More than 95,000 Texas students will receive funding under the state’s new Education Savings Account (ESA) program, a school choice plan designed to provide families across the state with greater educational opportunities, according to a June 1 report from NPR-affiliate KACU.
The awards mark the initial rollout of the $1 billion Texas Education Freedom Accounts program, an initiative enacted through SB 2 that Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law on May 3, 2025. CatholicVote officially endorsed the plan in January 2025.
The program allows eligible families to receive about $10,000 per student for private school expenses or about $2,000 per student for homeschooling. Students with disabilities may qualify for higher amounts, up to $30,000 in some cases. The funds apply to education expenses for the 2026-2027 school year.
Demand for the program has been substantial: more than 274,000 students applied for the program in its first year, according to the Texas Comptroller’s Office.
The office used a four-tiered priority system to distribute the limited funding. Highest priority went to families with students who have disabilities and household incomes at or below 500% of the federal poverty level. The next priority went to students from households earning at or below 200% of the poverty level, followed by students from households earning between 200% and 500%. Students from households earning 500% or more were placed in the final tier, with priority within that group for children who previously attended a Texas public or charter school.
“During COVID, parents were shocked to discover just how politicized K-12 education became. That's why education choice is more important than ever,” CatholicVote Vice President of Advocacy Joshua Mercer said. “We at CatholicVote were proud to rally citizens in Texas behind this landmark school choice program. Already 95,000 low-income Texas families have been approved for vouchers to help them find a better educational opportunity. And it's only just the beginning.”
Keri Sanders, director of PEAK Christian Academy in Abilene, praised the program, saying families should have more freedom when deciding where to send their children to school.
Sanders said families around the country and especially in Abilene are looking “for something different,” according to KACU.
“And we like to say that we gift families more time — time with their kids, time as a family, and time to just have a little bit more control over their child’s education,” she added.
Sanders said her school has seen an increase in enrollment inquiries, a trend she attributed to changes in education preferences and the availability of ESA funding.
Rick Cason, director of Kenley School, a private school in Abilene for children with learning disabilities, said 17 of the school’s 48 students will receive funding from the program for the upcoming school year.
“I think it’s a game changer for our kids,” he said, according to KACU, “and it can be a game changer for us as a school too.”