Applications for Texas’ school voucher program close Tuesday, and early data shows that most applicants attended private school or were home-schooled last year.
Families seeking to use public funds to cover private school or home-school costs for the 2026–27 academic year can apply until 11:59 p.m. Tuesday.
By Monday afternoon, families had submitted applications for more than 200,000 students—exceeding what the $1 billion in available state funding can support. According to the Texas comptroller’s office, which oversees the program as the state’s chief financial officer, more than 2,200 private schools have chosen to accept voucher students.
At least 71% of Texas voucher applicants so far come from families whose children attended a private school or were home-schooled during the 2024–25 academic year, according to data released earlier this month and confirmed Monday by the comptroller.
In late February, the comptroller denied a public records request from The Texas Tribune that asked how many applicants currently attend private school or are home-schooled, stating the office did not collect that information during the application period.
Most participating families with children in private schools will receive about $10,500 annually. Home-schooling families can receive up to $2,000 per year. Children with disabilities qualify for up to $30,000—an amount based on the cost of educating that child in a public school.
The comptroller will rely on a lottery system to decide how to distribute the $1 billion among eligible students. Officials will consider applicants in the following order:
- Students with disabilities in families with an annual income at or below 500% of the federal poverty level, which includes a four-person household earning less than roughly $165,000 a year.
- Families at or below 200% of the poverty level, which includes a four-person household earning less than roughly $66,000.
- Families between 200% and 500% of the poverty level.
- Families at or above 500% of the poverty level; these families can receive up to $200 million of the program’s total budget.
Families must still secure acceptance from private schools—which generally are not required to provide special education accommodations—for their children. Parents do not need to enroll their children in a school until July 15, and private schools will confirm enrollment with the state by July 31.
Early data from the comptroller shows that 35% of students come from households earning at or below $66,000 annually for a family of four. Another 37% come from households earning between $66,000 and $165,000 per year, while 28% of applicants come from households earning more than $165,000 annually.
The data also shows:
- Nearly 80% of applicants plan to attend a private school next year, while the remaining applicants say they plan to home-school.
- Most families applied to receive vouchers for pre-K, though half of them do not meet the eligibility criteria.
- Most applicants reside in the Houston region, followed by the Richardson, Fort Worth, San Antonio and Austin regions.
The comptroller’s office said it plans to release finalized data from the application pool later this week.
Confusion over the voucher program rules has left some families of children with disabilities unable to qualify for additional funding for students who need special education services. These families were unaware that they needed a special education evaluation from a public school to qualify. Obtaining legal documentation proving a child received the evaluation can take months, while the voucher application window lasted only 41 calendar days.
The comptroller recently clarified its interpretation of the voucher law, stating that it believes families of students with disabilities can still apply for the additional funding next year.
Meanwhile, the comptroller has not yet accepted any Islamic schools into the program. Four Muslim parents and three Islamic private schools have filed a lawsuit against the state, alleging discrimination based on religion.