By LYNETTE SOWELL
Cove Leader-Press
After the landmark legislation of Senate Bill 2 was signed into law by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, options have opened for Texas parents to enroll their children to private schools and receive state funding for their enrollment, and more.
Altogether, approximately $1 billion in funding was allocated by the Texas legislature.
The application window opens next week on Wednesday, Feb. 4, and closes on March 17, for parents to apply for the Texas Education Freedom Account program. Families may apply and find out more information at the following link https://educationfreedom.texas.gov/. Funds will cover tuition for the 2026-2027 school year.
Once approved for the program, parents can receive funds that may be spent for approved education-related expenses such as:
Educational Services/Materials
Tuition and fees at a private school, higher education provider, online educational course or program, or program that provides training for an industry-based credential approved by the Texas Education Agency.
Textbooks or other instructional materials.
Required uniforms.
Fees for classes provided by school districts that do not qualify the child to be included in school’s average daily attendance.
Other approved expenses in the program include academic assessment costs, private tutoring, transportation to/from approved providers, educational therapies not covered by any federal, state, or local government benefits (i.e., Medicaid), computer hardware or software (must not exceed 10 percent of the total amount transferred to the child’s account that year), and meals provided by private school.
There are several exceptions such as funds may not be used to pay a family member.
Children who attend an approved private school or a pre-K or kindergarten program will receive 85 percent of the estimated statewide average amount of state and local funding per student in average daily attendance for the most recent school year, as calculated by the Texas Education Agency (TEA). For the 2026-2027 school year, the TEA has set this amount at $10,474.
A participating child with an individualized education program (IEP) that is on file with the Texas Education Agency and enrolled in an approved private school or in a pre-K or kindergarten program may be eligible to receive up to $30,000. The award amount is based on the funding that the child’s local school district would receive to provide services under the child’s IEP.
As of Thursday, Jan. 29, within the state of Texas there are 1,457schools authorized or eligible to receive funds from parents from education savings accounts.
In the Central Texas area – the Waco, Bryan, College Station, and Killeen area – there are a total of 48 approved schools.
In Copperas Cove, there is only one school so far, Teeny Tiny Academy, located at 606 East Business 190. Killeen has a total of eight preschools and academies approved, with Harker Heights having two and Belton also having two. Temple has three, and Salado and Nolanville each have one. The cities of Lampasas and Gatesville have zero approved schools at this time.
It’s not known yet how many local families will be able to benefit from these funds, nor local private schools.
More schools are being added as they are approved by the state.
One of the requirements for these schools is that they must be recognized by the Texas Private School Accreditation Commission (TEPSAC) or an accreditor recognized by the Texas Education Agency.
The second requirement is that the school be a “proven operator” that has successfully run a campus for at least two years.
Also, the schools must administer a “nationally norm-referenced assessment” to students in grades 3-12.
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