The Texas Education Freedom Accounts program is the state's education savings account program. It lets families who educate a child outside the public school system, including through homeschooling, use state money for approved education expenses. Details below were checked October 8, 2026, so confirm everything on the Comptroller's program site before you act.
What are Texas Education Freedom Accounts?
The program was created by Senate Bill 2 in 2025, which the program site says provided $1 billion in funding. The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts administers it. The bill's caption is "Relating to the establishment of an education savings account program," and the bill history lists an effective date of September 1, 2025.
Accepted families spend the money through the program marketplace on approved education expenses. The Comptroller's site says it applies to children enrolled outside the public system, such as in a private school or through homeschooling. A 2026 Comptroller release names Odyssey as the certified educational assistance organization that verifies student information.
Who is eligible?
Per the Comptroller's family page (checked October 8, 2026), the parent must prove the child is a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or lawfully admitted to the United States. The child must be eligible to attend a public or open-enrollment charter school, or to enroll in its pre-K or kindergarten program, and must live in Texas. Parents must be Texas residents.
A child stays eligible until they graduate high school, stop being eligible for a Texas public school, charter school or pre-K/kindergarten program, enroll in a Texas public or charter school, or move out of Texas. Pre-K has narrower rules: the child must be at least three and meet one of several listed criteria, such as being homeless or being the child of an active-duty service member.
How much money does a student get?
These are the 2026-27 amounts on the Comptroller's family page, checked October 8, 2026. Amounts for later years were not published on the pages reviewed.
Most students with an IEP receive less than the cap, according to the family page, and the Comptroller points to a funding table published by the Texas Education Agency. The bill text sets the same $2,000 limit for homeschooled students and a $30,000 limit for transfers tied to a disability.
For payment timing, the program site says private school students receive 25% on July 1, 2026, 25% on October 1, 2026, and 50% on February 1, 2027. Homeschool and other students receive 100% on July 1, 2026.
What can the money be used for?
- Schooling and materials: tuition and fees at private schools and higher education providers, approved online courses or programs, TEA-approved industry-credential training, textbooks and instructional materials, and required uniforms.
- Other approved costs: academic assessments, private tutoring, transportation to and from approved providers, and educational therapies not covered by government benefits such as Medicaid.
- Technology: computer hardware or software, capped at 10% of the year's total transfer.
- Not allowed: payments to a family member.
Online and out-of-state programs are allowed if the provider applies and is accepted. Funds left at the end of the school year roll over as long as the child stays in the program. A parent who homeschools should check that a given curriculum, tutor or course appears in the program marketplace before paying for it.
How and when do you apply?
The 2026-27 application opened February 4, 2026. The Comptroller's pages disagree on the closing date: the family page says March 17, 2026, while the program homepage and an April 2, 2026 Comptroller release say March 31. Applications for 2026-27 are now closed, and the program site says families who missed it can join a 2027-28 interest list.
The program site says it received more than 274,000 applications and has made over 100,000 awards (checked October 8, 2026). Families apply and manage their account through the parent portal, and awards and waitlist notices were posted in each applicant's portal.
How does priority and the lottery work?
Awards are not first come, first served. If eligible applicants exceed the available money, a lottery decides placement, with priority by household income and disability.
- First Children with a disability in households at or below 500% of the federal poverty level.
- Second Children in households at or below 200% of the federal poverty level.
- Third Children in households between 200% and 500%.
- Fourth Children in households at or above 500%. Students in a Texas public or charter school for at least 90% of the prior year get priority within this group, and funds for it cannot exceed 20% of the year's appropriation.
For a family of four, the family page lists 200% as $66,000 and 500% as $165,000 a year. In Year 2, siblings of participating children go first, then new eligible applicants, then prior participants who left to enroll in public or charter school. If one sibling is accepted in a period, eligible siblings who apply in the same period are also accepted.
What about renewing?
The family page says participants in good standing do not need to reapply. They stay in the program automatically and only need to confirm they want to continue. The Comptroller must also contract with a private entity to audit accounts and eligibility at least annually, and the State Auditor performs periodic audits.
What is still undecided?
- Dates, amounts and funding for the 2027-28 application period: none of the official pages reviewed state them.
- Funding after the current budget cycle: the bill caps program spending at $1 billion for the biennium beginning September 1, 2025, and that provision expires September 1, 2027.
- The reason the official pages list two different closing dates for 2026-27.
This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice. Rules, amounts and dates change, so confirm every detail with the Texas Comptroller before you apply or spend. Parents building a home curriculum can read the next guide for ideas on what to do with the funds.
Keep readingHow to Build a Curriculum Plan With an AI AssistantThe best way to build a curriculum with an AI assistant is to give it your state's published standards, tell it your child's grade and goals, and then ask for a year outline, then units, then weekly…Can homeschooled students get a Texas Education Freedom Account?
Yes. The Comptroller's family page lists up to $2,000 per year for homeschool or other students for 2026-27 (checked October 8, 2026). Homeschool students with an IEP are also capped at $2,000.
Is the program open for applications now?
No. As of October 8, 2026 the program site says applications for 2026-27 are closed and offers an interest list for 2027-28.
Is it first come, first served?
No. If eligible applicants exceed the available funding, a lottery decides placement, with priority by household income and disability.
Do families have to reapply every year?
The family page says participants in good standing do not need to reapply and only need to confirm they want to continue.
Can the money pay a relative to teach a child?
No. The family page says funds cannot be used to pay a family member.
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