Texas reports 20,000 students applied for 'education freedom accounts' in first day

AUSTIN, Texas - On the first day of open applications for the Texas private school voucher program, the state says 20,000 students threw their names in for consideration. 

The Texas Education Freedom Accounts, or TEFAs, allow for students' private school tuition to be publicly funded. 

First day of TEFA applications

According to acting Texas Comptroller Kelly Hancock, more than 20,000 students applied on the first day of applications, and nearly 8,000 of those came in within the first hour.

What they're saying:

"Today marks an exciting new chapter for Texas families," Hancock said. "The Texas Education Freedom Accounts program is about one simple idea: Every child deserves an education that fits their unique needs. By opening the application process, we’re putting parents in the driver’s seat and giving them more flexibility to choose the learning environment where their child can thrive."

"Our office is moving at business speed to deliver a user-friendly experience for every family who wants to participate," Hancock said. "We are committed to implementing this program responsibly and transparently so families across Texas can take full advantage of the opportunities ahead."

Who's applying?

Hancock says that so far, the program appears to be targeting the intended demographic.

"Both low income and then what you might call middle income is right now what we're seeing in registration as 75 percent of the program," Hancock said. "We're getting the metrics. I like information and data, and I like to track this to make sure we are abiding by the office on the legislation that passed that put that priority on low incomes."

The other side:

Critics of the program say the income cap of $165,000 is too high, and will prevent children in lower-earning families from benefiting. 

"I don't have a problem with private education," said State Sen. Royce West (D-Dallas). "I had a couple of kids that went to private school also, but we paid for it, okay? But now that it's here, we've got to make sure that it is implemented in a manner that it should be, and that it is fair to every person in this state of Texas."

How do I apply?

You'll need access to your personal information documents, like social security numbers, IDs and tax forms. The TEA provided a checklist to be sure you have everything you'll need to complete the application. 

When you have everything you need, the application should take about 10–20 minutes to complete, the TEA says. They've put together a full guide for the application process, which you can access here. There's also a video guide available, which you can access here. 

You can complete the application on a computer, tablet or even a mobile phone. 

If you have issues applying, click here for help. 

How do the TEFA accounts work?

The TEFA program allows parents to remove their students from public school and enroll them in private school using state-funded education savings accounts. 

In its first year, the TEFA program will be capped at $1 billion and used by up to 90,000 students. It could grow to nearly $4.5 billion per year by 2030.

The amount of money a student can receive depends on their situation. Students with disabilities participating in an Individualized Education Program or certain Pre-K students may be eligible for up to $30,000 annually. All other students may receive up to $2,000 each year.

Students who are accepted into the program and remain in good standing will not need to reapply each year. If there are more applicants than spots available, priority will be given to families based on their adjusted gross income.