How to become a TEFA provider: the school rules, the vendor application, and what it costs

Short answer, as of October 8, 2026: there are two doors. Private schools apply through Odyssey's school portal and must meet four rules set by the Comptroller: accreditation recognized by TEPSAC or TEA, two years running a campus, a nationally norm-referenced test each year, and a Texas location. Vendors (tutors, therapists, teaching services, curriculum and product sellers) apply through the vendor portal, must be registered to do business in Texas; the official pages name no application fee; staff who work with children pay $37 each for fingerprinting. Below are the official steps, documents and costs we could source.

Door 1: private schools

The official Schools page lists the requirements, quoted:

• "Be accredited by an organization recognized by the Texas Private School Accreditation Commission (TEPSAC) or by the Texas Education Agency."
• "Be a proven operator that has successfully run a campus for at least two years."
• "Administer a nationally norm-referenced assessment."
• "Be located in Texas or, for a virtual school, have an office in Texas."

Odyssey's school-eligibility article adds detail: the two years must be consecutive, a virtual campus needs an administrative office in Texas, and the test must be given to participating TEFA students in grades 3 through 12 each year, with results provided. The article also lists the tests the program accepts; open it before you pick one.

What "recognized by TEA" means today: TEA's accreditation page names four private accreditors recognized "for purposes related to the education savings account program administered through the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts": TEPSAC, the International Association for Learner Driven Schools, the Society for Classical Learning and the National Association of Private Schools. If your accreditor is not on either list, read private school vs microschool under TEFA before applying.

How to apply: the Schools page says applications opened on December 9, 2025 and "are accepted on a rolling basis." Schools use the School Portal Login linked from that page (tefa-schools.withodyssey.com). Once listed, the school confirms each family's enrollment and sets tuition in the same portal.

Pre-K or kindergarten program? A different track applies: a DFPS license plus one of five criteria listed on the Schools page (Texas Rising Star, Texas School Ready, a district partnership, or recognized accreditation).

Door 2: vendors and service providers

The official Providers and Vendors page describes who the marketplace is for: "tutoring, therapy, and teaching services; courses and programs offered by public schools, charter schools, institutions of higher education, or other instructional providers; and a wide range of instructional materials and technology products." Applications are "accepted on a rolling basis", and "all vendor applications and offerings will be reviewed by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts to determine eligibility before appearing in the marketplace."

Odyssey's requirements article (updated June 30, 2026) sets out the general rules. A vendor must:

1. operate as a U.S.-based business entity;
2. be in good standing with the Comptroller on Texas franchise tax, if applicable;
3. be registered with the Texas Secretary of State (a sole proprietor or general partnership may use an assumed-name certificate from the county clerk instead);
4. offer products or services eligible under TEFA; and
5. follow program policies and the law.

You apply under one category: Private School (as a vendor of individual courses), Independent School District or Charter School, Higher Education Provider, Pre-K Approved Provider, Therapist, Tutor, Teaching Service, Educational Products, or Other. Each category asks for its own documents, typically a Certificate of Fact, Formation or Filing from the Secretary of State, plus a DFPS license for pre-K providers and professional licenses where the service requires one.

Fingerprinting. Any vendor offering direct services to children, in person or online, must list every person who will interact with a participating child. After the application reaches "Approved – Pending Fingerprint", each person gets an email to schedule an appointment. The official help center states: "Fingerprinting will cost $37." Results go straight to the Comptroller. Prior fingerprinting elsewhere does not count, and PDSES pre-approved vendors are exempt.

Out-of-state businesses register with the Secretary of State as a foreign entity first. Odyssey's article quotes the filing fees: $750 for foreign entities, $25 for nonprofits, with a penalty for operating more than 90 days unregistered.

Fees and timelines. The official Schools page, the Providers and Vendors page and Odyssey's five help-center articles (read October 8, 2026) name no application fee and no processing time for a TEFA application; the only published rule is "rolling". The Comptroller's June 30, 2026 release counted nearly 2,400 participating vendors and more than 54,000 approved products and services.

After you are listed: claim your free profile

The official finder's school card gives contact details and says "No academic data available"; the finder's page (read October 8, 2026) does not have the words tuition, seat or deadline. Parents searching the Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Austin and Fort Worth boards on this site see those fields only when a school confirms them. Claiming is free: claim your profile here, confirm your grades, tuition and 2027-28 seats, and your entry feeds the net-cost calculator and the comparison table. Providers appear in the provider directory by category and county. Our methodology explains how each field is checked and when it expires.

How we verify: requirements, dates and costs are quoted from the Comptroller's pages and Odyssey's public help-center articles, checked October 8, 2026. Participation status comes only from the Comptroller's participating-schools workbook (educationfreedom.texas.gov/toolkit), file dated October 5, 2026. This site is independent and is not affiliated with the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts or Odyssey.