The application window for Texas' new statewide school voucher program will open on Wednesday, allowing families to use public funds to help cover private school tuition and other education-related expenses starting in the 2026-2027 school year.
The program, created by Senate Bill 2, establishes Texas Education Freedom Accounts, which provide families with $10,474 per student each year to spend on approved educational costs. Students with disabilities enrolled in approved private schools or in pre-K or kindergarten programs may be eligible to receive up to $30,000.
Those expenses can include private school tuition, textbooks, tutoring services and certain transportation costs. Eligible students must be U.S. citizens or lawfully present in the country and qualify to attend a Texas public school, charter school or pre-K program. Parents must be Texas residents.
While any student can apply, the state will rely on a lottery if funding runs out. Students with disabilities from families earning up to about $240,000 a year for a family of four will be prioritized first. Next come students from lower-income households earning about $60,000, followed by families earning up to $240,000. Higher-income families would receive vouchers only if funding remains.
Applications will close March 17, with funding notifications sent to families beginning in early April. At least 25% of approved funding will be available in participant accounts starting July, followed by 50% in October. The remaining funds are expected to be released by April 2027.
Parents can apply for the program here. The state has also provided a checklist to help parents apply. More than 1,600 schools are eligible to receive vouchers statewide; see the list here.
A long and contentious road
The voucher program was among the most contentious issues of the 2025 legislative session, drawing opposition from public school advocates and many rural lawmakers who said it would divert taxpayer dollars from already strained public schools. Hundreds of opponents testified against the measure at a Texas House hearing early last year, followed by months of protests over the issue.
Critics say such programs effectively function as tax breaks for higher-income families. In North Carolina, which has a similar voucher program, a 2025 state report found nearly 90% of voucher recipients were already in private schools after income limits were lifted, with participating families earning nearly twice the typical household income.
But supporters, including Gov. Greg Abbott, said the program expands parental choice and gives families more control over their children's education. Abbott made school choice a central priority of the 2025 legislative session, campaigning heavily for lawmakers who supported the measure.
And after years of pushing the issue, including multiple special legislative sessions in 2023, Abbott signed the voucher program into law in May 2025, marking a major victory for the governor after repeated failed attempts to pass similar legislation.
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