More than 102,000 students have been accepted into the Texas Education Freedom Accounts program, which provides state funds for families to send their children to private schools or homeschool them. The program, created by state lawmakers in 2025, has seen high demand, with over 274,000 students applying and about 248,000 deemed eligible.

Program Details

Students with disabilities can receive up to $30,000 in funding, while other accepted students will receive $10,474 to spend on private school tuition and related expenses, or up to $2,000 for homeschooling. Families have until July 15 to confirm enrollment at a private school, notify the state of their homeschooling plans, or opt out of the program.

About 43% of accepted students attended a Texas public school during the 2024-25 school year, while 57% were enrolled in a private school or homeschool. The program has been praised by Republican state leaders and other proponents as a way to expand educational opportunities for students who are not receiving the services or support they need in their local public schools.

Critics have expressed concerns that the program will unfairly benefit students already enrolled in private schools and divert funding from public schools facing financial challenges. The state has the largest program waitlist in the nation, with over 144,000 eligible students waiting to join the program.

Next Steps

Some state lawmakers have indicated that they want to increase state funding for the program during the 2027 legislative session. The current state budget includes $1 billion in program funding for the 2026-27 school year, with the nonpartisan Texas Legislative Budget Board projecting that demand will drive lawmakers to expand the program to $3.3 billion by 2028 and $4.8 billion by 2030.

Original reporting: Community Impact — Sugar Land — read the source article.