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The first round of Texas Education Freedom Account applicants, which includes around 42,600 students, have been notified of their acceptance into the program.

Recipients in this top priority tier include students with disabilities—and their siblings—whose family earns up to $165,000 per year. Students with a disability can receive up to $30,000, while students in lower-priority tiers are eligible for $10,000. 

Students in Houston and Dallas ISDs rank among the highest applicants and recipients.

See a breakdown of the data here.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa has been an outspoken opponent of the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR exam, which Texas students in grades 3-12 took part in at the beginning of the month.

Last year, the Texas Legislature passed a new law to replace the STAAR exam beginning in the 2027–28 school year with a series of three shorter tests over the course of a school year. 

While lawmakers on both sides of the aisle agreed  changes to the test, which is created by the Texas Education Agency, are needed, opponents like Hinojosa voiced concerns that the new tests are still too similar to the existing STAAR exam. 

The exam has a significant impact on the rating system the TEA uses to grade schools, which can trigger a state takeover.

“The STAAR test is rigged against our kids, our teachers, and our schools—and they know it,” Hinojosa said. “We all believe in accountability, but the test has become so arbitrary and unreliable that no one trusts it will actually measure achievement.”

“While Greg Abbott promised to ‘eliminate’ the STAAR test, instead during the last legislative session, he ‘supersized’ the state-mandated number of standardized tests our children will have to take from 15 to 51 by the time a child finishes middle school,” she added. “No parent asked for this. Texas kids deserve better.”

Hear from Hinojosa below:

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