HOUSTON – Seven out of every 10 students awarded money through Texas’ new school voucher program previously attended private school or were homeschooled, according to newly released state data.
The Texas Comptroller’s Office reported 118,441 students had received awards through the Texas Education Freedom Accounts program as of Aug. 10. Of those students, 70% previously attended private school or were homeschooled, while 30% previously attended public school.
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David DeMatthews, a professor in the College of Education at the University of Texas at Austin, said the 70% finding resembles patterns seen after other states expanded their voucher programs.
“The overwhelming majority of students are students that were previously enrolled in private schools, which is what was predicted based on what we’ve seen in other states with these programs,” DeMatthews said.
The prior-school comparison excludes pre-K and kindergarten applicants, reflects the 2024–25 school year and is based on information reported by parents.
The data provides the first statewide look at a question that dominated the voucher debate: Would public money create new educational opportunities for families unable to afford private school, or would it largely subsidize families already using private or home education?
“That was a number we’ve all been waiting for,” said Dee Carney, director of the Texas Center for Voucher Transparency.
Abbott promised to expand choice beyond wealthy families
While promoting the $1 billion program in March 2025, Gov. Greg Abbott argued that school choice should not be limited to families who could already afford private education.
“School choice already exists for the wealthy,” Abbott said. “This ensures school choice for people of all means, including those of low-income means.”
Abbott also argued that vouchers and public-school funding could coexist.
“When it comes to education, it’s not one or the other,” Abbott said. “It’s not either public schools or school choice. We can do both at the very same time.”
The latest fact sheet shows 64% of awarded students came from households reporting incomes at or below 200% of the federal poverty level. For a family of four, that category includes households earning up to approximately $66,000 annually.
DeMatthews said the broad category prevents the public from determining how many vouchers went to families facing the greatest financial barriers.
“We have no way of knowing how many families that are at or below the actual poverty line are receiving a voucher,” DeMatthews said. “Sixty-six thousand dollars a year for a family of four—some Texans can struggle with that amount—but it’s very different than what the federal poverty line is at roughly $33,000.”
DeMatthews described the report as “transparency theater,” which he defined as releasing numerous charts and figures without providing enough detail for the public to evaluate whether a program is meeting its stated goals.
“You release a lot of information, you show charts and figures and groups, but you don’t actually give the public the numbers they need to make sense of the program and actually evaluate it for themselves,” DeMatthews said.
The published data does not provide a complete breakdown showing how many awards remained pending, went unclaimed, were declined or were withdrawn.
Texas received approximately 274,000 applications and determined nearly 249,000 students were eligible. More than 121,000 eligible students were on the program’s first-year waiting list when the annual report was published.
Gov. Abbott’s Office released the following statement:
“Governor Abbott delivered education freedom because every Texas parent deserves the opportunity to choose the school that best serves their child. The Texas Education Freedom Accounts program prioritizes low-income families and students with disabilities, and the vast majority of participants come from those households. Texas funds this program separately while providing record support for public schools and historic funding for teacher pay raises.”
Some families say they are grateful
KPRC 2 spoke to one mother who lives with her family in the Clear Lake area. She said her two children, a sixth grader and third grader, were attending a private Catholic school and now the vouchers give her family more breathing room.
“It is a blessing,” she told KPRC 2. “I’m glad this was an option.”
She said her family was unable to take vacations and the private school tuition costs more than their house mortgage. Now, she said is able to save money for other expenses.
Another parent from Beaumont told KPRC 2 a similar story and said the Texas Education Freedom Account funds make a significant difference for their family by helping make private school fit within their budget.
“We have always worked to provide the very best for our children,” she said. “Because of these funds, that dream is now possible. I am incredibly grateful that our children will continue to have the opportunity to attend a Catholic private school that reflects our faith and values.”
Texas follows a pattern seen in other states
In Florida’s first year after universal eligibility took effect, 69% of students new to its two primary voucher programs were already attending private school. Another 18% were entering kindergarten, while 13% transferred from public school, according to data released by Step Up for Students, which administers most Florida vouchers.
Similar patterns emerged elsewhere, although differences in eligibility and reporting prevent exact comparisons.
In Arizona’s first universal cohort, approximately 71% of participants had not previously attended public school. In Iowa’s first year, approximately two-thirds of participants had already attended nonpublic schools.
Texas is now one of at least 18 states with a universal or near-universal private-school-choice program.
What the Texas reports do not show
Texas has released demographic information on race, grade, sex, geography, household-income tier and disability status. But those categories are generally reported separately rather than cross-tabulated.
As a result, the public still cannot determine:
- How many students from the lowest-income households transferred from public schools
- The percentage breakdown between prior private school and homeschooled students
- The zip code of each recipient (required to be reported to lawmakers under state law)
- How many awardees were already attending private school despite having limited household income
- How many public-school students came from D- or F-rated campuses
- How many families declined, withdrew or never claimed an award
- How many families could not cover tuition and other costs beyond the award
- What types of disabilities participating students have
- Whether participating private schools could provide the services those students needed
- How voucher funds are divided among private-school tuition, homeschooling, therapy, tutoring and other expenses
Questions remain about students with disabilities
State leaders also promoted TEFA as a way to expand educational opportunities for students with disabilities.
Nearly one-quarter of funded participants have a qualifying disability, according to the annual report. A separate fact sheet shows 18% of awarded students were in the highest-priority group, which includes students with a documented disability from households earning up to 500% of the federal poverty level.
That threshold is approximately $165,000 for a family of four.
The state did not disclose the recipients’ disability categories, the intensity of their needs or how disability status overlaps with household income.
DeMatthews said those omissions make it impossible to determine whether the largest awards—up to $30,000 for certain students with disabilities—are reaching families struggling to obtain intensive services.
“We actually don’t know: Is this serving families who are really struggling to get the therapies and supports children need?” DeMatthews said. “Or are they going to families that could be making much more and still be in this priority tier because they have a very mild disability?”
Federal special-education law recognizes 13 disability categories covering a wide range of needs. DeMatthews said the cost and complexity of serving a student who requires multiple therapies can differ significantly from serving a student with a mild speech, language or learning impairment.
KPRC 2 is requesting more detailed records from the Comptroller’s Office, including narrower income ranges, prior-school enrollment, disability categories and the reasons awards were declined, withdrawn or never funded.