Gov. Bill Lee's controversial school voucher program would provide parents up to $7,300 to leave an urban district with failing schools — including in Nashville.

But even with that money, many families may be hard-pressed to find and afford a private school option. The education savings account program would apply only to families in a lower-income bracket, and the money from the state may not cover the full cost of tuition at many private schools.

In the Nashville area, a survey of 57 private institutions by the USA TODAY Network – Tennessee shows that the $7,300 provided by the state would cover tuition at fewer than one-third of those schools. The list isn't comprehensive but covers a range of private schools and provides a snapshot of tuition prices in the Middle Tennessee area.

The number of schools covered by the state funding also could drop further once other factors are considered. Some religious schools, for example, charge higher tuition for families that aren't members of those respective churches.

Still, backers of the proposal say the program would make it easier to provide tuition assistance for families wanting to leave their district. They also point to a recent amendment that would allow families to obtain financial assistance from a third party.

American Federation for Children State Director Shaka Mitchell said the education savings accounts open doors and provide options for thousands of low-income Tennessee families in low-performing schools.

"ESAs will greatly help independent schools serve more students, and these schools will be able to work with families to provide additional tuition assistance if needed," Mitchell said.

Some schools' tuition covered

Among the 57 schools surveyed, there are 17 Nashville private schools with tuition that could be covered entirely by the $7,300 a year that would be provided to parents.

They are primarily religious schools — four are nondenominational Christian. The list also includes Catholic, Islamic, Baptist and Seventh-day Adventist schools.

Education savings accounts, a voucher-style program, provide public money for parents to send their children to private school or cover other education-related expenses. It is one of the most controversial proposals currently working through the Tennessee General Assembly.

The legislation says that families eligible for the program would be required to make less than double the federal guidelines to qualify for free lunch. That's about $54,000 annually for a family of three or $65,000 annually for a family of four.

Lee's proposal also says the private schools must go through an approval process to participate in the program, which means it is difficult to determine which schools in the area would participate and accept the funding.

“Gov. Lee’s proposal is about strengthening school choice and empowering parents to determine the best fit for their child through programs and institutions that choose to participate in the ESA program," Lee spokeswoman Laine Arnold said Monday.

Many schools out of range but also provide financial aid

Of the 57 schools surveyed, 40 are well outside the $7,300 provided for a student's education. On the high end, those include:

Ensworth School, with a tuition of $32,000 a year.

Montgomery Bell Academy, with a tuition of $28,340 a year.

Harpeth Hall School, with a tuition of about $28,000 a year.

University School of Nashville, whose tuition is on average $22,600 a year.

It also includes two schools whose officials have come out in favor of the program: Episcopal School of Nashville and New Hope Academy of Franklin.

The Episcopal School of Nashville's annual tuition is $9,945 for students in grades K-4. And New Hope Academy of Franklin is $11,800 a year for students.

New Hope Academy of Franklin Director of Advancement Parker Page said a parent not being able to cover the full cost of tuition is nothing new for the school.

He said about 40% of its students already attend on what amounts very close to a full scholarship. And a total of 61% receive some sort of financial aid. The school distributes over $1.3 million in financial aid, he said.

"We’re eager to see an education savings account program succeed in providing as many families as possible a choice in determining the best educational environment for their children," he said.

Episcopal School of Nashville leader Harrison Stuart has told Senate education committee members the program would allow tuition assistance provided by the school to stretch further for needy parents.

Stuart has said his school was not founded to be exclusive. "It was not founded to be an opt-out," he said. "It was founded to create more availability, more access in an area that has very limited access."

A difficult road so far

Lee's proposal has been amended heavily and comes with plenty of questions. The Tennessee House of Representatives narrowly approved on Tuesday its version of the bill with a 50-48 vote. The Senate passed its version Thursday in a 20-13 vote.

Civil rights groups, teachers associations, superintendents and school boards have come out against the plan.

Critics have said the program could leave the state open to a lawsuit and funnels money away from public schools.

The approved House version calls for the Tennessee Department of Education to verify the recipient's legal status in Tennessee. The Senate version, which has yet to be heard on the floor, includes a requirement for parents to provide the state pay stubs, W-2 forms and income tax returns in order to participate in the program.

A 1982 U.S. Supreme Court ruling says students who entered the country illegally cannot be denied a public education.

And the proposals call for a program for up to 15,000 students to participate. The Senate has narrowed the urban districts participating to Nashville and Memphis.

Tennessee Education Association President Beth Brown said that could be about $225 million diverted from those two districts.

"It will devastate those two districts," she said.

The Senate has kept a section to include home-school students in its proposal. The House has nixed that aspect of the bill.

The House is calling to create a grant program that would help benefit rural districts and would decrease the amount urban schools receive to reimburse them for students leaving to participate in the program.

School voucher bill:Lawmakers, Lee are at odds over proposal, here's what to know

Anita Wadhwani, Brett Kelman, Adam Tamburin, Andy Humbles and Emily West contributed to this report.

Want to read more stories like this? A subscription to one of our Tennessee publications gets you unlimited access to all the latest news and the ability to tap into stories, photos and videos from throughout the USA TODAY Network's 109 local sites.

Reach Jason Gonzales at jagonzales@tennessean.com and on Twitter @ByJasonGonzales.