HOUSTON – Tuesday is the final day for Texas families to apply for the state’s private school voucher program after a court-ordered extension pushed the deadline to March 31.
Originally, applications were set to close earlier this month, but a federal judge stepped in and extended the deadline following a lawsuit over the exclusion of Islamic schools from the program.
The ruling came after several Muslim parents and private schools argued the state discriminated against them by not allowing Islamic schools to participate. The judge’s order also required the state to update its application system and give those schools a chance to register.
The program, known as Education Savings Accounts, allows families to use public funds for private school tuition, homeschooling, and other education-related expenses.
Most students could receive around $10,000 per year, with significantly more available for students with disabilities, depending on eligibility.
The extension gives families extra time to apply, but once the deadline passes, which is Tuesday at 11:59 p.m., the state will begin reviewing applications and determining who receives funding.
Demand for the program has already exceeded available funding, meaning not all applicants are guaranteed to receive vouchers. So far, more than 257,000 students statewide have applied, with Houston-area families leading the way.
The comptroller will use a lottery system to determine how the state will divide $1 billion among eligible students. Applicants will be considered in this 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 find private schools — which are generally not required to make special education accommodations — to accept their children. Parents do not have to have their children enrolled in a school until July 15. Private schools will then confirm enrollment with the state by July 31.