Texas Families to Soon Apply for Private School Voucher Program

Texas families within months can likely begin applying to participate in a new program that will fund children's private school tuition through state dollars.

Lawmakers' controversial school voucher program, or education savings account, passed this spring and now the state is looking for an organization to oversee its management.

The move comes in preparation for the launch this year of the program, which sparked bitter fights during the 2023 and 2025 legislative session. While proponents of the program have said it will expand parents' educational options for their children, opponents have maintained those vouchers will drain funds from already-strapped public schools.

As early as the 2026-27 school year, children could attend a Texas private school with tuition funded by a savings account.

The program had been a major priority for Gov. Greg Abbott for three years, and he promised Texas’ program would be the largest initial launch of a school voucher initiative in any state.

A bid released last month by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts suggests families could begin applying for program funding for the 2026-27 school year as soon as this fall.

For each child participating in the program, a family will receive about $10,500 annually, or up to $30,000 if the child has a disability. The state will send the funds directly to the child's school. Home-schooled students also could receive $2,000.

The program intends to prioritize children receiving special education and low-income families. The comptroller’s request cites a Legislative Budget Board estimate that about 24,500 students would leave public campuses for private schools.

Advocates who supported savings accounts are working on getting the word out about the program to families, said Laura Colangelo, executive director of the Texas Private Schools Association.

Travis, Williamson, Hays and Bastrop counties have more than 100 private schools, but almost all are concentrated in Travis and Williamson counties. In Travis and Williamson counties, annual tuition is slightly higher – $16,658 and $18,017 respectively – compared to Texas’ average of $14,027, according to Private School Review, an online private school guide.

Typically, private school tuition is higher for high school students than for elementary schoolers.

To participate in the savings account program, a school must be accredited by at least one of about 20 agencies that accredits private schools, Colangelo said. Some agencies focus on schools of one faith, such as Catholic private schools, and some on school model, such as Montessori schools, but others are broader.

The schools must go through a process in which the accrediting agencies visit classes, review curriculum, go to board meetings and analyze safety standards, among other things, Colangelo said.

“The assurance is that an accredited private school meets or exceeds the level of academic standards of public schools,” Colangelo said.

The Texas Private School Accreditation Commission lists the schools that have gone through this process.

While not all accredited private schools will choose to participate in the savings account program, most have expressed interest, Colangelo said.

Ideally, she said, families would get their savings account award around the same time they’d hear back about their acceptance to a private school, which typically happens in the spring.