Guides

Each guide answers one question people actually search for, from primary sources, with the date it was last checked.

How the Odyssey TEFA marketplace works: the family portal, school payments and vendor listings
As of October 8, 2026: Odyssey is the certified educational assistance organization that runs TEFA accounts under the Comptroller's oversight. Families use the Odyssey parent portal; schools confirm enrollment and set tuition in a school portal; vendors apply on a rolling basis and the Comptroller reviews each offering before it appears in the marketplace. Official links only; this site is not Odyssey.
Updated Oct 10, 2026
What TEFA covers: uniforms, laptops, tutoring and the full list of allowed expenses
As of October 8, 2026: the official Families page lists ten kinds of approved expenses, from private-school tuition and required uniforms to tutoring, therapies, transportation and computers. Computers are capped at 10 percent of the year's deposit, funds may not pay a family member, and everything except tuition is bought inside the TEFA Marketplace. Whether a particular vendor takes TEFA is a question for the official finder, not for us.
Updated Oct 10, 2026
How to become a TEFA provider: the school rules, the vendor application, and what it costs
As of October 8, 2026: private schools join TEFA through Odyssey's school portal if they hold accreditation recognized by TEPSAC or TEA, have run a campus for two years, give a nationally norm-referenced test and are located in Texas; applications have been rolling since December 9, 2025. Tutors, therapists and product sellers apply through the vendor portal; the official pages list no application fee, and child-facing staff pay $37 each for fingerprinting. Official links only.
Updated Oct 10, 2026
On the TEFA waitlist: what happened in 2026-27 and what to expect for 2027-28
As of October 8, 2026: more than 100,000 children remain on the 2026-27 TEFA waitlist. Awards moved in rounds as families opted out; about 47,000 came off the list; the August 8 round used the remaining budget; awards confirmed after September 15 are prorated. The waitlist does not carry over: join the 2027-28 interest list and apply again.
Updated Oct 10, 2026
Private school vs microschool under TEFA: which award applies, and the accreditation catch
As of October 8, 2026: a microschool can take TEFA money two ways. If it meets the Comptroller's private-school rules (recognized accreditation, two years operating, a norm-referenced test, a Texas location) and is on the participating list, a child there gets $10,474. If it is not, the child is treated as homeschooled or not enrolled, gets up to $2,000, and can pay the microschool only if it sells through the marketplace as a vendor. TxMSAS accreditation is not on TEA's recognized list, and it was not on TEPSAC's list when we read it on September 18, 2026.
Updated Oct 10, 2026
Siblings and the 2027-28 TEFA priority order: who goes first in year two
As of October 8, 2026: after year one, TEFA sorts applicants into three groups — siblings of participating children, new eligible applicants, then prior participants who left for a public or charter school — and applies the income tiers inside each group. A sibling who applies in the same window as an accepted child is also accepted. What this means for new families.
Updated Oct 10, 2026
TEFA and special education: the up-to-$30,000 tier, the IEP rule and the disability certification form
As of October 8, 2026: a child with an IEP on file with the school district who attends a participating private school can receive up to $30,000 a year ($10,474 plus a district-and-IEP-based amount). The disability certification form only sets Tier 1 lottery priority; it adds no money. Who signs the form, where it goes, and what to ask a school.
Updated Oct 10, 2026
TEFA deadline and timeline for 2027-28: what is known, what is not, and what to prepare
As of October 8, 2026: the Comptroller's site gives no 2027-28 application date. The 2026-27 window ran February 4 to March 31, 2026; awards came in rounds from April 22; September 15, 2026 was the last day to confirm for a full award. The rules make continuing families give notice during the same window. What to have ready.
Updated Oct 10, 2026
TEFA income limits and priority tiers: the 2026 poverty-line figures by household size
As of October 8, 2026: TEFA has no income cut-off. Income sets your lottery tier: at or below 200% of the federal poverty level is Tier 2, 200–500% is Tier 3, 500% and above is Tier 4 (capped at 20% of the fund). Table of 200% and 500% for households of 2 to 8 using the 2026 HHS guidelines.
Updated Oct 10, 2026
TEFA vs staying in public school: what changes, what TEFA does not cover, and the waitlist reality
As of October 8, 2026: a fair comparison for a Texas parent weighing a TEFA account against the local public school. What changes on transport, special-education rights under IDEA, testing and cost; what the $10,474 award does not cover; how the 2027-28 priority order treats new applicants and families who return to public school; and why more than 100,000 children spent 2026-27 on the waitlist.
Updated Oct 10, 2026
What is TEFA, the Texas school voucher? Texas Education Freedom Accounts explained
As of October 8, 2026: TEFA is the Texas Education Freedom Accounts program, often called the Texas school voucher, run by the Texas Comptroller with Odyssey as administrator. It gives eligible families $10,474 per child for a participating private school, up to $30,000 with an IEP, or up to $2,000 for homeschool. Who qualifies, how the lottery works, and what to do before the 2027-28 window.
Updated Oct 10, 2026
Texas homeschool voucher (TEFA): the $2,000 account, what it buys and how the marketplace works
As of October 8, 2026: a homeschooled child accepted into TEFA gets up to $2,000 a year, paid in one installment (in 2026-27: July 1 for an opt-in by June 15, mid-August for an opt-in by July 31), spent only through the Odyssey marketplace on approved items such as curriculum, tutoring, assessments and computers (10% limit). No cash, no payments to family. More than 42,000 children used this tier in 2026-27.
Updated Oct 10, 2026
How TEFA funds pay out: amounts, the installment dates, and what the account can buy
As of October 8, 2026: private-school accounts receive $10,474 in three parts (25% July 1, 25% October 1, 50% February 1, 2027); homeschool accounts receive $2,000 in full on July 1. Funds sit in an Odyssey account and pay schools and marketplace vendors directly. Allowed expenses, the 10% limit on computers, and the no-family-member rule, quoted from the official site.
Updated Oct 10, 2026