Autism Schools That Accept Texas ESA: Verified 2026–27 List

By the Editorial Team · Last verified: August 4, 2026 · Dataset version 1.0

The School Choice Index is an independent comparison and research resource for U.S. school choice programs. We don't take money from any school on this page.

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Autism schools that accept Texas ESA money include The Westview School in Houston, Texas Autism Academy in Magnolia, William's Community School in Austin, The Monarch School, Gateway Academy, Vanguard Preparatory School, Great Lakes Academy, Notre Dame of Dallas, and others in the state's official participating-school file. For 2026–27, the standard private-school award is $10,474 per child. A child with a qualifying current IEP matched with the Texas Education Agency may get more — up to $30,000 — but the amount depends on the child's IEP and home district, and the state says most get less than the ceiling. And here's the part almost nobody tells you: a school can appear in the TEFA payment roster and still be unable to admit your child, meet their support needs, or fit your budget.

We'll show you which question is still unanswered at each school, and what to do about it.

Let's get you a shortlist.

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Your quick decision card

Official TEFA funding and timeline →

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### The honest limitation, up front TEFA's school screen is not an autism-fit review. A participating private school must meet program requirements such as recognized accreditation, operating history, a Texas location, and nationally norm-referenced testing. Texas does not use that process to decide whether the school has the staff, communication supports, behavior capacity, medical support, or classroom model your child needs. If you want a public-school ARD committee to determine that an outside placement is necessary for your child to receive a free appropriate public education, TEFA is not that route. Texas has a separate district-contracted nonpublic-placement process. In that process, the district remains responsible for the child's IEP and FAPE, and TEFA's $30,000 cap does not control the placement. We cover it in When your district should be paying instead of you. But because TEFA does not make the fit decision for you, the official roster is broad. The downloadable state file contained 2,786 school or campus rows when we pulled it on August 4, 2026. You get to choose among participating schools. This page is how you screen for fit, since the roster does not do that job for you.

See the state's current school requirements →

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Start here: six schools, six very different answers

Look at that table for ten seconds and you'll see the real problem. The lowest published tuition comes with conflicting availability language. One of the clearest autism-specific models now posts a price, but its own pages disagree on the ages served. And the gap between an award and a tuition bill can run from about three thousand dollars to more than forty thousand before fees.

That's why "which schools accept it" is only half a question.

Build my shortlist: match my child to verified schools

Six questions. No login. You'll leave with a smaller list, the cost gap to check, and the questions each school still needs to answer.

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Autism schools that accept Texas ESA funds right now

Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA) — the official name for what most parents call the "Texas ESA" — publishes a list of private schools eligible to receive program funds. Autism-focused schools in the file we checked include The Westview School, Texas Autism Academy, William's Community School, and The Vine School, alongside therapeutic or broader special-needs schools such as The Monarch School, Gateway Academy, Vanguard Preparatory School, Great Lakes Academy, Notre Dame of Dallas, Bynum School, and the Jane Justin School. Schools can be added on a rolling basis, so any list — including this one — is a snapshot with a date on it.

We started with the state's official participating-school file, pulled it on August 4, 2026, and then went school by school to answer the questions the state file doesn't: who does this school actually serve, what does it cost, is there a seat, and what would your family still owe.

Here's what we found.

The Westview School — Houston

Autism-specific, and the widest grade coverage of any autism-focused school we verified. Early childhood through high school.

Westview publishes its full price list, which is rarer than it should be: $20,000 for part-time early childhood, $32,850 full-time early childhood, $34,000 PreK, $36,000 kindergarten, $38,300 elementary, $41,800 middle school, $43,900 high school. Add a $1,750 enrollment payment. Its tuition page says supplies, books, equipment, and field trips are included.

Do the math on the standard award and it stings a little. At the high school level, $10,474 against $43,900 leaves you $33,426 short before the enrollment payment. Even a maximum $30,000 award leaves $13,900 in tuition. Westview publishes financial-aid information — ask about it early, and ask whether aid is figured before or after your TEFA money is applied. That one question can move a family's number by thousands.

Sources: Westview tuition · Westview financial assistance

Texas Autism Academy — Magnolia

Autism-specific, built around applied behavior analysis methods, with BCBA-developed behavior plans, ABA-trained staff, and a maximum 9:2 classroom ratio. The school is currently promoting 2026–27 enrollment for grades 4–12.

Here's a conflict worth seeing before you call. The school's homepage says it serves ages 5–21, while its current admissions FAQ says 4–17. That does not mean either page is intentionally wrong. It means age and program fit need direct confirmation for your child.

Texas Autism Academy now posts $27,000 tuition, a $250 play-based assessment fee, and a $1,000 deposit. The standard award leaves a $16,526 tuition gap. A $30,000 maximum scenario could cover published tuition, but not the assessment or deposit, and it does not mean your child will receive $30,000.

The model here is one of the clearest fits on this page for a child who benefits from behavior support built into the school day rather than bolted on after it. The school also says it does not provide one-to-one ABA as the school model. Ask what support is available during the hardest parts of your child's day and what would be billed separately.

Sources: Texas Autism Academy admissions and tuition · Texas Autism Academy program information

William's Community School — Austin

Currently serves ages 2 through 19, with plans to grow with students through age 22. It serves autism and other learning differences and publishes small, support-dependent ratios: roughly 1:1 to 1:4 in its therapeutic school and 1:3 to 1:6 in its social-schooling program.

The school offers ABA, speech, and occupational-therapy services during the school day, but its FAQ says therapy is billed separately after services are provided. That is a major cost distinction. Tuition varies by program and support tier and is not posted as a public dollar amount. Ask for tuition, enrollment fees, expected therapy charges, insurance billing, and the exact TEFA-eligible program in one written estimate.

Source: William's Community School FAQ

The Monarch School — Houston

Highly individualized programming for kids with neurological differences. PreK through 12 plus transition pathways for older students.

Monarch's published 2026–27 school-program ranges run roughly $38,521 to $69,628, depending on the program and support level. That's not a typo, and it's not a range you can plan around. Some one-to-one support costs can be additional. Get a written program recommendation and a total annual price before you compare Monarch to anything else. Comparing its low end to another school's high end will lead you somewhere wrong.

Source: Monarch tuition

Gateway Academy — Houston area

Grades 6–12. Serves students with autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, anxiety, dyslexia, dyscalculia, and dysgraphia. A current psychoeducational evaluation is part of what they'll ask for.

Tuition is $54,600, plus a $300 application fee, $2,000 enrollment fee, and $2,000 supply fee. Even at the maximum $30,000 award, you're looking at $24,600 in tuition alone and $28,900 after those listed fees. This is a real option for the right family, and we'd rather you know the number now than after you've fallen in love with the school.

Sources: Gateway tuition and fees · Gateway admissions

Vanguard Preparatory School — Dallas and Aledo

A therapeutic school for autistic and other neurodivergent learners, with a published average 1:3 staff-to-student ratio. That ratio is among the tightest we verified.

Dallas is $32,975, Aledo is $33,900, plus a $4,850 enrollment fee for new students. Vanguard publishes year-round enrollment and second-semester proration — helpful if you're reading this in August with school about to start. But "year-round enrollment" is not the same as "we have a seat in your child's grade today." Ask about the specific campus and grade.

Read the enrollment contract before paying. Vanguard's admissions materials also describe a full-year tuition commitment and refund terms. Question 12 in our call sheet exists for exactly this reason.

Source: Vanguard admission process and fees

Great Lakes Academy — Plano

Grades 4–12. The school describes its students as having average-to-above-average intelligence with learning differences, anxiety, ADHD, and/or ASD Level 1.

Tuition is $19,500 for grades 4–8 and $21,620 for grades 9–12, plus $800 registration. First-time applicants in grades 4–9 may also pay a $400 Brigance testing fee. That's one of the smallest gaps on this page — a maximum award could cover published tuition outright.

And that's exactly why we need to say the next part clearly. A lower price does not mean a broader fit. Great Lakes has drawn a specific line around who it serves. A child can be academically sharp and still need more behavioral, communication, or daily-living support than this model provides. Do not assume the published tuition includes a dedicated one-to-one aide or intensive behavior support. Ask.

The school's tuition materials also describe nonrefundable registration and a full-year financial commitment. Price is not the only risk number here.

Sources: Great Lakes tuition · Great Lakes student profile

Notre Dame of Dallas

Serves students with developmental disabilities, roughly ages six through the young-adult transition years. Family tuition is published at $13,500 — the school says its actual cost per student is higher and the difference is subsidized. Add a $45 application fee, a $250 new-student registration fee, and any bus or aftercare costs that apply.

At $13,500, a standard award leaves just $3,026 in tuition. It's the smallest published tuition gap on this page by a wide margin.

The availability answer is not clean. A sitewide notice says the school is full for 2026–27, while the admissions page says space is very limited and invites TEFA families to inquire. Treat that as a stop-and-confirm item, not a seat. The school also publishes fit criteria involving communication, group participation, toileting, safety, and behavior. Ask whether it is accepting applications for your child's age before you spend money on the process.

Sources: Notre Dame tuition and fees · Notre Dame admissions

The Vine School — Victoria

Autism-focused, also serving language-based and intellectual differences. Its admissions materials describe a particular support profile and say a student cannot pose a serious safety threat to self or others.

We're flagging that on purpose. It's not a knock on the school — it's the honest version of what every school on this list is quietly doing. Diagnosis alone never determines fit. Talk through safety, behavior support, communication, and staffing before you assume admission is likely. Tuition isn't publicly posted; ask.

Source: The Vine School admissions and program information

Bynum School — Midland

Serves children and adults with intellectual disabilities, autism, learning disabilities, rare syndromes, and medical fragility. For West Texas families, this is one of very few options at this support level.

Its current admissions page says all inquiries are going onto a waitlist and that the school cannot estimate how long the wait will be. The current page links to an older 2024–25 fee sheet, so we did not relabel that as 2026–27 tuition. Ask for a current written price.

Get in the queue, then keep looking — don't wait on one door.

Sources: Bynum admissions · Bynum programs

Jane Justin School — Fort Worth

Serves students with developmental and learning disabilities and behavior disorders. It isn't autism-specific. The school publishes class sizes of roughly 8–13 and ratios from about 3:1 to 6.5:1. Students who require tighter staffing may be referred elsewhere.

The school site also contains two age ranges — one page says 3–21, while an FAQ says 4–21 — and publishes admissions prerequisites involving imitation, language, directions, and group participation. Its admissions process uses a referral file rather than describing a conventional first-come waitlist.

We found a tuition figure floating around on a third-party site during research and we're not printing it, because we couldn't confirm it against the school. Get a written quote.

Source: Jane Justin School information

El Paso Bridges Academy — El Paso

Serves students in grades 1–9 with dyslexia, ADHD, autism, and other learning differences. For far-West Texas families, the map is thin, and this is a real option to investigate.

The school's own current site now confirms grades 1–9, so we removed the older directory conflict from our decision table. Tuition still isn't posted publicly. Ask for the full first-year price and the exact support profile the school can serve.

Source: El Paso Bridges Academy

Journey School for the Uniquely Gifted and Talented — Spring

⚠️ Two schools, one name. The Journey School of Houston and Journey School for the Uniquely Gifted and Talented are different schools in the state roster. Make sure you're looking at the right one before you apply.

Journey School for the Uniquely Gifted and Talented says it accepts TEFA and publishes 2026–27 tuition starting at $35,000 for a new student. Listed fees include a $100 application fee, $1,000 new-student enrollment fee, $500 supplies fee, and $150 field-trip fee, plus smaller listed charges.

Its name and program language make it a natural lead for gifted or twice-exceptional students, but do not assume the name alone proves fit. Ask what evidence the school requires, which support needs fall outside its model, and what the complete price is for your child's program.

Source: Journey UGT admissions

Why we did not publish every special-needs school in the roster

We found other special-needs and learning-difference schools in the official file. We did not move them into this autism comparison unless we could verify all three of these:

1. The exact school or campus appeared in the TEFA file we pulled.
2. The school's own current materials described a relevant learner profile.
3. We found enough current admissions, program, cost, or availability evidence to help a parent make a decision.

A long list would look more complete. A shorter verified list is more useful.

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Why isn't the autism school I know on the list?

A Texas private school has to clear the TEFA participation rules before it can receive private-school tuition payments. Current state guidance requires a Texas location, recognized accreditation, at least two prior school years of operation, nationally norm-referenced testing for participating students in grades 3–12, and compliance with the program process. Autism expertise does not replace those entry requirements — and recognized accreditation does not prove autism fit.

This is the section that explains the thing that will confuse you most, so stay with us for a minute.

The four accreditation doors

The Texas Education Agency does not oversee private schools the way it oversees public districts. Its current accreditation page recognizes four private accrediting entities:

1. Texas Private School Accreditation Commission (TEPSAC)
2. International Association for Learner Driven Schools (IALDS)
3. Society for Classical Learning (SCL)
4. National Association of Private Schools (NAPS)

TEPSAC in turn recognizes member accrediting agencies. The practical point is simpler than the organizational chart: a private school may be excellent at serving autistic students and still be outside TEFA because it does not meet the program's accreditation or operating requirements. Another school may meet those requirements and still be a poor fit for your child.

Recognized accreditation answers a participation question. It does not answer a child-fit question.

Sources: TEA private-school accreditation · TEFA school requirements

Texas also has a separate district-placement system

Here's the part that genuinely surprised us.

Texas has a separate process for nonpublic or non-district-operated day and residential placements used to provide FAPE. That process applies when a public-school ARD committee determines a student needs an outside program for the district to provide a free appropriate public education. TEA reviews and monitors programs used in that system under special-education rules.

That is not the same system as TEFA.

A provider can appear in one system, both, or neither. Do not use one list as proof of status in the other.

Source: TEA nonpublic program guidance

How to check any Texas school yourself in about ten minutes

1. Search the official TEFA school finder or downloadable file. If the exact campus is not there, do not assume it can receive your private-school TEFA payment today.
2. Match the exact legal or campus name. School brands, campuses, and similarly named schools can be easy to confuse.
3. Read the school's own learner-profile and admissions pages. Look for age, grade, academic profile, communication, behavior, medical, and staffing boundaries.
4. Ask one direct question: "Are you currently an approved participating private school in TEFA for this campus, and can you confirm that in writing?"
5. Ask the second question TEFA cannot answer: "After reviewing my child's records, do you believe your current program and staffing can serve them?"

A school saying "we accept ESA funds" on its website is a marketing sentence. It is not a current campus-level status check.

→ Get the free school-verification checklist — one page, printable, no email needed. Take it with you on tours.

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Which school actually fits my child?

The best school for an autistic child is rarely the one with the broadest autism language or the lowest tuition. It's the one whose admissions profile, staffing ratio, teaching model, behavior support, communication support, and academic expectations line up with that specific child. The schools on this page fall into several different models, and they are not interchangeable.

Every one of these schools can truthfully say it serves autistic or neurodivergent students. They just mean wildly different things.

If your child needs autism-specific, ABA-informed support

Start with: Texas Autism Academy, William's Community School, The Vine School, and Vanguard Preparatory School.

Ask before you commit:

• Is ABA built into the school day, or billed separately?
• Is a BCBA on staff, and how often do they work on my child's plan?
• Does the school provide one-to-one ABA, classroom-based behavior support, or both?
• What communication systems do you support?
• Who writes and runs the behavior plan?
• What's your protocol for elopement, aggression, self-injury, toileting, feeding, and medical needs?

If your child has ASD Level 1 and works near or above grade level

Start with: Great Lakes Academy, Gateway Academy, and Vanguard Preparatory.

The honest warning: Great Lakes describes a specific cognitive and support profile. Your child can be smart, capable, and still need more support than that model gives. Academic ability and support need are two different dials.

If your child is twice-exceptional or gifted

Start with: Journey School for the Uniquely Gifted and Talented, then compare broader neurodivergent schools that can document gifted-level instruction.

Ask: What evidence of giftedness do you require? How do you support executive function? What behaviors or support needs fall outside your model? Is the $35,000 starting tuition before every required service?

If your child has an intellectual or broader developmental disability

Start with: Notre Dame of Dallas, Bynum School, William's Community School, Jane Justin School, and The Vine School.

Do not treat these as swappable. Their teaching models, age ranges, staffing, communication expectations, safety boundaries, and admissions lines differ a lot.

If your child is non-speaking or uses AAC

Do not pick a school just because its website says "autism." Ask specifically:

• How many students here use AAC?
• Are staff trained as communication partners?
• Will the school honor and support my child's existing communication system?
• Who provides speech-language services, and how often?
• Is speech included in tuition, billed to insurance, or billed separately?
• How do non-speaking students access the academic curriculum?
• What does sensory regulation look like during a normal day?
• What communication breakdowns have caused placements not to work here?

If your child is 18 or older and needs transition programming

Start with: Monarch's transition pathways, Notre Dame's older-student programming, and Bynum's adult services.

One caution: a school serving adults doesn't mean every adult program can be paid for with TEFA funds. TEFA eligibility depends on the participating child and an eligible educational setting. Confirm the student's eligibility, the exact program, and the payment path before you enroll.

From a Texas parent, on what changed: One San Antonio mother described using her son's funds for "a private kinder program … specifically for children on the autism spectrum," while using her daughter's for home education. — reported by KSAT, February 2026. Individual experiences are not a promise of fit, admission, or funding.

Show me schools that match my child's support needs

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Build your verified Texas autism-school shortlist

A useful shortlist is not every school within driving distance. It is the two to five schools that clear your child's nonnegotiable support needs, age and grade, current availability, and family budget — with every unresolved question written down before you call.

Use these six questions:

1. Where can you realistically travel? ZIP code, maximum drive, and whether relocation is truly on the table.
2. What is your child's age, grade, and academic path? Grade-level, modified academics, functional curriculum, diploma, transition, or still uncertain.
3. What support cannot be missing? AAC, behavior support, toileting, medical support, one-to-one staffing, speech, OT, ABA, gifted instruction, or transition services.
4. What is a dealbreaker? A school that cannot handle elopement, does not support AAC, requires independent toileting, lacks a diploma path, or cannot provide the needed staffing.
5. What is your exact TEFA amount? Use the amount in your Odyssey account, not the $30,000 headline.
6. What can your family pay after TEFA? Include tuition, required fees, therapy, transportation, and the risk of a nonrefundable contract.

Turn those answers into a first-pass list

Now make one small commitment: circle three schools, write the biggest unanswered question beside each one, and do not pay an application fee until you have called.

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Does autism automatically qualify my child for $30,000?

No. For 2026–27, the standard Texas ESA award for a participating private-school student is $10,474. A child with a qualifying current IEP matched with the Texas Education Agency may receive more, up to $30,000 — but the amount is calculated from the child's home district and the instructional arrangement or setting code in the IEP. The state says most eligible students receive less than $30,000.

We want to be blunt here, because the $30,000 headline can wreck a family budget.

What the state has actually published about year one

As of the state's July 29, 2026 program snapshot:

• More than 274,000 applications were submitted.
• More than 248,000 were found eligible.
• More than 122,000 awards had been issued.
• 85,344 students had funded accounts.
• Almost 25% of funded participating students had a qualifying disability.
• The state had moved through the statutory priority tiers as funding and accepted awards changed.

Those numbers show the scale of the program. They do not tell you your child's award. For that, you need the district-and-IEP funding table.

Source: Updated TEFA demographic information

Your district and IEP code both matter

The disability amount is based on what the child's home district would receive for the services represented by the IEP's instructional arrangement or setting code, subject to the $30,000 total cap. That creates two consequences:

1. Two children with the same disability label can receive different amounts because their IEP codes differ.
2. Two children with similar IEP codes can receive different amounts because their home districts' funding inputs differ.

Autism is not the calculation. The IEP and district funding data are.

So $30,000 is a ceiling. Treat it like the top speed printed on a car's speedometer.

Source: TEFA special-education funding

Priority and funding are two different things

Three separate questions get mashed together constantly. Keep them apart:

A program-approved disability certification form can support disability priority. It does not produce the IEP-based add-on. A Section 504 plan can document accommodations, but the TEFA program says the additional private-school funding is tied to a current IEP matched with TEA.

For 2026–27, the state says an IEP from the 2023–24 school year or later may qualify if it can be matched with TEA records. If you believe the state missed a qualifying IEP, use the official appeal process and deadlines rather than assuming the amount will update automatically.

What 500% of the poverty level changes — and what it doesn't

For the first program year, disability plus household income at or below 500% of the federal poverty level placed an eligible child in the top priority tier. That income threshold governed priority. It was not a universal income ceiling on receiving any IEP-based add-on after an account was awarded.

That distinction matters. A child above the Tier 1 income line could be placed in another tier and still qualify for additional IEP-based funding if awarded and otherwise eligible.

Source: TEFA family priority and funding FAQ

Work out the funding inputs I need to verify

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How much will we still owe after Texas ESA?

Subtract your exact award — not $30,000 — from the school's published tuition, then add required fees and any separately billed services. Among the Texas autism and special-needs schools with public 2026–27 pricing, the standard $10,474 award leaves tuition gaps ranging from about $3,000 to more than $44,000.

Every number below is tuition only unless the row says otherwise. Fees are extra and they're not small.

The costs that ambush people

Tuition is the number schools advertise. This is the list that actually determines whether you can do this:

Application fee · assessment fee · enrollment or registration fee · supplies · technology · uniforms · transportation · meals · field trips · therapy · one-to-one aide · behavior support · testing · summer or extended-year programming · early withdrawal obligation · re-enrollment fee.

Gateway's listed fees add $4,300 on top of tuition. Vanguard's new-student enrollment fee is $4,850. Westview's enrollment payment is $1,750. Texas Autism Academy lists a $250 assessment and $1,000 deposit. Great Lakes lists $800 registration and a possible $400 first-time test.

Ask this one financial-aid question first

Some schools offer need-based aid. But the question that moves your number most isn't "do you offer aid." It's:

"Is your financial aid calculated before or after my TEFA funds are applied?"

Do not assume the two stack. The state's tuition guidance allows a school to consider TEFA when calculating financial aid. Ask how the school handles it, get the final family contribution in writing, and ask about the aid deadline, which may be earlier than the admissions deadline.

One more thing worth knowing: state guidance says a student should not be charged a different tuition or fee simply because the student receives TEFA. If a quote changes once TEFA comes up, ask for both figures in writing and raise the question with the program.

Source: TEFA tuition and fee guidance

Use this three-line calculation

1. Published tuition + required school fees + separately billed required services
2. Minus your exact TEFA award and confirmed school aid
3. Equals your estimated first-year family cost

Then divide by the number of months you will actually have to pay. Do not divide a full-year contract by the months your child attends unless the school confirms proration.

Use my exact award to estimate the gap

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Will Texas ESA pay for ABA, speech, and OT?

Sometimes. TEFA rules allow eligible educational therapies and services, including behavioral, occupational, speech, and physical therapy, but only for fees not covered by Medicaid, CHIP, another federal, state, or local government benefit, or private insurance the child is enrolled in when the service is received. The provider and offering also have to meet current TEFA marketplace rules.

We want to flag this clearly because "TEFA covers ABA therapy" is only half an answer.

What this means for you, practically

• If Medicaid, CHIP, or private insurance covers the service, TEFA cannot pay the covered fee.
• If a claim is denied or only partly covered, keep the denial or explanation of benefits and confirm whether the remaining eligible fee can be paid through TEFA before the service.
• If the therapy has no other coverage, TEFA may be a payment option when the provider and service are approved.
• If therapy is bundled inside participating-school tuition, it is being charged through the tuition category rather than as a separate therapy fee. Ask the school to show you what is included.
• If therapy is billed separately, ask whether the clinic bills insurance first and what balance the family is responsible for.

Other spending rules worth knowing before you plan

• Tutoring and teaching services require an approved provider, background checks, and a qualified lead educator. An active teaching license is one accepted route, but it is not the only one; the state recognizes several employment, degree, license, and method-specific credential paths.
• Technology is capped at 10% of the amount transferred to the child's account for the year.
• Family members cannot be paid with TEFA funds.
• Funds go through the program to approved schools and vendors, not to your family as unrestricted cash.
• Unused funds roll over while the child remains an eligible participant.

Sources: Official approved-expense list · Odyssey eligible-expense explanation · TEFA educator credential policy

Check the payment path before scheduling therapy

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Does a TEFA award guarantee my child gets in?

No. Program participation and school admission are two separate processes. A participating private school runs its own admissions, may require records, evaluations, interviews, or observations, and may decline a student whose needs fall outside its program or current staffing. A TEFA award does not create a right to a seat.

This is the fear underneath the search, so let's say it plainly and then make it workable.

A school can say no. It can say "we're not the right fit," which is the sentence most parents in this situation have already heard at least once. The TEFA process does not give you the public-school ARD and IDEA hearing process for a private school's admissions decision.

That does not mean every private school sits outside every disability law. Nonreligious private schools are generally covered by Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Religious organizations are exempt from ADA Title III. Section 504 applies when a school receives federal financial assistance. Those laws are different from IDEA's public-school FAPE and IEP duties, and whether a particular admission decision is lawful depends on the school and the facts.

That's the reality. Here's what you do with it.

Do these eight things in this order

1. Confirm the exact campus is currently in the official TEFA list.
2. Submit the school's own inquiry or application.
3. Send the records and evaluations they ask for.
4. Get an admissions decision in writing.
5. Get tuition and fee terms in writing.
6. Confirm exactly how TEFA payment works at that school.
7. Read the section on what rights change.
8. Then decide about withdrawing from your current placement.

Do not skip to step eight. A roster entry is not an admission letter.

Records a school may ask you for

Current or recent IEP · full individual evaluation or psychoeducational evaluation · diagnostic evaluation · report cards · standardized test scores · therapy evaluations · behavior intervention plan · attendance and discipline records · medical action plan · communication or AAC plan.

Pull these now, before you need them. It shortens everything.

The 12 questions to ask on the phone

Print this. Use it on every call. The answers are your real comparison table.

1. Are you currently a participating private school in TEFA for this exact campus?
2. Are you considering students in my child's grade and age for this year?
3. Do you have an opening for our start date?
4. Which autism and support profiles does your program serve well?
5. Which needs usually fall outside what you can do?
6. What are your student-to-teacher and student-to-clinical-staff ratios in my child's actual classroom?
7. Which therapies and supports are included in tuition?
8. Which services cost extra, who bills them, and how much?
9. What evaluations, observations, or records do you require?
10. What is the complete first-year cost, including every fee and deposit?
11. How does TEFA billing work here, and when do you need our funds?
12. What happens to tuition, fees, and deposits if the placement doesn't work out?

Question 12 is the one people skip. Ask it anyway. A school that answers it clearly and in writing is telling you something good about itself.

From the disability community: Jacquie Benestante, executive director of the Autism Society of Texas and the parent of an autistic son, described an Austin private school's refusal to accept her son for a summer program. The event happened before TEFA, but it shows why private-school admissions fit has to be verified separately from funding. — The Texas Tribune, October 2023

→ Save the 12-question school call sheet. No email required. Copy it into your notes and write each school's answer beside the same question.

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What if my child doesn't have an IEP yet?

A written request for a Texas special-education evaluation starts a real legal timeline, but it does not produce an IEP immediately. The school must respond in writing within 15 school days; after written parental consent, the full initial evaluation is generally due within 45 school days, with stated exceptions; and the initial ARD eligibility decision is generally due within 30 calendar days after the evaluation report, with special summer rules. Applying for TEFA does not shorten those timelines.

If you're reading this with a 504 plan, a private diagnosis, or no current public-school IEP, this is your section — and it is time-sensitive.

The clock, step by step

Source: TEA evaluation timeline

Do not turn an estimate into a state deadline

The draft version of this page used mid-November as a universal request-by date. We removed it. Texas has not announced the 2027–28 TEFA application window, district calendars differ, consent may not be immediate, absences can extend the evaluation clock, and end-of-year rules can change the sequence.

The safe planning rule is:

1. Wait for the official application close to be announced.
2. Count backward using your district's actual school calendar.
3. Include the 15-school-day response period, the post-consent evaluation period, the ARD period, and a records-matching buffer.
4. Start earlier than the minimum whenever the IEP could affect funding.

A January request may be too late for a late-March application close in some districts. It is not accurate to say every January request has already missed the year.

A 504 plan, disability form, service plan, and IEP do different jobs

• A 504 plan is an accommodation plan under federal civil-rights law. TEFA does not identify it as the document that drives the IEP-based add-on.
• A TEFA Disability Certification Form can support disability priority when the program accepts it. It does not create the higher IEP-based amount.
• A private-school services plan or ISP is not the same document as a public-school IEP and should not be assumed to trigger the add-on.
• A qualifying current IEP matched with TEA is the document the state uses for the additional private-school funding calculation.

If the child already has an IEP from the 2023–24, 2024–25, or 2025–26 school year, the current 2026–27 guidance says it may qualify if matched. Confirm the next cycle's recency rule when it is published.

Which district handles a private-school child's evaluation?

Child Find responsibilities can involve the district where the private school is located, while other responsibilities can involve the district of residence. Do not choose a district based on a general webpage sentence. Tell both districts where the child lives and where the private school is located, ask which district is responsible for the requested evaluation under the child's circumstances, and get the answer in writing.

→ Work backward from the next official deadline — add the district's school calendar and leave a records buffer.

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What special-education rights change when we leave public school?

When a child is parentally placed in a private school using TEFA, the private school does not owe the child the same IDEA entitlement to an IEP and a free appropriate public education that a public district or open-enrollment charter school owes. The home or serving district keeps Child Find duties, and some parentally placed students may receive limited equitable services through a services plan, but federal rules say there is no individual right to receive all or part of the services the child would receive in public school.

We're not going to scare you or soften this. You need it straight.

What does not follow your child through the private-school door

• The private school does not become responsible for implementing the public-school IEP just because it accepts TEFA.
• The private school does not owe IDEA FAPE in the same way a public district does.
• You do not get the same ARD, IDEA due-process, and public-placement enforcement route for the private school's educational program.
• TEFA money alone does not make the provider a recipient of federal financial assistance or a state actor under the Texas statute.

What may still apply

• The school district retains Child Find responsibilities for children who may have disabilities.
• You can request an evaluation through the responsible district.
• A child designated for equitable services may receive a services plan, but federal law says parentally placed private-school children have no individual right to the full services they would receive in public school.
• Nonreligious private schools are generally subject to ADA Title III; religious organizations are exempt from Title III.
• Section 504 applies if the private school itself receives federal financial assistance. Receiving equitable services for students does not automatically make the private school a federal-funds recipient.
• Other state, local, contract, licensing, and civil-rights rules can still matter.

Sources: Official TEFA private-school notice · 34 C.F.R. §300.137 · ADA Title III coverage · Section 504 coverage · Federal private-school funding FAQ

The thing to do about it

Every support you're counting on needs to be written into the enrollment agreement or another enforceable school document. Not promised on a tour. Not implied by a brochure. Written.

Ask: which of my child's current IEP services will you provide? Which won't you? Who delivers them? What happens if that staff member leaves? What is the grievance process? What does the contract say if the placement ends early?

If a school hesitates to put its answers in writing, that's your answer.

When to get help from a person, not a webpage

Talk to an advocate or a special-education attorney before you withdraw if any of these are true:

• Your child has intensive or medically necessary services.
• You're in an active dispute with your district.
• Compensatory services are on the table.
• There have been restraint, seclusion, or safety incidents.
• Your public placement is already funding a private placement.
• Anyone has asked you to sign something waiving or settling claims.
• You believe a private school's admissions decision may violate a disability law.

→ Compare the support written in the private-school contract with the services and safeguards in the current IEP before you withdraw.

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When your district should be paying instead of you

A Texas ARD committee can place a student in a nonpublic or non-district-operated day or residential program when that outside placement is necessary for the district to provide FAPE. The district remains responsible for the student's IEP and public-school special-education obligations. TEFA's $30,000 award cap does not govern that district-contracted placement.

This is the section that might cost us a shortlist and a click. We're writing it anyway, because for some families reading this page it's the right answer and nobody else is saying it.

How it works

If the ARD committee determines the district cannot provide the special-education instruction and related services the student needs in a district setting, the district may contract with a qualifying outside day or residential program. Texas uses separate rules for day placements and residential placements, and TEA has approval, notice, monitoring, and funding processes for those arrangements.

The district is not handing the parent an unlimited private-school coupon. It is making and funding a public special-education placement through the IEP process.

Compare the two routes honestly:

Source: TEA nonpublic program guidance

Signs this route may need to be discussed

• The district has already tried multiple placements or supports without meeting the child's needs.
• The child needs a level of behavioral, medical, communication, or therapeutic support that the district says it cannot provide.
• Safety incidents, restraint, seclusion, elopement, or repeated removals are part of the history.
• The ARD committee has raised an outside placement.
• Multiple parent-selected private schools have said they are not equipped for the child's needs.
• The family is considering paying a very large gap for services the parent believes the district must provide for FAPE.

Those signs do not guarantee a nonpublic placement. They are reasons to put the question on the ARD agenda and build the record.

What to say at the ARD

Ask, in writing, for the committee to consider whether the district can provide FAPE in its proposed setting and, if not, whether a nonpublic or non-district-operated day placement under 19 TAC §89.1094 or a residential placement under the applicable residential rule is necessary. Ask for the committee's decision and reasons to be documented.

Texas proposed substantial rule revisions in 2026 for day and residential placements. Use current TEA guidance and ask the district which rule version and process it is following on the date of the meeting.

→ Put the placement question in writing before the ARD. Do not rely on a hallway conversation.

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What if the school is full, waitlisted, or not on the list?

Do not pay a deposit or plan around a school's general "we accept ESA" language without confirming both current TEFA participation and an actual opening. Schools join TEFA on a rolling basis, so a school missing today may appear later. But an unavailable school or an unconfirmed participant is not a placement.

If the school's availability language conflicts

Notre Dame of Dallas is the live example. Its sitewide notice says full for 2026–27; its admissions page says very limited space. Do not choose the interpretation you prefer. Ask whether the school is accepting an application for your child's age and program today, and get the answer in writing before paying.

If the school has a waitlist

Bynum School in Midland is currently placing inquiries on a waitlist and says it cannot predict the wait time. Get in the queue — then keep looking. Waitlists are lottery tickets, not plans.

If the school isn't on the list

1. Search the official finder and downloadable file again, carefully. Names vary.
2. Match the exact campus, not just the brand.
3. Ask the school if it has applied.
4. Ask for its current status, not its intentions.
5. Check back because schools are added on a rolling basis.
6. Never treat "we're planning to join" as participation.

If nothing fits

That's not failure, and it's a real possibility outside the larger metros or for children with intensive needs.

Honest alternatives:

• A public-school IEP review or placement change.
• A district-contracted nonpublic placement, discussed above.
• Public charter schools, which are tuition-free public schools — not private schools, and not funded by TEFA.
• The $2,000 homeschool/other TEFA path, combined only with approved services and a workable education plan.
• A school in a neighboring metro, if the daily travel or relocation is actually sustainable.
• Staying in the current placement while building a safer transition rather than withdrawing on hope.

We're not going to pretend private school is automatically better. For a lot of autistic kids, the right answer is a stronger public placement with enforceable services.

See which path survives your real constraints

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We're on the waitlist, or we missed the window. Now what?

The 2026–27 TEFA application window ran February 4 through March 31, 2026, and is closed. Families on the waitlist can still receive awards as money becomes available when other families decline, choose the $2,000 homeschool/other option, or leave funds available through other changes. A late confirmation can reduce the award.

If you're on the waitlist

Watch the Odyssey portal and the email tied to the application. In June, the Comptroller issued 5,499 additional awards to previously waitlisted students after some families opted out or selected homeschool/other. The program later moved into additional priority groups as funds changed.

Watch your confirmation date. The state's published funding timeline says:

Private-school accounts are otherwise funded in installments: an initial 25%, another 25% on October 1, and the remaining 50% on February 1, subject to continued eligible enrollment and program rules.

Sources: Funding timelines and proration · Additional waitlist awards

Before signing a contract, make sure the school's payment dates work with your actual funding schedule. A full award on paper is not the same thing as having the full balance on July 1.

If you missed the window

Join the official interest list so you hear when the next cycle opens. Dates for 2027–28 have not been announced, so be skeptical of any site that claims to know them.

Then use the time. If your child may need an evaluation, start planning against the district calendar now. Get records organized. Tour schools without deadline pressure. Ask about the next admissions cycle and financial-aid dates. Do not pay a nonrefundable deposit based on an unannounced TEFA date.

Start the shortlist and records checklist now

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What we actually verified

We think you should know exactly what we checked and what we didn't. Here it is.

### ✅ What we verified Program participation: The state's official participating-school workbook, downloaded August 4, 2026 — 2,786 school or campus rows, plus the header. Program rules and dates: Current TEFA home, family, school, funding, expense, tuition, credential, waitlist, and timeline pages. Accreditation framework: TEA's current private-school accreditation page naming TEPSAC, IALDS, SCL, and NAPS. School fit: Each school's own current admissions, program, or FAQ pages. Tuition and fees: Each school's own published 2026–27 pricing where available. Availability: Current enrolling, full, limited-space, referral-file, or waitlist language published by the school. Special-education rights: Current federal IDEA regulations, federal ADA and Section 504 guidance, the TEFA private-school notice, and current TEA nonpublic-program guidance. Calculations: Our subtraction of the $10,474 standard amount and the hypothetical $30,000 ceiling from school-published tuition. These are tuition-gap calculations, not award predictions. ### ❌ What we did not and cannot verify for your child Whether a school will admit your child. Whether its staffing can safely serve your child after records review. Your final financial-aid package. Costs a school has not published. Whether a seat will remain open. Whether a school will stay in the roster next month. Whether a particular admissions decision is lawful. Any school's quality or outcomes for your child.

A note on our labels

Terms like "autism-specific," "therapeutic," "ASD Level 1," and "broad developmental support" are our editorial categories, not state designations. We assigned them from each school's own published description of who it serves.

Where sources disagreed, and what we did

Version history

Version 1.0 — August 4, 2026. First publication after rechecking the live program pages, downloading the current school workbook, and reconciling school-level conflicts.

We recheck the roster and live availability monthly during the school year and re-verify the full page before each application window. Found something wrong? Send us a correction.

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Frequently asked questions

Is "Texas ESA" the same thing as TEFA?

Yes. "Texas ESA" is what many parents search. The official name is Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA), administered by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, with Odyssey handling the application, account, marketplace, and payment platform.

Does an autism diagnosis get my child $30,000?

No. The additional private-school funding requires a qualifying current IEP matched with TEA. The amount is based on the child's home district and IEP instructional arrangement or setting code, subject to a $30,000 cap. The state says most receive less.

Can a private school reject my child because of autism?

A TEFA award does not create a right to admission, and participating private schools keep their admissions processes. Whether a particular denial is lawful depends on the school and the disability laws that apply, including possible ADA or Section 504 coverage. Do not treat TEFA participation as either a guarantee of admission or permission for unlawful discrimination.

Will TEFA cover the whole tuition bill?

At a few published prices, a maximum award could cover tuition. The standard $10,474 amount leaves a gap at every priced school in this comparison. Fees, separately billed therapy, transportation, and contract obligations can remain even when tuition is covered.

Can TEFA pay for ABA therapy?

Sometimes. The therapy fee must be eligible, offered through an approved provider or marketplace path, and not covered by Medicaid, CHIP, another government benefit, or private insurance the child is enrolled in when the service is received.

My child has a 504 plan but no IEP. What now?

A 504 plan does not by itself drive the IEP-based funding add-on. A program-approved disability form may support priority, but the higher private-school amount is tied to a qualifying current IEP matched with TEA. Read the evaluation timeline and start from the next official application deadline.

My child gets services through an ISP or services plan. Does that count?

Do not assume it does. A private-school services plan is not the same as an IEP. The current TEFA funding guidance identifies a qualifying current IEP matched with TEA as the basis for the add-on.

Can we use TEFA at a public or charter school?

Not for ordinary public or charter enrollment. Public districts and open-enrollment charter schools are tuition-free public schools funded through the public system. TEFA can pay only for the specific approved expenses and services allowed by the program, including certain classes that do not count the child in average daily attendance.

Can a school charge us more because we're using TEFA?

State guidance says a student should not be charged different tuition or fees simply because the student receives TEFA. If a quote changes after TEFA comes up, ask for both versions in writing and contact the program.

Can we combine TEFA with the school's financial aid?

Possibly, but the school may consider TEFA when calculating aid. Ask whether aid is calculated before or after TEFA and get the final family contribution in writing.

Do unused funds roll over, or can we take the cash?

Unused funds roll over while the child remains eligible and participating. They do not become unrestricted family cash. Payments go through the approved program process.

Are schools still being added?

Yes. Private schools may apply on a rolling basis. Recheck the official finder and exact campus before you rule a school in or out.

When does the next application window open?

The Comptroller has not announced 2027–28 dates. Join the official interest list and be wary of any site claiming a deadline before the state publishes it.

Do private schools have to follow my child's IEP?

Not the way a public district does under IDEA. Get every service you are counting on written into the private-school agreement. Separate disability-discrimination laws may still apply depending on the school, but they do not recreate the same public-school IEP entitlement.

What if my child is already in a district-paid private placement?

Do not switch that placement to TEFA without understanding what changes. A district-contracted nonpublic placement is part of the public-school FAPE process; TEFA is a parent-selected private-school funding program with a capped award and different rights.

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Still not sure which path is right for your family?

You've now got more than most parents ever get: which schools are in the payment roster, what each school says it serves, what published tuition leaves behind, which availability claims conflict, what the $30,000 number really means, and the route where a district remains responsible for an outside placement.

If you're still weighing it, that's not a failure. This is a genuinely hard call with real tradeoffs, and the right answer is different for a non-speaking six-year-old in Midland than for a twice-exceptional ninth grader in Plano.

Take our free 60-second school choice matching quiz. Answer a few questions about your child and your situation, and we'll build you a personalized action plan — school leads to investigate, funding inputs to verify, the questions to ask, and the deadlines that apply to your path.

Start the 60-second quiz →

No account. No cost. We don't sell your information, and we don't take money from any school on this page.

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The School Choice Index is an independent comparison and research resource for U.S. school choice programs. This page is information, not individualized legal, financial, medical, or educational advice. Program rules, award amounts, tuition, participation, and availability change. Verify current details with the Texas Comptroller's TEFA program, the responsible school district where public special-education rights are involved, and the school before making a decision.

Primary program and legal sources: Texas Education Freedom Accounts · TEFA families and approved expenses · TEFA participating-school toolkit · TEFA school requirements · TEFA special-education funding · TEFA funding timelines · TEA private-school accreditation · TEA evaluation timeline · TEA nonpublic program guidance · IDEA private-school services rule · ADA Title III · Section 504 · March 17, 2026 federal TEFA deadline order.