Texas Education Freedom Accounts Top 102,000 Awards in Historic First-Year Rollout
DALLAS, Texas — The American Federation for Children (AFC) is celebrating another major milestone in the rollout of the Texas Education Freedom Account (TEFA) program after the Texas Comptroller’s Office announced that more than 102,000 students have now been awarded accounts for the 2026-27 school year. The figure includes more than 4,100 accounts that were most recently awarded to students in households earning at or below 200% of the federal poverty level (about $66,000 annually for a family of four).
The latest round of awards reflects the continued success of the nation’s largest day-one school choice initiative and demonstrates the effective implementation of a program that has already generated unprecedented demand from families across Texas.
More than 274,000 applications were submitted during the program’s inaugural application period, making the TEFA rollout the largest launch of a school choice program in American history. The record-setting waitlist currently stands at 145,000 applicants, 13,000 of which fall into the low income priority category.
AFC congratulates the Texas Comptroller’s Office and all those involved in implementing the program on reaching this significant milestone, along with all the families who will soon be able to access a quality education. We look forward to continued progress in expanding educational opportunity for Texas families.
Statement from Nathan Cunneen, Texas State Director, American Federation for Children:
“We celebrate with the more than 102,000 Texas students and families who have now received Education Freedom Accounts and the leaders and advocates who have worked tirelessly to make this historic program a reality. This milestone underscores both the tremendous demand for educational choice in Texas and the success of the program’s implementation.
“The rollout of TEFA has proceeded remarkably smoothly for a first-year program of this scale, and every new round of awards means more families have the opportunity to choose the educational environment that works best for their child.
“At the same time, the jaw-dropping size of the waitlist is a powerful reminder that demand still exceeds available funding. Texas families have made it clear they want more educational options. While we celebrate this milestone today, our long-term goal remains ensuring that every Texas family who wants educational choice has access to it. We look forward to continuing to build on this momentum and expanding opportunity for even more students in the years ahead.”
About AFC:
The American Federation for Children is the nation’s largest school choice advocacy organization and the most successful force for education freedom in America, passing over 200 laws across 32 states throughout our history. Our affiliated Super PAC, AFC Victory Fund, is the only nationwide Super PAC focused on advancing school choice.
