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Most "school census records" or "scholastic population" census records are 20th century records, the result of a law passed by the General Assembly in 1945 (Public Chapter 141). The law required the enumeration of children under 18, listing the full name, date of birth, age, gender, nationality, place of residence, name and address of parent or responsible adult, name and location of the school attended, distance of school from the home, and name and address of the employer of any child. These school census records begin in 1946; the last one was in 1968. Availability varies from county to county.

The State Library and Archives also has some school census records from the 19th century. These are few and far between, and vary in completeness.

For more information on school census records, and a sample page, see Shirley Wilson's article "Tennessee's Scholastic Census Records" in Middle Tennessee Genealogy, v. 6, #2, Fall, 1992, pp. 65-66.

The following list indicates available records by county. Most are on microfilm, but some are published. If the list is published, the publication title (and volume, date and pages if a periodical) is indicated, as well as the TSLA call number. The TSLA microfilm roll number is given for the lists on microfilm.  The size of the film is noted (16m or 35m) for ease in purchasing copies of entire rolls.

Books and periodicals with school census information can be searched by TSLA staff.  E-mail your request to TSLA with the name of the individual you are researching;  please be sure to include the title and call number of the book or periodical.  Due to the number of requests received daily, we ask that you only submit one request at a time for a single name to be searched in one published source.   Only one request will be handled at a time.   Please do not send a second search request while you have a request pending.   Please do not send several searches in separate e-mail messages, or a request that asks to search multiple names.   When you receive a reply to your first look-up, you may send in your next  look-up request, and so on.   TSLA can, for a fee, photocopy all of the listings for one specified surname.  

  School census microfilm reels which have been indexed can, for a fee,  be searched by TSLA staff.  Please go to Genealogical Services Provided by Mail -- County Records for instructions on ordering a search.  We will not search unindexed school census records. 

  The microfilmed school census records are not available for interlibrary loan.   Patrons are welcome to come in to TSLA and search these materials themselves.    Microfilm reels with the school census records are available for purchase from TSLA.

Anderson County

Benton County

Carroll County

Chester County

Clay County

Cocke County

Cocke County

Cumberland County

Davidson County

Dickson County

Dyer County

Fayette County

Fentress County

Franklin County

Giles County

Hamblen County

Hardeman County

Hawkins County

Haywood County

Henderson County

Humphreys County

Lauderdale County

Lawrence County

McNairy County

Macon County

Madison County

Maury County

Maury County

Meigs County

Monroe County

Morgan County

Obion County

Rhea County

Robertson County

Unicoi County

Van Buren County

Wayne County

Williamson County

Wilson County

Research prepared by Mai Thacker   /  Updated August 3, 2012