Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA): What Parents of Children with Disabilities Need to Know

If you have a child with autism, ADHD, a learning disability, or another qualifying condition, there is a significant development in Texas education that you need to understand. The Texas Education Freedom Accounts program — TEFA — is now active, and families of children with disabilities are placed at the very top of the priority list.

Here is a plain-language breakdown of what TEFA is, how the funding works, why your child's IEP may be one of the most important documents in this process, and what you can do right now.

What Is TEFA?

Texas Education Freedom Accounts were created by Senate Bill 2, passed by the Texas Legislature in 2025. The program is administered by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts and launched with $1 billion in initial funding — making it the largest day-one school choice initiative in the nation.

In practical terms, TEFA gives parents who choose to educate their child outside the public school system — either in a private school or through homeschooling — access to a state-funded education account. That account can then be used to pay for approved educational expenses through the program's Odyssey platform.

This is not a scholarship program run by a nonprofit. It is a direct state-funded program, and it is already issuing awards.

Where Things Stand Right Now (July 2026)

Applications for the 2026-27 school year are now closed. Demand was record-setting, and the state has already issued more than 5,000 new awards to families who were on the waitlist.

If you missed the 2026-27 window, do not wait. The interest list for the 2027-28 school year is now open at educationfreedom.texas.gov. Getting on that list now puts you in position for the next application cycle.

Families who have already been accepted and received funding can access the program Marketplace through the Odyssey platform to begin using their accounts.

Why This Matters Especially for Families of Children with Disabilities

Here is the piece that every parent of a child with a disability needs to hear clearly: students with a disability are the highest priority group in this program.

TEFA is not first-come, first-served. Applications are sorted into priority groups, and the group at the very top consists of students with a disability whose household income is at or below 500% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. From there, the next three groups are determined by household income.

Priority Group #1:

Students with a disability whose household income is at or below 500% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines — this is the highest priority category in the entire program.

This structure means that if your child has a qualifying disability, you are not competing against the general population of applicants on equal footing. The program is specifically designed to serve your family first. There is also a funding distinction worth understanding: children with a disability who are accepted into the program may be eligible for an increased funding amount — but only if their child has an IEP on file with the Texas Education Agency at the time the application period closes.

The IEP Connection: Why Documentation Is Everything

If your child currently has an IEP through their public school, that document may directly affect both your priority status and your funding level under TEFA. This is not a minor administrative detail — it is one of the most consequential pieces of paperwork in this application.

A program-approved proof-of-disability form is accepted to establish disability status for priority purposes, but the increased funding level is specifically tied to an IEP on file with TEA. For parents considering a transition to private school or homeschool, the timing and status of that IEP matters significantly.

Questions worth asking before the next application cycle opens:

• Is your child's IEP current and on file with TEA?
• Does your child's disability documentation meet the program's requirements?
• How would leaving the public school system affect your child's IEP and service eligibility going forward?
• What does the increased funding amount actually cover, and does it align with your child's needs?

These are not questions with simple universal answers. They depend on your child's specific situation, disability classification, and current educational placement.

What You Can Do Right Now

Even though the 2026-27 application window is closed, there are concrete steps you can take today.

Step 1: Get on the 2027-28 interest list

Sign up at surveymonkey.com/r/TEFA. This does not obligate you to anything, but it positions you for the next cycle and ensures you receive updates as the application period opens.

Step 2: Explore participating schools and services

Use the program's school and service finder at finder.educationfreedom.texas.gov to explore approved options in your area. Knowing your options before the next application period gives you time to make an informed decision.

Step 3: Review your child's disability documentation now

Check the status of your child's IEP and any disability documentation — not when applications open. If there are gaps, outdated evaluations, or questions about what is on file with TEA, those are worth addressing before the next cycle begins.

How Maldonado Consulting Can Help

Kattie Maldonado, M.Ed., has spent her career working inside the special education system — writing IEPs, facilitating ARD meetings, and guiding families through exactly the kinds of processes that TEFA now intersects with. She understands both how the education system documents a child's disability and what those documents mean in real, practical terms for a family's choices and rights.

If you are trying to understand whether your child qualifies for TEFA's highest priority group, what role your child's IEP plays in the funding calculation, or how a transition out of the public school system might affect your child's services — that is a conversation worth having before the next application cycle opens.