BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – More than 150,000 families across Texas have applied for the Texas Education Freedom Accounts program, breaking the record for the largest year-one launch of a school choice program in the country, according to the state comptroller’s office.
The program, known as TEFA, provides families with approximately $10,000 in state funding to send their children to private school or homeschool. The application window opened on Feb. 4 and closes on March 17.
Travis Pillow, a spokesperson for the state comptroller’s office, said the program has seen strong momentum heading into the final stretch of the application period.
“So we want to encourage families, if you’re thinking about applying, now’s the time,” Pillow said.
Four weeks into the application window, the Texas Educational Freedom Accounts program has received over 150,000 applicants.(KBTX)
Pillow said officials expect application numbers to climb further as the deadline approaches.
“These numbers are showing that there’s continued momentum and we are now approaching the March 17th deadline for families to apply,” Pillow said. “And so we are expecting that there will be a lot of parents who maybe wait till the last minute, push those numbers up even higher in the coming days.”
After the March 17th deadline, the comptroller’s office will conduct a lottery to determine which applicants receive funding in year one. Pillow said the lottery will prioritize students with disabilities, low-income and middle-income families.
“We expect that we will run out of funding in this first year and there will be a wait list,” Pillow said.
Pillow said the program views school choice as part of a broader education strategy.
“When we put parents in the driver’s seat of their child’s education, they are free to choose what’s best for their child,” Pillow said. “We believe that that’s going to include private schools for some families and public schools for others. We view this program as one part of a comprehensive strategy to make Texas number one in the nation for education.”
With demand already outpacing available funding, the program anticipates lawmakers will provide additional money in future years.
Families can apply at the Texas Education Freedom Accounts website. Lottery results are expected in early April.
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