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Applications open for Texas' private school voucher program

By
Lacey Beasley
Lacey Beasley
Lacey Beasley is an award-winning journalist with CBS News Texas. You can find her on-air every weekday morning.
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Lacey Beasley

/ CBS Texas

On Tuesday, applications opened for private schools interested in participating in Texas's voucher program. 

It's called the Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA). Private schools are not automatically in the TEFA program, they must opt in.

If there is a school on a family's radar, families should make sure the school is opting in for the program because some schools may choose not to accept vouchers.

Here are the main qualifications private schools need to meet to participate.

  • Must have a campus located in Texas
  • Accredited
  • Continuous operation for at least two school years
  • Annually administer a nationally norm-referenced assessment to participating students in grades 3-12

Grant Coates with the Miles Foundation in Fort Worth, an education advocacy group, said based on the rules of the program, the private school must send only the test results of the students on vouchers to the state.

"The main thing that private schools need to be is accredited," said Coates. "Your enrollment process doesn't change, how you teach the curriculum, none of that changes. There is a testing requirement in this bill, but if you are an accredited organization, you're already issuing a nationally norm test. The students that are on the Education Freedom Account, their test would be the one sent back to the state. Basically, the other students' tests would not be sent back, but they all will take it, and that's just a part of being an accredited school in the state of Texas."

Coates said applications will stay open on a rolling basis, so if a school chooses to opt in a year from now, that application will still be there.

If a school would like to be part of the TEFA program for the 2026-2027 school year, the deadline to complete the is January 31, 2026, to be visible to parents applying in February. 

Private schools on the Texas Private School Accreditation Commission (TEPSAC) mailing list should have received an email with the application. For private schools that did not receive one, email help.tx@withodyssey.com.  

What is the TEFA program?

In 2025, the Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill 2 and provided $1 billion to create the program.

For either current private school students or students making the switch to private education, they can apply for vouchers, which essentially give them a discount on tuition, uniforms, books and other school-related expenses.

  • The average student will receive roughly $10,800
  • Home-schooled students will receive $2,000
  • Students with special needs will receive up to $30,000

Families can begin applying for the TEFA program on Feb. 4.

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