Roughly 70 Austin-area private schools have already lined up to accept Texas’s new Education Freedom Accounts, the $1 billion voucher program that will let families tap public dollars for private school tuition, tutoring, and other approved education services next school year. The sign-ups span traditional K-12 campuses, Montessori programs, and pre-K centers, along with a few online-only providers. With parent applications already open and a March 17 deadline coming fast, families and school leaders are scrambling to figure out what this all means on the ground in Central Texas. The early list of approved campuses lays out both the new options and the sharp debates the statewide program has kicked up.
How Much The Accounts Pay And Key Dates
Under the program, participating private school students will be eligible for about $10,474 per child for the 2026-27 school year. Students with disabilities may receive up to $30,000, and homeschoolers can get up to $2,000, according to Texas Education Freedom Accounts. Families could begin applying on Feb. 4 and have until 11:59 p.m. Central on March 17, and the comptroller’s office says it will start notifying awardees in April. The official portal and program guide spell out that funds may be used for tuition, tutoring, transportation, and certain therapies, and that allocations will be made through a priority lottery if demand exceeds the $1 billion cap for year one.
Demand Already Outpacing Slots
Interest has taken off quickly. The comptroller’s office reported that more than 123,000 student applications had been filed through Feb. 22, topping the program’s roughly 90,000-student capacity for the inaugural year, according to FOX 7 Austin. That application pool is weighted toward current private school families, which could leave thousands of newer applicants waiting in line when the portal's lottery runs after March 17. The numbers have intensified scrutiny of who benefits first and how quickly the comptroller and Odyssey can move approvals through the system.
Which Austin Campuses Opted In
The Austin American-Statesman published a local roster that includes several well-known campuses, such as Rawson Saunders School, Alpha School, St. Michael's Catholic Preparatory and Magellan International School, along with a long list of Montessori and pre-K providers, according to the Austin American-Statesman. Local reporting and the state map indicate many of the Austin-area approvals skew toward pre-K and early-childhood programs, and the Houston Chronicle reported that about 26 Austin-region campuses serve only pre-K. That mix means families hunting for middle or high school options in Austin may find fewer in-person choices than parents of preschoolers.
What Officials Say
Acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock has framed the rollout as a major expansion of choice, saying the state was “launching the largest day-one school choice program in the nation” in a Jan. 28 news release from the comptroller’s office. The comptroller has highlighted online tools that let parents prepare and compare approved schools. At the same time, some education advocates and district leaders warn that the program could redirect public funding and primarily help families who were already in a position to pay private tuition. Those concerns have surfaced in local coverage and in statements from district officials who are watching the numbers closely.
How To Check A School's Status And Apply
Families can search the official list of approved schools and providers on the program’s interactive finder and submit applications through the Odyssey portal; see the program finder for the most up-to-date list of participating campuses. The TEFA site and parent guide lay out required documents, an application checklist and the timeline for notifications and initial funding. Parents who are accepted will need to indicate a private school enrollment, and schools must confirm that enrollment before funds flow. To apply, families use the Odyssey portal at the parent application site.
What It Could Mean For Austin Schools
Local coverage and state reporting suggest that the rollout will reshape options for some families and raise budget questions for districts if students exit public schools in significant numbers. The Houston Chronicle and other outlets note that the initial approvals are concentrated in big cities and early-education programs, and experts warn that the immediate financial impact on school budgets will depend on how many public school students actually move out of districts. For now, Austin families weighing alternatives can turn to the state finder and local reporting to see which campuses in the region have opted in and how that lines up with their own needs.
