Texas Education Freedom Account Resources

The Texas Legislature created the education savings account program in 2025 to give families more choices in their child’s education. The program was then officially named Texas Education Freedom Accounts. Starting in the 2026–27 school year, funds will be made available to eligible students accepted into the program that can be used for tuition, tutoring, home-school educational expenses or other approved education expenses.

The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts will oversee the program to ensure funds are used properly. Odyssey was selected as the certified educational assistance organization (CEAO) that will help with administration of the program under the Comptroller’s oversight.

The amount depends on the child’s situation:

Private school students
State law sets the amount of the transfer at 85 percent of the statewide average amount of state and local funding per student in Texas public schools. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) will determine the exact amount for the first year of the program in January 2026, but it is estimated at approximately $10,800 per child if the student attends an approved private school.

Students with disabilities who have an individualized education plan (IEP) on file with their school district
May receive more — up to $30,000 per year.

Home-schooled students
May receive up to $2,000 per year.

No. Participants in good standing stay in the program automatically. Families only need to confirm they want to continue.

Families can use TEFA funds for a wide range of approved educational expenses, including school tuition, meals, uniforms, tutoring, online education programs, therapies or special services for students with disabilities, textbooks, instructional materials, transportation, and computer hardware or software.

Funds may also be used for approved online, out-of-state, and career and technical education (CTE) programs, as long as the provider is accepted into the TEFA program.

To be eligible for a TEFA, a student must be a U.S. citizen, national, or lawful resident who can attend a Texas public school.

All students who meet this requirement may apply, but priority is given to children from low-income families and those with special learning needs. Siblings who apply are also approved once one student in the family qualifies.

Families only need to apply once; the account stays active each year if they meet program requirements and submit an annual intent to continue. Unused funds can roll over year to year without limit while the student remains in the program.

Applications for TEFA Funding open February 4th, 2026. 
TEFA funds can first be used for eligible expenses as soon as July 2026.

Parents must:

• Use funds only for eligible expenses
• Allow the school to share assessment results with the CEAO
• Not sell items purchased with program funds
• Notify the CEAO within 30 days if their child enrolls in public school, graduates, or becomes ineligible

Private schools must be in Texas, accredited by an organization recognized by the Texas Private School Accreditation Commission or another accreditor recognized by the Texas Education Agency, and in continuous operation for at least two school years preceding the date of application. They also must annually administer a nationally recognized, norm-referenced assessment to participating students in grades 3-12. More information will be forthcoming soon.

A student may qualify as a child with a disability if they are at least three years old but not more than 21 years old and have an Individual Education Plan (IEP) or one or more of the following conditions that prevent them from being adequately or safely educated in public school without special services:

• Visual or auditory impairment
• Physical disability
• Intellectual or developmental disability
• Emotional disturbance
• Learning disability
• Autism
• Speech disability
• Traumatic brain injury

Applicants are prioritized as follows:

• Students with a disability (defined by the TX Educ. Code Sec. 29.003) whose family income is at or below 500% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines (FPG).
• Children whose family income is at or below 200% of FPG.
• Children whose family income is between 200% and 500% of FPG.
• All other students may qualify if funds remain, with no more than 20% of spots reserved for this group, and priority given to those switching from public schools.

To qualify for priority group 1 placement, families are required to provide:

• A letter verifying the child’s eligibility to receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance, or
• A written diagnosis from a licensed physician verifying one of the listed disabilities, or
• An IEP issued by a Texas public school district or open-enrollment charter school.