Over 46,000 students have applied for the news Texas school voucher program.
State officials say more than 42,000 students applied for the new Texas Education Freedom Accounts on the first day of launch, shattering a national record for school choice program enrollment. The program, overseen by the office of Acting Texas Comptroller Kelly Hancock, will disburse nearly $1 billion in funds to Texas families to assist in the payment of private school or homeschooling options.
Hancock said the Feb. 4 rollout surpassed the previous single-day record of 33,000 applications set by Tennessee in 2025."Texas families made history yesterday," Hancock said in a statement. "This record-breaking response shows a powerful groundswell across our state of parents who are excited about the freedom to choose the best possible education for their child." Most students who qualify and are accepted into the program will receive $10,474 for the 2026-27 school year. Participating students with a disability may receive up to $30,000. The program, established under Senate Bill 2, allows families to use state-funded accounts for private school tuition or other educational expenses like homeschooling. According to initial data, 80.3% of first-day applicants intend to enroll in participating private schools, while 19.7% plan to pursue options such as homeschooling. "It's really shown the enthusiasm of families all over the state to get in the driver's seat and take control," said Travis Pillow, a spokesperson for TEFA. According to the program website, families will begin receiving notifications about whether they are selected for the program in early April. The initial deadline for families to select a school is set for June 1, with funds becoming available on July 1. Financial and demographic data for the initial applicant pool shows a significant lean toward low-to-middle-income households:38% report incomes between 200% and 500% of the federal poverty level . The legislation prioritizes certain groups for the accounts. Nearly 75% of current applicants fall into the program’s three top priority tiers. The highest priority is reserved for students with disabilities and household incomes below 500% of the federal poverty level, a group that currently makes up 10% of the applicant pool. Another 29% of applicants qualify for the second-tier priority , while 33% fall into the third tier . State officials emphasized that the program is not first-come, first-served. The application window remains open through March 17 at 11:59 p.m. School choice has long been a controversial policy in Texas, with many still split on who TEFA will benefit. "It's gonna go to people that have a heck of a lot more money than I do to send their kids to really expensive private schools," said Zeph Capo, president of the Texas AFT union."It really is an opportunity to raise the bar and raise the expectation of every school," said Mandy Drogin, a senior fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. With enough funding to provide the accounts to 90,000 to 100,000 students in Texas, David DeMatthews, a professor of educational leadership and policy at the University of Texas at Austin, expects minimal disruption to the state's public schools during the first year of the program. He noted that if the program expands, it could pull funding from public schools in the state. He also called the program's rollout timeline into question. "You're going to have to put down hundreds or thousands of dollars upfront well before July 1st," DeMatthews said of application fees and deposits typically required by private schools. "And so what that does is it essentially cuts out most of the low-income families, if not all of the low-income families." Pillow suggested parents who are worried about being able to afford fees contact their school of interest to discuss their options. "We know that this is something that families are going to need to figure out, and we would encourage families to work with their schools, let them know that they're applying for this program and work out with their school a payment plan that is going to meet the needs of their family," he said.Start your morning with The National News Desk as Jan Jeffcoat sits down with the Former FBI Special Agent in charge, Jody Weis, to discuss law and order.SAN ANTONIO - Two suspects have been arrested on drug trafficking chagres afterOn Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Justice announced the arrests of Gerardo PiBANDERA COUNTY, Texas — Two men were busted on drugAccording to the Bandera County Sheriff’s Office, on Saturday, the criminal interdiction unit executed a seaSAN ANTONIO - One person is dead after a horrific accident on a Northeast Side highway.The deadly accident happened around 7:30 a.m. Wednesday along North LoopThe Texas Education Agency has announced that Northeast Independent School District is under scrutiny for allegedly failing to comply with state s
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