How to Get and Complete the Tennessee Compulsory School Attendance Form (SF-1010)

To get the Tennessee Compulsory School Attendance Form, ask an official at the school where you are enrolled to fill it out and sign it, then bring the original to a Driver Services Center within 30 days as part of your learner permit, intermediate license, or hardship license application. The form itself comes from your school, not from a state agency, and it is free.¹

Who Has to Bring the Form

Tennessee ties driving privileges to school attendance for anyone under 18. If you are 15, 16, or 17 and applying for a Class PD learner permit or a Class D intermediate license, you must present a completed Certificate of Compulsory School Attendance at the Driver Services Center.² The same form is required for 14- and 15-year-olds applying for a Class H hardship license.³

You do not need the form if you already hold a high school diploma or a HiSET equivalency credential. Bring the diploma or equivalency certificate instead. Once you turn 18, the attendance requirement drops away entirely.²

Who Signs the Form

You do not complete this form yourself. A school official at your place of enrollment fills it in and signs it. For public school students, that is the attendance teacher or the director of schools. For private school students, it is the appropriate school official at that institution.² The front office or guidance counselor is usually the right first stop; most schools handle these requests often and can turn them around quickly.

The official enters your full legal name, date of birth, and age, then certifies your status by checking the applicable box. Make sure the name on the form matches your birth certificate exactly. A misspelling or a nickname that doesn’t match your identity documents is one of the easiest ways to be turned away at the counter.¹

One of the boxes on the form is for students who have been withdrawn, defined under state law as more than ten consecutive unexcused absences or fifteen total unexcused absences in a semester.² If the school checks that box, the form will not get you a license.

Home School Students

Who signs depends on how the home school is organized. Students enrolled through a church-related school (sometimes called an umbrella school) are supervised by that school’s director, who can sign the form.⁴ Independent home school families registered directly with their local director of schools should contact that office to arrange for the form to be completed. The form itself is the same document used by every student.

HiSET and GED Students

If you are under 18 and enrolled in a course leading to a high school equivalency credential at a state-approved institution, you still qualify under the attendance statute.² The official at your program should be able to complete the certificate confirming your enrollment. If they cannot issue it, bring your enrollment documentation to the Driver Services Center and ask what alternative proof they will accept.

The 30-Day Validity Window

The form is valid for 30 days from the date the school official signs it. Wait longer and the Driver Services Center will reject it, sending you back to your school for a fresh copy.⁵

Summer gets a special rule. A form dated within the last 30 days of the spring semester remains usable throughout the summer months.¹ If you plan to apply over the summer, have your school sign the form before the spring term ends. Chasing down a school official in July when the building is closed is a problem worth avoiding.

What Else to Bring to the Driver Services Center

The attendance form is one piece of the application package. For a minor’s learner permit or intermediate license, you also need:⁶

A Teenage Affidavit signed by a parent or legal guardian in front of a driver license examiner. The parent must have a valid Tennessee driver license.
Proof of guardianship: a certified birth certificate listing the parents, a certified court order granting custody, or a certified adoption decree.
Proof of U.S. citizenship or lawful presence, such as a U.S. birth certificate, a valid U.S. passport, or a Certificate of Naturalization.
Proof of your Social Security number, such as your Social Security card, a recent W-2 or 1099, or a payroll stub showing the full number.
Two proofs of Tennessee residency, such as utility bills or bank statements showing a Tennessee address.

Bring the original signed form; photocopies and digital versions are not accepted.¹ The examiner will check the 30-day validity, confirm the school official’s signature, and compare the name and date of birth against your other documents. If everything lines up, you move on to the knowledge exam and vision screening for a permit, or the road test for an intermediate license.

If You Later Leave School

The attendance requirement does not end once the permit is in your wallet. If you withdraw from school after you are licensed, the school is required to notify the Department of Safety and Homeland Security, which can suspend your driving privileges under Tennessee Code § 55-50-502.⁷

The first withdrawal can be undone by re-enrolling in school and getting your license back. A second or later withdrawal results in a suspension that lasts until you turn 18, with no early reinstatement for returning to class.⁵

There is one safety valve. If the withdrawal is beyond your control, such as a family emergency, a medical issue, or a transfer to another school confirmed in writing by a parent or guardian, the school is not supposed to send notice to the Department of Safety, and no suspension follows.² The director of schools or the appropriate private school official decides whether the circumstances qualify. If you are in that situation, have your parent or guardian put the transfer or hardship in writing to the school before any withdrawal notice goes out.

1
Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security. Certification of Compulsory School Attendance
2
FindLaw. Tennessee Code Title 49 Education 49-6-3017
3
Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security. Hardship License (Class H or XH)
4
Justia. Tennessee Code 49-6-3050 – Home Schools
5
Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security. Minor/Teenage Affidavit and Proof of School Attendance
6
Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security. Teen/Graduated Driver License
7
Justia. Tennessee Code 55-50-502 – Suspension of Licenses