Texas homeschool voucher (TEFA): the $2,000 account, what it buys and how the marketplace works

Short answer, as of October 8, 2026: a homeschooled child accepted into TEFA receives up to $2,000 a year. The whole amount was paid on July 1, 2026, unlike private-school accounts, which are paid in three parts. The money stays in an account run by Odyssey and can be spent only in the TEFA Marketplace on approved items: curriculum and books, tutoring, classes, assessments, therapies, and computers within a 10% limit. In 2026-27 more than 42,000 children took part on this tier, according to the Comptroller's budget request.

Is there a Texas homeschool voucher or grant?

TEFA is the state program that pays for homeschool costs, and many people call it the Texas homeschool voucher. It is not a grant paid to you. In 2026-27 a homeschooled child accepted into TEFA received up to $2,000, paid into an account run by Odyssey in one installment (July 1 for an opt-in by June 15, mid-August for an opt-in by July 31). The family spends it in the TEFA Marketplace on approved items. You cannot be paid to homeschool: the official site says funds may not be used to pay a family member. You apply in the same window as every other family; see the deadline page.

Who this tier is for

The official FAQ says of "Homeschooled students": "May receive up to $2,000 per year." The Comptroller's releases describe the group as "homeschool and other eligible nonpublic students", and the budget request calls them children "learning in a homeschool or other non-government school setting." That includes co-ops and unaccredited microschools that are not participating private schools. If your child attends a school that is on the Comptroller's participating list, the $10,474 tier applies instead; check the statewide catalog.

Eligibility and the lottery are the same for every applicant: the child must be lawfully present and eligible for a Texas public school, the parent must live in Texas, and income sets the priority tier. Use the eligibility checker. The official pages (read October 8, 2026) describe one application; a family selects "homeschool/other" after the award.

How the year ran in 2026-27

1. Families applied February 4 to March 31, 2026.
2. Awarded families had until July 15 to "confirm enrollment in a participating private school; select homeschool/other (which provides $2,000 in funding); or opt out of the program" (Comptroller, June 10).
3. On July 1 homeschool accounts received 100% of the $2,000 (Comptroller, June 30; official site).
4. Spending began in the marketplace, which opened with "more than 54,000 approved educational products and services" from nearly 2,400 vendors.

As of October 8, 2026 the Comptroller's site gives no 2027-28 application date. Current participants confirm they want to continue during the next window; new families apply then. The deadline tracker shows the date once the Comptroller posts it and we add it.

What $2,000 can buy

The approved-expense list on the official Families page applies to every account. The items most used by homeschool families:

• "Textbooks or other instructional materials" — curriculum sets, workbooks, manipulatives, when sold by a participating vendor.
• "Private tutoring."
• "Tuition and fees at a ... higher education provider, online educational course or program" — dual-credit and online classes from approved providers.
• "Fees for classes provided by school districts that do not qualify the child to be included in school's average daily attendance."
• "Academic assessment costs."
• "Educational therapies not covered by any federal, state, or local government benefits."
• "Computer hardware or software (must not exceed 10 percent of the total amount transferred to the child's account that year)" — $200 on a $2,000 account.
• "Transportation to/from approved providers."

The FAQ adds that online or out-of-state programs qualify "if the provider applies for approval and is accepted into the program", and that approved career and technical education programs qualify.

Two limits: "Funds may not be used to pay a family member", so a parent cannot be paid as the teacher; and everything is a marketplace purchase, not a reimbursement of something you already bought. One benefit: unused funds roll over "as long as the child remains in the TEFA program."

Finding participating vendors

The official finder lists providers by region and type. On October 8, 2026 it showed, statewide, 311 curriculum providers, 603 tutoring, 140 classes, 159 supplies, 407 enrichment and 17 assessment providers. Our provider directory lists the providers of the Comptroller's participating-vendors workbook by category, and by county where a row has one, each with the date that the workbook gives for it. A vendor that is not on the finder cannot be paid from the account; ask the vendor to apply through the official Providers and Vendors page (applications are rolling).

This site uses no affiliate links. See how the Odyssey marketplace works for the purchase flow and what changed for any rule updates.

Homeschool or private school: the money question

Two thousand dollars covers materials; it does not cover tuition. A family weighing a participating private school should run the net-cost calculator: tuition minus $10,474 (or the higher IEP-based amount) is often a larger number than $2,000, but a smaller number than the sticker price. The Comptroller's budget request notes an expectation that some families will move from the homeschool tier to a private school as seats open; the Houston hub shows a school's 2027-28 seats once the school confirms them.

How we verify: amounts, dates and the expense list are quoted from the Comptroller's pages and releases, checked October 8, 2026; the participant count comes from the Comptroller's appropriations request PDF. Vendor participation comes only from the Comptroller's participating-vendors 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. See our methodology.