Texas private school voucher applications are closed. Now what?

The application period for Texas’ $1 billion private school voucher program ended last night. Here’s what happens next.

After the deadline for private school voucher applications was extended two weeks ago because of a lawsuit, the sign up window is now closed.

With more than 250,000 applications submitted, the program’s demand has far exceeded the $1 billion funding the Texas Legislature allotted for the program, meaning not all applicants will receive aid.

The voucher program awards taxpayer funds to families to use toward private school tuition or homeschool fees. Students will be awarded around $10,000 each if selected for the program. Students with disabilities, meanwhile, will qualify for up to $30,000, and homeschoolers are only eligible for $2,000. 

If the average applicant is receiving $10,000, that means that less than half of all applicants will be accepted.

So now, the Texas comptroller’s office will need to run a lottery system to determine which students will ultimately receive the limited funding—with the highest priority given to students with disabilities and lower-income families—and who will go on a waitlist.

In the first year of the program, priority will be given to:

• First, children with a disability who are members of a household whose total annual income is at or below 500% (around $165,000 for a family of four) of the Federal Poverty Level.
• Second, children who are members of a household whose total annual income is at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level. 
• Third, children who are members of a household whose total annual income is between 200% and 500% of the Federal Poverty Level. 
• Fourth, children who are members of a household whose total annual income is at or above 500% of the Federal Poverty Level. Children who were previously enrolled in a traditional public or charter school will be prioritized in this group.

Families in the fourth and wealthiest group can’t receive more than 20% of the program funds. Families with multiple children will also be kept together in their priority group, meaning that if a family has one child with a qualifying disability, all their siblings will also be a top priority.

Families on the waitlist or in low-priority groups could still eventually receive funding, as private schools still hold the right to reject students from enrolling at their institution. 

Throughout the application period, Texas Republicans claimed the overwhelming number of applicants is a sign that the program is popular with the public. But recent voucher data tells a different story. 

Around 75% of applicants are already enrolled in private schools, and less than 1% of public school families have applied.

“It’s premature to judge the results of a program until Texans know who will actually receive funding and if it will improve academic outcomes for children,” Carrie Griffith, executive director of Our Schools Our Democracy, said in a statement. “Early data shows that 75% of all applicants were not enrolled in public school while applicants are significantly less racially diverse than Texas public school students.”

Griffith said it’s not surprising that so few public school families have applied for vouchers.

“Public schools deliver special education services, provide transportation, support extracurriculars, keep kids safe, and prepare them for life,” she said. “They are one of Texas’s most effective, unifying public institutions. And the data remains undeniable: Most Texans want strong, fully funded public schools—not vouchers.”

How the program could evolve

The legislature isn’t done with vouchers yet. 

Lt. Governor Dan Patrick recently announced his intent to expand the voucher program next legislative session.

The number of students being added to the program’s waitlist is expected to shape how much state lawmakers choose to spend on education savings accounts moving forward, with projections showing the state could expand funding to $3.3 billion by 2028 and $4.8 billion by 2030.

“The Lt. Gov. has also charged the Senate Finance Committee with ‘preventing waste, fraud, and abuse,’” Griffith added. “We urge lawmakers to use this opportunity to provide guardrails and strong oversight of the voucher program to prevent the wasteful spending of taxpayer dollars now coming to light in Arizona and Florida.”

Students will receive final notification of their application status in April or May, according to the comptroller’s office.