Frequently asked questions

The Comptroller's finder lists every participating school (2,755 on Oct 8, 2026). This site shows the schools of the Comptroller's participating-schools workbook (2,765 rows, file dated Oct 5, 2026) with the date they appeared on the official list, and adds the facts the finder does not have (seats for 2027-28, tuition and net cost, deadlines) with a date once a school confirms them. Start with the statewide catalog or Houston. We quote participation status from the official list; we never decide it.

A child who lives in Texas, is eligible to attend a Texas public or charter school, and is a U.S. citizen or national or lawfully admitted; the parent must be a Texas resident. When applications exceed funds, priority tiers apply (disability and income). Use the eligibility and tier checker.

Yes, that is what many people call it. Its official name is Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA), and the state calls it an education savings account: the money goes into an account managed by Odyssey, and the account pays a participating school or approved vendor. It never comes to the family as cash. You apply only on the official site, educationfreedom.texas.gov; this site cannot take an application. See What is TEFA? and the participating schools.

There is no income cut-off. Income sets your priority tier: Tier 2 is at or below 200% of the federal poverty level, Tier 3 is 200–500%, Tier 4 is 500% and above (capped at 20% of the fund). For a family of four in 2026, 200% FPL is $66,000 and 500% is $165,000. See income limits and tiers.

$10,474 for a private-school student in 2026-27, up to $30,000 for a student with a disability who has an IEP on file, and up to $2,000 for homeschool and other nonpublic students. Private-school awards are paid 25% on July 1, 25% on October 1 and 50% on February 1. Try the net-cost calculator.

No. Participants in good standing stay in the program. But the rules require continuing families to file a notice of intent during the next application period (34 TAC §16.403(d)) — so the 2027-28 window matters to current families too. See the deadline tracker.

Not announced. As of October 8, 2026 the Comptroller's site has a 2027-28 interest list and no date; the first window ran February 4 – March 31, 2026. The Texas Private Schools Association expects 'Late Winter or Spring'. When the Comptroller publishes the date, we check it and add it here and to the deadline tracker.

Award and waitlist notices come from the program by email and in the Odyssey family portal. This site cannot see your application; check the official portal linked from How the Odyssey marketplace works.

Schools apply through Odyssey's school portal (accreditation, two years operating, a norm-referenced test, a Texas location). Tutors, therapists and curriculum vendors apply through the vendor portal. See How to become a TEFA provider — the official links only; we charge nothing for that page.

Purchases run through the Odyssey marketplace and its approved vendors; the official finder's vendor tabs list them by category. We list the providers of the Comptroller's participating-vendors workbook by category, each with the date that the workbook gives for it; check the finder for any specific retailer.

Tuition and fees, textbooks, uniforms, tutoring, transportation, educational therapies, computer hardware and software (capped at 10% of the award) and school meals. Funds may not pay a family member. Source: the official families page, checked Sep 18, 2026.

Homeschool and other eligible nonpublic students receive up to $2,000 a year in one installment, spent on approved expenses through the marketplace. See TEFA for homeschool.

No. TEFA Schools is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts or Odyssey. The official program site is educationfreedom.texas.gov; the official finder is finder.educationfreedom.texas.gov. We quote them with the date we checked.

A school office told us, on the date shown, how many places it expects to offer for 2027-28 in that grade. Seats change fast; a row older than 30 days during the application season is marked expired and re-asked. A blank means the school has not answered yet — it does not mean full.

Not yet. Seats by grade, tuition, net cost and application deadlines are fields a school can confirm from its claimed profile, and each would show with the date it was confirmed; as of October 9, 2026 no school has confirmed one, and we have not yet asked. A blank row means not yet collected — it does not mean the school is full. What the site does carry for every school is its place on the Comptroller's participating list, its grades served and the date we checked the list.