How to Apply for Texas School Vouchers: Portal, Documents, Lottery

To apply for a Texas school voucher through the Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA) program, submit an online application at educationfreedom.texas.gov between February 4 and March 31, 2026. The program, created by Senate Bill 2 in the 89th Texas Legislature, pays $10,474 per private school student and up to $2,000 per homeschooled student for the 2026–2027 school year.¹ Applications go through Odyssey, the state’s certified platform partner, and there is no paper alternative.

Who Qualifies

A child is eligible if three things are true: the child is a U.S. citizen or lawfully present in the United States, the child lives in Texas, and the child is eligible to attend a Texas public school, charter school, or public pre-K or kindergarten program. That third requirement is how the program sets age and grade limits, and it covers pre-K through 12th grade.¹

A child cannot be enrolled in a Texas public school or charter school and receive TEFA funds at the same time. Accepting an account means withdrawing from public school. Children already in private school or homeschooling have no prior public school enrollment requirement.¹

Homeschool families qualify, but at the reduced $2,000 amount rather than the full $10,474. That funding covers textbooks, instructional materials, assessments, tutoring, educational therapies, and technology. TEFA funds cannot be used to pay a family member, so a homeschooling parent cannot pay themselves for instruction.¹

What the Program Considers a Disability

Disability status matters because it puts a child in the top priority group and unlocks higher funding, but the definition is narrow. A child qualifies as having a disability for TEFA purposes only if the child is eligible for special education services through a Texas public school. That means either a current Individualized Education Program (IEP) or an eligibility determination from a public school ARD committee.² A Section 504 accommodation plan alone does not count.³ A child who has never attended public school can still be evaluated by the local district and, if found eligible, have an IEP developed for TEFA purposes.

How Much You Can Receive and What It Covers

Funding depends on where and how your child is educated. For the 2026–2027 school year:

Private school students receive $10,474 per year, calculated by the Texas Education Agency as 85% of the statewide average of state and local per-student funding.
Private school students with a qualifying disability can receive up to $30,000 per year.
Homeschooled students not enrolled in a private school receive $2,000 per year.¹

Funds are credited semiannually, half at the start of each semester. You don’t receive cash. Purchases go through a program marketplace overseen by the Texas Comptroller, and payments are made to approved schools and vendors. Approved expenses include tuition and fees at approved private schools, higher education providers, online courses, or TEA-recognized industry credential programs; textbooks and instructional materials; required uniforms; private tutoring; academic assessments; transportation to and from approved providers; educational therapies not already covered by Medicaid or other government benefits; computer hardware and software (capped at 10% of the year’s account total); and meals provided by a private school during the school day.¹

Once accepted, a child stays eligible each year until graduating, enrolling in a Texas public or charter school, or moving out of state. You don’t reapply from scratch every year.

Documents to Gather Before You Start

The Odyssey system asks for verification uploads after you submit, and missing or incorrect documents can jeopardize your eligibility. Have these ready:

A valid Texas driver’s license or state-issued ID for the parent or guardian, including the ID number and expiration date.⁴
Proof of Texas residency, such as a utility bill or lease agreement showing your current address.
Income documentation such as tax returns, W-2s, or pay stubs.
Each child’s date of birth, school history, and current education method.
Current military orders for active-duty military families.⁴
An IEP or ARD committee eligibility determination if you’re claiming disability priority or enhanced funding. A 504 plan alone is not sufficient.

Put all your children on one parent account. The system is built for a single application covering every participating child in the household, not separate accounts per child.⁴

Applying Through the Odyssey Portal

The whole application runs online at educationfreedom.texas.gov. You can save your progress, but everything must be submitted before March 31, 2026.¹

Create an account using an email address you’ll keep access to all year. Notifications go to that address.
Enter your parent or guardian information, including ID details. Errors in the ID number or expiration date can cause verification failures.
Add each child, including date of birth, current education method, and school history. If a child receives special education services, provide the requested additional information here. If you select “homeschool” as the education method, you can change it to “private school” only by editing and resubmitting before the deadline.⁴
Review the application, sign the electronic attestations, and confirm all participating children are listed before you submit.
Upload the verification documents when the system prompts you. This step decides whether your application actually gets processed.⁴
You may select an intended private school at this stage, but wait for final approval before signing enrollment contracts. A status of “Eligible” does not guarantee funding.⁴

For technical issues, contact Odyssey’s support team or call 737-379-2362 (toll-free). For program questions, email the Texas Comptroller’s office at educationfreedom@cpa.texas.gov.¹

Priority Groups and the Lottery

The Texas Legislature appropriated $1 billion for TEFA. If applications exceed that funding, the Comptroller runs a lottery based on a defined priority order:¹

Group 1: children with a disability whose family income is at or below 500% of the federal poverty level.
Group 2: children from families with income at or below 200% of the federal poverty level.
Group 3: children from families with income between 200% and 500% of the federal poverty level.
Group 4: children from families with income above 500% of the federal poverty level. Within this group, children who attended Texas public school for at least 90% of the prior year get priority. Funding for Group 4 is capped at 20% of the total program budget.

The 2026 federal poverty guidelines set the income cutoffs. For a family of four, 200% of the guideline is $66,000 and 500% is $165,000. For a family of three, the thresholds are $54,640 and $136,600; for a family of five, $77,360 and $193,400; for a family of six, $88,720 and $221,800.⁵

If your child is accepted during an application period, any eligible sibling who applied during that same period is automatically accepted too.¹ Higher priority improves your odds, but even Group 1 applicants aren’t guaranteed a spot if demand is high enough.

After You Submit

Funding notifications begin going out in early April 2026.¹ If accepted, funds are credited to your child’s account in two semester installments. You authorize payments to approved schools and vendors through the program marketplace rather than receiving money directly.

If your application is denied, you can appeal. Senate Bill 2 allows a participant to appeal any administrative decision made by the Comptroller or Odyssey, including decisions about eligibility, allowable expenses, or removal from the program.⁶ Save your confirmation receipt and copies of every document you uploaded, because you’ll need them if you challenge a decision.

1
Texas Education Freedom Accounts. Texas Education Freedom Accounts: Home
2
Texas Education Agency. Senate Bill 2: Education Savings Accounts and Children with Disabilities
3
Texas Education Agency. SB 2 Guidance Document – Educational Savings Accounts and Children with Disabilities
4
Odyssey. TEFA Parent Application Walkthrough
5
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2026 Poverty Guidelines: 48 Contiguous States
6
Texas Legislature. 89th Legislature, Senate Bill 2 – Enrolled