Siblings and the 2027-28 TEFA priority order: who goes first in year two

Short answer, as of October 8, 2026: for the 2027-28 school year, siblings of children already in TEFA come first. The official FAQ sets the year-two order as: (1) siblings of participating children, (2) new eligible program applicants, (3) prior participants who left the program for a public or charter school. Inside each group, the year-one income tiers apply again. There is also a direct rule: if a child is accepted, "any eligible sibling of that child who applies during the same application period is also accepted." This page explains what that means for families with a child in the program and for families applying fresh.

The order, in the state's words

From the Comptroller's FAQ (under "Year 2"):

After year 1, applicants will first be prioritized in the following order, and then will be prioritized within each group in the order stated in the year 1 prioritization: 1. Siblings of participating children. 2. New eligible program applicants. 3. Prior program participants who ceased program participation due to enrollment in a public or charter school. If a child is accepted for participation during an application period, any eligible sibling of that child who applies during the same application period is also accepted for participation during that application period.

Rule §16.403(f) mirrors this: applications are separated into three subcategories, with a lottery held within each subcategory when funding is short.

The "year 1 prioritization" it refers to is the income ladder: children with a disability at or below 500% of the federal poverty level, then households at or below 200%, then 200–500%, then 500% and above (that last group capped at 20% of the fund). Dollar figures are on the income limits page.

Three families, three positions

Family A has a child in TEFA this year and a younger child starting kindergarten in 2027. The current child does not reapply; the family confirms continuation during the window (rule §16.403(d)). The kindergartner applies and lands in group 1. If funding is short even for group 1, the kindergartner is ranked by the family's income tier.

Family B was on the 2026-27 waitlist. The waitlist does not carry over. The child applies again and lands in group 2, ranked by tier among all other new applicants, behind every group-1 sibling.

Family C had a child in TEFA, moved the child to a public school, and now wants back in. That child is in group 3, last among the three groups.

Our eligibility checker shows the group and tier for your situation. We do not save your answers.

What "sibling of a participating child" means

The program rules define a sibling as "A brother, sister, stepbrother, stepsister, half-brother, half-sister, or a foster brother or sister who is a dependent of the participating parent and has been placed with the participating parent by an authorized placement agency or by judgment, decree, or other order of a court of competent jurisdiction" (34 TAC §16.401(23), read October 8, 2026). The official site's pages use the phrase and do not repeat that definition. Two more things are clear from the official text:

• The sibling's priority depends on the other child being a participating child, that is, funded and in good standing at the time.
• The "also accepted" sentence applies when both children are in the same application period. A sibling who applies in a later window is prioritized in group 1 but is not automatically accepted by that sentence.

The same section defines a parent as "a resident of this state who is a natural or adoptive parent, managing or possessory conservator, legal guardian, custodian, or other person with legal authority to act on behalf of a child" (§16.401(16)). If your household's situation is not clear from these two definitions, ask the program directly through the customer support link on the official site before the window opens.

Why this matters for new applicants

The sibling group is large. The Comptroller's August 2026 budget request to the Legislature estimated $82 million just to fund eligible siblings, on top of $916 million to continue the roughly 110,000 current students and $980 million for the 106,127 children still waitlisted. If the Legislature funds less than the cost of all three groups, group 1 is served before any group-2 child, whatever the income tier. A new Tier 2 family can therefore be behind a Tier 4 sibling.

The lesson for a new family is not to skip the application. It is to apply on the first day the window opens, to have the tax return and documents ready, and to line up a school seat that does not depend on the award arriving on a particular date. The deadline tracker shows the window once the Comptroller announces it and we add the date (the Comptroller's site gives no date as of October 8, 2026), and the Houston hub and statewide catalog show a school's 2027-28 seats once the school confirms them.

Practical checklist for sibling families

1. Confirm the current child's continuation as soon as the window opens; it is required during the application period.
2. Submit the sibling's application in the same window so the "also accepted" sentence applies.
3. If the sibling has an IEP, have it on file with TEA before the window closes; only an IEP unlocks the higher award. See the special education page.
4. Run the net-cost calculator with two children; many schools publish a sibling discount, and we record it on the profile when confirmed.

How we verify: the priority order and the sibling sentence are quoted from the Comptroller's pages and the rules in the Texas Register, checked October 8, 2026; budget figures come from the Comptroller's appropriations request PDF. Participation status comes only from the official list. This site is independent and is not affiliated with the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts or Odyssey. See our methodology.