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Texas Finalizes Voucher Rules, Confirms Full Pre-K ESA Funding and Key Deadlines

The $1 billion program will operate through education savings accounts beginning in the 2026–27 school year.

Overview

  • Most participants will receive about $10,300 per student, home-schoolers $2,000, and students with disabilities up to $30,000, with eligible pre-K children now qualifying for the full amount.
  • Applications open Dec. 9 for current disability-program vendors, shortly after for other providers, and Feb. 4 for families, with an expected roughly six-week window and decisions by May 1 according to program documents.
  • For special-education priority in the lottery, families may submit a Social Security determination letter or a physician’s note at application, while full educational evaluations and an IEP are required before disability funds are released.
  • Disability-rights and public-education advocates sought stronger verification and broader transparency, but the comptroller kept reporting and auditing limited to what state law mandates.
  • Final rules also allow newly accredited school networks to open Texas campuses and receive funds, ban resale of purchased items indefinitely, and let approved students continue without reapplying each year.