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Under the Texas Education Freedom Accounts\u00a0program, families could receive $10,474 in public funds to pay for private schooling. Children with disabilities were eligible for up to $30,000.<\/p>\n
Stewart F. House\/Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
Less than a third of North Texas students who applied for a school voucher<\/a> received one, according to a Dallas Morning News analysis of newly released state data.\u00a0<\/p>\n The new data was part of a report released Monday by the Texas Comptroller\u2019s office that details the program\u2019s demographics. More than 25,800 students in the Dallas Fort-Worth area will participate in the\u00a0inaugural year of <\/a>the Texas Education Freedom Accounts, according to the report.\u00a0<\/p>\n Related: Looking for a private school? Here’s how North Texas families can find the right fit<\/a><\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Out of the 274,000 applicants across the state, more than 88,000 hailed from North Texas. Dallas ISD and Fort Worth ISD had some of the highest numbers, with over 8,000 and 4,000 applicants respectively.<\/p>\n But the report shows that only 2,645 of applicants living within Dallas ISD boundaries ended up participating. That was the second-highest number of participants in a\u00a0district after Houston ISD, which has 3,327 participants. Fort Worth ISD ranked fifth with 1,764 participants.\u00a0<\/p>\n Related: Texas\u2019 first year of school vouchers is starting. Students with disabilities find hope but face obstacles<\/a><\/p>\n Under the program, families could receive $10,474 in public funds to pay for private schooling. Children with disabilities were eligible for up to $30,000, though the vast majority received far less than that<\/a>. Homeschooled students could get $2,000.\u00a0<\/p>\n While 122,000 students were ultimately awarded, only 85,344 have confirmed their participation to receive their taxpayer-funded voucher. A TEFA spokesperson said about 20,000 students have opted out of the program so far, and an additional 121,000 students remain on the\u00a0wait list.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Related: Fewer than 25 students got Texas\u2019 full $30,000 school voucher<\/a><\/p>\n Critics worry that the program will divert funding away from public schools<\/a>, which serve 5.5 million Texas students. About 98,000 students will leave public schools for private schools by 2030, which is 1.8% of Texas\u2019 current public school student population, according to a 2025 analysis by the Texas Legislature<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n TEFA students come from 6,883 public schools, but the report only identifies 434 campuses. The office removes fields with fewer than 30 students, citing privacy concerns.\u00a0<\/p>\n Participants across the state are 41% white, 28% Hispanic and 14% Black, 12% multiracial and 5% Asian, according to the report. Less than 1% identified as American Indian or Alaskan Native.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The bulk of applicants were in kindergarten through middle school. Pre-K had the highest number of funded students, coming in at roughly 9,400. Third grade followed, with 7,200 students.\u00a0<\/p>\n About 20,000 in the top two priority groups \u2014 students with disabilities and low-income students \u2014 opted out of the program, leaving their funds on the table for waitlisted families.\u00a0Early on, critics worried that students would struggle to find private schools, which can deny admission, charge tuition far higher than the awarded amount, and be located far away.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n