Texas school‑choice applications surge
Texas Education Funding Accounts (TEFA) drew roughly 200,000 applications statewide — 29,000 from San Antonio — with 72% coming from low-income families, adding a major alternative pathway that could pull prospective students away from community colleges. That scale increases competitive pressure for local outreach and affordability messaging. (x.com/i/status/2036950083695243391)
The Texas Education Agency set TEFA awards for the 2026–27 year at $10,474 per student for private-school enrollment. (educationfreedom.texas.gov) Students with an IEP can receive awards up to $30,000 based on needs, and participating homeschool families are eligible for $2,000 per student. (content.govdelivery.com) The program is backed by a $1 billion appropriation that state analyses and reporting say will fund roughly 90,000–100,000 accounts in year one, with award allocations to be made by lottery and prioritized by disability status and household income; first award notifications are slated for April and families must finalize school selections by July 15. (edchoice.org; comptroller.texas.gov) The Comptroller named Odyssey as the program’s certified educational assistance organization to run the application portal and marketplace, and the office says more than 2,200 schools had registered to participate as of the mid‑March rollout. (comptroller.texas.gov; comptroller.texas.gov) National school‑choice groups and local private‑school networks poured resources into outreach: the American Federation for Children’s Growth Fund reported roughly $2 million on Texas enrollment marketing, while diocesan and individual private schools ran parish and social‑media application workshops. (aol.com; archsa.org) State application data published by the Comptroller showed 123,743 applications submitted between Feb. 4–22 and district-level filings listed major concentration points such as Houston ISD (8,962) and Dallas ISD (6,707) on the official Student Applications by ISD fact sheet. (educationfreedom.texas.gov; educationfreedom.texas.gov) Early program reporting indicated roughly four in five applicants intend to use TEFA funds for private‑school expenses, and the Comptroller’s breakdown showed about 34% of applicants below 200% of the federal poverty level and 38% between 200–500% of FPL. (greenoakseducation.org; ksat.com)
