Green has been a vocal supporter of TEFA and traveled to Austin to advocate for the program. He also developed a relationship with state Rep. Brad Buckley, who chairs the House Public Education Committee that worked on the legislation that became the state\u2019s new school choice law.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/RRCZI265G5HYVOCX7HGNWR3GBA.jpg\"\/)
Andrew Green founder of PSAT Academy, with State Rep. Brad Buckley, who chairs the Public Education Committee in the Texas House. (Family photo)<\/p>\n
He said the growth comes as the school moves into its first true brick-and-mortar location in Houston.<\/p>\n
Green said PSAT Academy operated out of a church two years ago before moving into a converted warehouse last year.<\/p>\n
Now, he has reached an agreement with a nearby charter school that allows PSAT Academy to operate from its new space.<\/p>\n
The school expects to have about 60 to 75 students attending classes in the building this school year, with another roughly 75 students being served online.<\/p>\n
More than 70% of students receive financial aid<\/p>\n
Green said the school\u2019s growth is notable because a large majority of PSAT Academy students receive some form of financial assistance.<\/p>\n
\u201cMore than 70% of them,\u201d Green said.<\/p>\n
He said most parents would not otherwise have the ability to afford private school.<\/p>\n
But providing that financial assistance comes with a cost to the school.<\/p>\n
Green said PSAT Academy does not have outside organizations covering the difference.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s us just taking that loss in tuition,\u201d he said, explaining that the school then has to find a way to make up the money needed for teacher salaries, supplies and other expenses.<\/p>\n
\u201cUsually that comes from me,\u201d Green said.<\/p>\n
Asked how the school is able to absorb those costs, Green said the school\u2019s mission is part of the reason he continues to do it.<\/p>\n
\u201cEducation is a ministry,\u201d he said. \u201cJust like pastors are used to making sacrifices, school administrators, teachers are used to making sacrifice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Green acknowledged that the school is effectively absorbing the cost of a large portion of its students.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a ministry,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Green says TEFA has been a \u201cblessing\u201d for some private schools<\/p>\n
Green said TEFA is particularly beneficial for private schools that are willing to accept a broader range of students.<\/p>\n
He said some private schools have chosen not to participate in TEFA because they want to remain selective about who they admit. But for schools with a model similar to PSAT Academy, he said the program has been significant.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, for those private schools that are more like us, this has been a blessing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Green said some private schools are struggling financially and could be at risk of closing.<\/p>\n
His argument is that families facing the cost of private-school tuition are often forced to make difficult financial choices.<\/p>\n
\u201cParents, I\u2019ve got to pay my mortgage or pay tuition. I\u2019m going to pay my mortgage,\u201d Green said.<\/p>\n
TEFA arrives as public schools announce closures<\/p>\n
PSAT Academy\u2019s expansion comes as school districts in the Houston area have announced multiple school closures.<\/p>\n
That creates a broader debate about where taxpayer-funded education dollars should go at a time when some traditional public schools are closing.<\/p>\n
Green was asked directly about criticism that TEFA sends taxpayer money to private-school operators while public schools are shutting down.<\/p>\n
His response was that public, and private schools should focus on serving students well rather than competing over which model receives families.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf what they are doing is working, they\u2019re not concerned with us,\u201d Green said. \u201cIf you do what you need to do for families, they\u2019re not leaving,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He argued that schools that meet the needs of families will retain their students. Green said he wants public schools to succeed, too.<\/p>\n
But he said he believes there are enough students who need different types of educational options.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe truth of the matter is there are more students that need good schools, both public, private, and homeschool,\u201d Green said. \u201cNobody has to worry about anything. Just do what you do best. Don\u2019t worry about what somebody else is doing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Would PSAT Academy survive without TEFA?<\/p>\n
Green was also asked what would happen to PSAT Academy if TEFA did not exist.<\/p>\n
He said he believes the school would remain open.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt probably will remain open for a while,\u201d Green said. \u201cIt just might not grow as fast.\u201d<\/p>\n
Green said the program has accelerated the school\u2019s growth in more than one way.<\/p>\n
Before TEFA, he said, PSAT Academy had limited money for marketing, meaning many families simply did not know the school existed.<\/p>\n
But being listed among schools\u2019 families can search for through the TEFA program changed that.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot many people even knew about PSAT because we didn\u2019t have a lot of money to put in marketing,\u201d Green said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen when we showed up in a list of schools that you could search for, now all of a sudden people are like, I didn\u2019t even know this school existed.\u201d<\/p>\n
For PSAT Academy, Green says TEFA has introduced the school to families who otherwise might never have found it and helped accelerate its transition from a church and warehouse-based operation into a growing private school with a permanent campus.<\/p>\n
At the same time, the school\u2019s experience highlights one of the central questions surrounding the new program: whether taxpayer-funded education freedom accounts will primarily shift students and money toward existing private schools, or whether they will help expand access to private education for families who previously could not afford it.<\/p>\n
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