Texas school choice program receives 241,000 applications for 90,000 places
NEWNow you can listen to Fox News articles!
Texas parents are filling the school choice program, far exceeding the initial 90,000 places available for the program.
Applications for Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA) exceeded 200,000 students before Tuesday’s deadline, according to the Texas Comptroller’s Office.
This program is planned to serve between 90,000 and 100,000 students. There have been more than 240,000 applications submitted so far, the official said Gov. Greg AbbottOffice confirmed.
“The need for school choice is huge in Texas. More than 241,000 students applied for the first year of the school choice program and the legislature initially funded the program with $1 billion – which means about 90,000 children will be able to participate in the first year,” American Federation for Children CEO Tommy Schultz told Fox News Digital on Thursday.
The American Federation for Children Growth Fund – a school choice group – has spent nearly $2 million in total on enrollment efforts in Texas to inform families about TEFA.
TEXAS SCHOOL CHOICE ISSUES OPEN TO NEW LITMUS TEST FOR REPUBLICANS
Texas parents are filling the school choice program, far exceeding the initial 90,000 places available for the program. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
Schultz continued, “This gives Governor Greg Abbott and the legislature a major victory in implementing a signature policy, while also giving them strong evidence that the program should be expanded significantly.”
TEFA is an education savings account program created by the state, backed by an initial investment of $1 billion. The law introduces new competition in the education sector, giving parents options outside of the neighborhood school their child is assigned to — presenting challenges to districts struggling to retain students.
More than 42,000 applications were submitted the first day the site was open, a spokesman for Gov. Abbott’s office, Eduardo Leal, said in February, making it “the largest school election campaign in the nation.”
TEXAS CONSERVATIVES CONTINUE SCHOOL RECORD SIGNS AFTER LONG BATTLE WITH TEACHERS’ UNIONS
Applications for Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA) have surpassed 200,000 students just before Tuesday’s deadline, according to the Texas Superintendent’s Office. (Getty Images)
“At the same time, the oversubscribed program is a heartbreaking defeat for the powerful unions that said Texans don’t want school choice. The union’s monopoly over our children’s K-12 education will soon end,” Schultz told Fox News Digital.
Abbott signed the Texas Education Freedom Act in May 2025. The journey leading up to the law’s signing was tumultuous for Abbott and state Republicans as he struggled to rally members of his party to his school choice agenda.
The historical release of this program comes as The city’s largest school districts were struggling to keep students from the coronavirus pandemic. Among them is the Houston Independent School District (HISD), which followed a plan to close 12 of its schools by unanimous vote, citing declining enrollment.
ARIZONA SCHOOL DISTRICT TAKES HUGE HIT TO ENROLLMENT AS PARENTS CHOOSE OTHER OPTIONS
HISD Superintendent Mike Miles spoke to Fox News Digital in January, about its declining enrollment. (Stock)
HISD Superintendent Mike Miles spoke to Fox News Digital in January about his enrollment decline, citing statewide enrollment trends, and efforts to appeal to parents by saying competition with charter schools is increasing.
On February 12, the district announced that the school closure plan “takes necessary steps to ensure the long-term viability, sustainability, and quality of education for all students.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS PROGRAM
