Overview
- Analysts using Comptroller data found that at least 28,200 public school students accepted Texas Education Freedom Account vouchers, and that those departures have conservatively removed at least $227 million in state funding from districts.
- Two watchdog groups estimate statewide losses could approach $300 million this year after they combined confirmed district losses with conservative estimates for districts with redacted counts.
- More than 700 school districts — about 70% of Texas districts — lost at least one student to the voucher program, and many small and rural districts face acute risk because losing just a few students can force staff or program cuts.
- TEFA was created in 2025 with about $1 billion in initial funding and set per-student awards at $10,474 for private school, $2,000 for homeschooling, and up to $30,000 for students with special needs; demand far outstripped that funding with over 200,000 applicants, roughly 122,000 awards and about 100,000 on the waitlist.
- The Comptroller has urged lawmakers to consider doubling TEFA funding, but district leaders and watchdogs say privacy redactions and rapid uptake mean the Legislature should weigh the program’s fiscal and accountability effects before expanding funding.