puts a Knoxville family in EFS Priority 2 or Priority 3?
A household is in Priority 2 when its income is at or under 100% of the free-or-reduced-price lunch limit and in Priority 3 when it is at or under 300% of that limit. On TDOE's current EFS charts that means $57,720 and $173,160 for a family of four.
SNAP or TANF participation, or eligibility for the IEA, also places a student in Priority 2. TDOE published these charts for the 2026-27 cycle, which verified income with the 2024 Form 1040, so recheck them when the 2027-28 window opens.
Does a higher priority tier mean a bigger EFS award?
No. Every recipient gets the same $7,530; the tier only decides the order in which seats are handed out when applications exceed the 35,000 available.
Inside each tier, complete applications are taken in the order received, so an early submission matters as much as the tier.
| Is | Isn't | |
|---|---|---|
| Priority 2 or 3 | An earlier place in line when seats run short | A larger award |
| Priority 4 | Current public school students and incoming kindergartners | Income-free after 2026-27 |