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The Texas school voucher program is officially called the Texas Education Freedom Account, or TEFA: the state's first statewide education savings account, created by Senate Bill 2 in 2025 and launching with the 2026-27 school year. Awarded students receive $10,474 per year toward tuition at a participating private school, students with disabilities can receive up to $30,000, and homeschooling families receive $2,000 per child. The Texas Comptroller oversees the $1 billion program, with Odyssey serving as the certified educational assistance organization that runs the family portal. More than 102,000 students have been awarded accounts for the first year, and the initial application window has closed.
Whether your family holds an award, sits on the waitlist, or is planning for 2027-28, here is where things stand and what to do next.
The launch broke records. Applications opened February 4, 2026 and closed in March after more than 274,000 students applied, the largest debut of any school choice program in the country, with roughly 248,000 deemed eligible. Awards rolled out by priority through the spring: about 42,600 notifications went to lower- and middle-income students with disabilities and their siblings in late April, more than 53,000 Tier 2 awards followed in early May, and by mid-June the total passed 102,000 students.
That still leaves roughly 145,000 eligible students on the waitlist. The list moves as awarded families opt out or miss selection deadlines, which frees funding for the next students in line; about 2,000 opt-outs had already been processed by June, along with thousands of additional waitlist awards. The Comptroller has also opened an interest list for the 2027-28 application cycle, which doubles as a demand signal to the Legislature as it considers expanding the program.
State law sets the standard award at 85% of the statewide average of state and local funding per public school student, which the Texas Education Agency calculated at $10,474 for 2026-27. A child with a disability who had an IEP on file with TEA by the end of the application period can qualify for up to $30,000 based on educational needs, and participating homeschool students receive $2,000.
Money arrives in quarterly installments of 25%, beginning July 1, 2026, deposited into the student's account on the Odyssey platform. Parents then direct payments to their participating school or approved providers; no cash changes hands. Unused funds roll over from year to year as long as the student remains in the program, through graduation.
Eligibility is broad: a child must be a U.S. citizen or lawfully present, eligible to attend a Texas district school, open-enrollment charter, or pre-K program, with a parent who is a Texas resident. Because demand outran the $1 billion budget, awards followed the priority order in state law. Tier 1 covers students with disabilities from households at or below 500% of the federal poverty level. Tier 2 covers households at or below 200% of the poverty level, about $66,000 for a family of four. Siblings of awarded students also receive awards when applications were filed for them, a lottery sorts within oversubscribed tiers, and no more than 20% of program funds can go to households above 500% of the poverty level.
The account covers tuition and enrollment fees at a participating private school first, and the approved-expense list extends to textbooks and curriculum, tutoring from qualified providers, uniforms, therapies, and other education costs the program authorizes. Participating schools and providers must enroll with the program, and roughly 600 private schools plus more than 200 service providers had signed on within the first weeks, a list that keeps growing.
The selection window is the step that trips families. Awarded parents began logging into the Odyssey portal on May 11 to accept funds and select a school. Choosing by June 1 secured funding in the July 1 deposit, and July 15, 2026 is the final deadline to take one of three actions: confirm enrollment in a participating private school, select the homeschool option at $2,000, or opt out. An award left untouched past July 15 is forfeited, and the funding cycles to waitlisted students. A family holding an award this week should treat the portal, not the school parking lot, as the urgent errand.
Most TEFA students are changing schools, and school changes carry real academic risk if handled casually. A longitudinal study by Gruman and colleagues (2008), published in Child Development, tracked over 1,000 elementary students and found that school changes predicted declines in academic performance and classroom participation. The same study found a buffer: teacher support had a strong positive influence on attitudes toward school, especially for students who had moved more. The practical translation for a TEFA family is to weigh how quickly teachers at a prospective school will actually know your child, because that relationship is what absorbs the shock of the switch.
Score Academy Online is a Cognia-accredited, NCAA-approved online private school serving grades K-12 with live certified teachers, individualized education plans, and synchronous classes capped at six students. The school already serves Texas families as part of a student body spanning 42 states, and it is pursuing approved-provider status across active school choice states as new programs come online. Because TEFA funds flow only to schools enrolled with the program, families should confirm the current participating school list with the Comptroller and Odyssey before directing funds.
The tuition math is worth knowing either way. With per-course pricing from $415 for self-paced courses to $2,500 for live small-group high school courses, a $10,474-scale budget covers a full year of accredited online instruction with room to spare, and rolling enrollment means Texas students can start any time rather than waiting on a program calendar. For a broader look at online options in the state, see the school's Texas online school guide, and for program-by-program funding details across states, the school choice hub.
TEFA is brand new and its rules, deadlines, and provider lists are moving targets. Verify current details with the Texas Comptroller's office and Odyssey before making decisions.
How much is a TEFA award for 2026-27? Students enrolled at a participating private school receive $10,474. Students with disabilities who had an IEP on file with TEA by the end of the application period may receive up to $30,000, and homeschool participants receive $2,000 per child.
Are TEFA applications still open? No. The first application window ran from February 4, 2026 into March and is closed. Families planning ahead can join the Comptroller's interest list for the 2027-28 cycle to be notified when the next application opens.
What is the July 15 deadline? July 15, 2026 is the final date for awarded families to confirm enrollment in a participating private school, choose the $2,000 homeschool option, or opt out through the Odyssey portal. Awards not acted on are released to waitlisted students.
Who runs TEFA? The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts oversees the program, and Odyssey, the certified educational assistance organization, operates the application portal, account platform, and payments.
Do unused TEFA funds roll over? Yes. Funds remaining in the account carry forward year to year while the student stays in the program, through high school graduation.
We are on the waitlist. What should we do? Watch your email and portal status closely through the summer, since opt-outs and missed deadlines release funding in batches. At the same time, line up a workable school plan for fall so your child is covered whether or not an award comes through this cycle.
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New Hampshire Education Freedom Account guide: how EFA grants are calculated, who qualifies now that it's universal, and how funds work at an online school.