The Legislature created Texas Education Freedom Accounts in 2025 (Senate Bill 2) with $1 billion for the 2026-27 school year. The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts runs the program and Odyssey administers accounts, the parent portal and the marketplace.
A child at a participating private school receives 85% of the statewide average state and local funding per public school student — $10,474 for 2026-27. The money arrives in three deposits: 25% on July 1, 25% on October 1 and the remaining 50% on February 1, 2027. Unused funds roll over while the child stays in the program.
Demand was far larger than the first-year budget. More than 274,000 applications came in during the February 4 – March 31, 2026 window. By August 28 the Comptroller reported more than 118,000 active awards and more than 109,000 funded participants, with nearly 50,000 of those awards made from the waitlist.
Houston is the program's largest market. Houston ISD families held 3,327 funded accounts as of July 29, 2026 — more than any district in Texas — and Houston-area districts together accounted for more than 19,800.
Families who did not receive an award must apply again in a future cycle. Dates for 2027-28 have not been announced; join the state's interest list and keep your federal tax return handy, because income is verified from Form 1040.
Funded TEFA students by Houston-area district
| District of residence | Funded students (Jul 29, 2026) |
|---|---|
| Houston ISD | 3,327 |
| Fort Bend ISD | 2,024 |
| Cypress-Fairbanks ISD | 1,596 |
| Conroe ISD | 1,297 |
| Katy ISD | 1,156 |
| Klein ISD | 989 |
| Lamar CISD | 915 |
| Spring ISD | 628 |
| Humble ISD | 614 |
| Clear Creek ISD | 565 |
| Aldine ISD | 528 |
| Pasadena ISD | 502 |
Source: TEFA Annual Demographic Report (Texas Comptroller), parent-reported district of residence, data as of July 29, 2026.
How to stack it
Texas Education Freedom Account (TEFA) can usually be combined with school-based aid and at least one other source on this site. Complete the funding check and an advisor will map the full stack for your child.