Christian Schools That Accept Texas ESA: What Decides It, and What It Really Costs

Published by The School Choice Index. The School Choice Index is an independent comparison and research resource for U.S. school choice programs.

Last verified: August 8, 2026 · State participating-school file: report run August 2, 2026 · Texas · 2026–27 school year

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Yes — Christian schools that accept Texas ESA funds are listed across Texas. The standard 2026–27 award is $10,474 for a child at a participating private school. But the school must be approved, the grade must be open, the school must admit your family, and the final bill may still leave thousands of dollars to pay.

The 2026–27 family application window is closed. It ran from February 4 through March 31, 2026. Private schools can still apply to participate on a rolling basis, so the school list can keep changing.

So the “are Christian schools included?” question is settled. Here's the part almost nobody tells you: “Christian” isn't the test. Four separate things decide whether you can actually use that money at one specific school, and most families only ever check the first one.

We pulled the state's own participating-school file, read the law itself, and priced 13 real 2026–27 grade bands at nine Christian schools from Lubbock to Sugar Land. What we found: the award covers all published tuition at some schools with account money left for other eligible expenses, and about 40% at others. Same state. Same year. Same $10,474.

Let's walk through it.

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The quick version

Who this page is for: Texas families who have an award, are on the waitlist, or are getting ready for the next cycle and want a Christian private school. It is also for families running the math on whether one specific school is actually affordable.

Who should go somewhere else: If you need a tuition-free option, a public school or public charter is different from a private-school TEFA placement. Full-time public or charter enrollment ends TEFA eligibility. If your main question is special-needs support, start with our Texas autism schools that accept ESA guide. If you need to calculate a child-specific award, use our Texas TEFA award calculator.

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Christian schools that accept Texas ESA in 2026–27: which ones are approved?

Answer: Participating Christian schools include Catholic, Baptist, Lutheran, Episcopal, Seventh-day Adventist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Orthodox, classical Christian, and non-denominational schools. But the state does not classify its list by faith or denomination. The only current proof is the exact campus in the official school finder.

The August 2 state file includes current rows for schools such as:

• St. Luke Catholic School in San Antonio
• Greenville Christian School in Greenville
• Lubbock Christian School in Lubbock
• St. Joseph Catholic School in Waxahachie
• Trinity Episcopal School in Victoria
• Brentwood Christian School in Austin
• Covenant Christian School in Conroe
• Fort Bend Christian Academy in Sugar Land
• Southwest Christian School in Fort Worth

That is a sample, not a complete list. It proves that multiple Christian traditions are participating. It does not prove that every campus is still open, every grade is available, or every family will be admitted.

What the state file actually shows

We audited the state's participating-school workbook, the version whose footer says the report was run on August 2, 2026. After removing the header and footer, it contains 2,785 school and campus records.

Then we screened the school_name field for these exact words: Christian, Catholic, Lutheran, Episcopal, Baptist, Adventist, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Orthodox.

That first pass returned 550 distinct records — about one in five of everything in the file.

Those word counts add to 559, but the union contains 550 records because nine records match two of the words.

Now the honest part, because it matters. That 550 is a research screen, not a census of Christian schools. It misses schools that do not put one of those exact words in the name. Think St. Anything. Holy Cross. Covenant. Grace. Trinity. Redeemer. Providence. Notre Dame. It can also include a school whose current faith identity cannot be proven from the name alone.

So please do not read “550” as “550 Christian schools your child can attend.” What we can say honestly is narrower and more useful: the August 2 file contains at least 550 records with one of nine explicit Christian or denominational words, plus other faith-based schools that the name screen cannot catch.

How many teach your child's grade?

This is the number that changes your afternoon.

Of the 550 name-screen records:

• 494 serve at least kindergarten
• 469 serve at least first grade
• 81 stop before first grade

That is why a huge statewide provider count can mislead a family searching for fifth grade. A large share of the list is early childhood, including church preschools and child-care programs.

Where the name-screen records cluster

San Antonio ties Houston at 47 in this exact-word screen. That does not prove equal access. It shows why families should search the actual file instead of guessing from city size.

Check one school in about two minutes. Open the official school finder, search the school's exact name, and verify the campus address. That current listing is the proof that lets the account pay the school.

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The four checks that actually decide it

Answer: Whether you can use Texas ESA money at a Christian school comes down to four separate questions: accreditation, current program approval, family admission, and the real cost after the award. A school can pass one and fail another.

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Check 1: Does the school meet the accreditation gate?

Answer: A participating K–12 private school must hold accreditation recognized through Texas's private-school accreditation system or another state-recognized route, must have operated a campus for at least two school years, and must give students in grades 3–12 a nationally norm-referenced assessment or the appropriate state assessment each year.

Texas does not generally oversee or directly accredit private schools. The state moved away from direct private-school accreditation in 1986 and now recognizes the Texas Private School Accreditation Commission, usually called TEPSAC, plus three other entities named on the Texas Education Agency's current page.

This is the gate that surprises people. A church school can be old, loved, and academically strong and still be unable to receive TEFA funds because it never needed recognized accreditation before.

Then the program made accreditation the price of entry.

Here's the good news, and it is genuinely good. The current 2026 TEPSAC policy manual lists 19 approved accrediting associations. Twelve are explicitly Christian or denominational by name:

That count is based on the organizations' names, not a judgment about theology.

A Christian school does not need a Christian-named accreditor. The same current TEPSAC list includes Cognia, the Texas Alliance of Accredited Private Schools, the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest, and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, among others.

TEA also separately recognizes:

• the International Association for Learner Driven Schools
• the Society for Classical Learning
• the National Association of Private Schools

One thing to know before you trust an accreditor list

Use the current 2026 TEPSAC manual and the current TEA page, not an old denominational page or copied list. Older materials circulate with agencies that do not appear in the current Appendix A.

The current TEPSAC list includes WASC. It does not include WELSSA or CESA.

Even a correct accreditation list answers only the first question. Accreditation is not proof of TEFA participation. The official finder is still the final campus-level check.

What if the school is not accredited?

Then the K–12 private-school route cannot pay that school this year unless it qualifies through another route that actually applies to the provider and grade.

Not because the school is bad. Because the program has a gate and the school has not cleared it.

You have three real moves:

1. Ask the school which recognized route it is using and whether approval is complete. Do not settle for “we should qualify.”
2. Search for a currently participating school nearby. Confirm the exact campus and grade in the state file.
3. Consider a different education setting only after checking the funding effect. The homeschool cap is $2,000, not $10,474, and switching settings does not preserve the private-school award automatically.

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Check 2: Is the school approved right now — and will it stay?

Answer: A school must be currently approved to receive TEFA payments. Private-school applications are rolling, so new schools can be added. The Comptroller can also suspend or remove a provider that stops meeting program requirements.

Six words get used like they mean the same thing. They do not:

A school can reach “participating” and still deny admission. A school can honestly say it is “eligible” and still be absent from the current list.

Several Christian schools reserve the right to walk away

This is the thing most directories leave out.

• Fort Bend Christian Academy says it will evaluate its TEFA participation annually and would not stay if the program infringed on its mission or autonomy.
• Southwest Christian School says continued participation depends on keeping its mission, curriculum, admissions, and autonomy intact.
• Rivertree Academy tells applying families to provide proof of a TEFA application as part of enrollment.

Those statements do not mean the schools are unstable. They mean participation is a decision schools can revisit.

The state side works the same way. The law lets the Comptroller suspend or remove a provider that violates program requirements. That is enough to make one phone question worth asking:

“Have you committed to TEFA beyond 2026–27, and when will the school decide again?”

Do not assume that money automatically follows your child into any new setting if a school leaves. Contact the program before changing schools or moving to homeschool, because the eligible amount and route can change.

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The honest catch: an award does not get your child a seat

We would rather you hear this here than after you pay three application fees.

A TEFA award clears the money gate. It does not clear the school gate. The state decides whether the child receives funding. Each private school decides whether it admits the child. Those are separate processes with separate calendars.

A family can hold a $10,474 award and still hit:

• a closed grade
• a school waitlist
• an admissions assessment
• a faith or church-attendance requirement
• an admissions denial
• a nonrefundable application or enrollment fee

If a guaranteed seat is what you need most, a private-school TEFA placement is the wrong tool and we will say so plainly. Your zoned public system has a resident placement obligation. A public charter is tuition-free but may use a lottery when applications exceed seats. Neither is a private-school TEFA placement.

But here is why the trade can be worth it. Texas did not require a private school to give up its curriculum, religious practices, admissions standards, or employment practices just to participate. The law protects those choices.

The freedom that lets a Christian school stay Christian is also the freedom that lets it say no to one family. You cannot have one without the other.

So the job is not to hope. The job is to find out early, before spending nonrefundable money.

Ask the two questions that protect you: “Is my child's grade currently accepting applications?” and “Is this fee refundable if you cannot offer a seat?”

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Check 3: Will the school take your family?

Answer: Texas law protects a participating private school's authority over its admissions and enrollment practices. A Christian school may use faith-based requirements, assessments, priority rules, conduct standards, or other written admission policies. The individual school decides.

Let's be concrete, because “faith-based admissions” is vague.

Some schools operate as covenant schools. They are built to partner with families who already share the school's beliefs. They may require:

• a signed statement of faith
• active church membership
• regular church attendance
• a pastor reference
• agreement with a parent-student handbook
• agreement with family-conduct standards

Lifestyle Christian School in Conroe, for example, says families must be Christian, belong to an evangelical Bible-believing church, and attend regularly.

Other Christian schools operate more like mission schools. They may admit families of another faith or no faith as long as the family accepts the school's instruction and rules.

Both models can participate. The state award does not choose between them.

Catholic schools often use priority rather than a universal faith bar. A parish school may place returning families, siblings, parishioners, or Catholic families ahead of other applicants. A non-Catholic family may be eligible to apply and still sit lower in the order when a grade fills.

The handbook matters as much as the admissions page. Student and family-conduct rules can address worship, attendance, discipline, sexuality, gender, parent conduct, and the conditions under which enrollment can be ended. Ask for the current handbook before paying, not after the child is accepted.

None of this is a verdict on your family. It is fit information.

If one school's covenant does not fit your family, that school is not your school. The useful next step is to find one whose written rules, grade space, cost, and support model do fit.

Use the official finder to build the first list. Then call the schools before paying. A current state listing proves payment eligibility. Only the school can prove grade space and family fit.

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Check 4: What's actually left to pay at a Christian school?

Answer: The standard 2026–27 award of $10,474 covers all published tuition at some Texas Christian schools and less than half at others. Across 13 grade bands at nine participating Christian schools, the award covered about 40% to 132% of the published annual tuition or required rate we checked. The highest rate was about 3.3 times the lowest.

This is the table we would want if we were you.

Every figure below came from the school's own published 2026–27 page and was checked on August 8, 2026. The percentage is $10,474 divided by the published annual tuition or required rate shown. A plus sign means the account award is larger than that figure. It does not mean the family receives cash. Separate fees and other required costs can still use that balance only when the expense is eligible.

\* Covenant Christian's published rates used here include $1,900 in listed fees. The other rows use published tuition before separately listed application, registration, enrollment, meal, care, or similar charges unless the school says otherwise.

Look at the top row and the bottom row. Same award. Same year. Same state. Same broad category — Christian private school. At one school, the award is $2,551 above published kindergarten tuition. At another, the high-school tuition gap is $15,976.

A few things this table teaches that a statewide school count cannot:

1. The school model drives the gap more than the label on the sign. The lowest published figures in this set belong to small Catholic, Episcopal, and Christian schools. The largest belong to college-prep Christian academies with broader programs and higher operating costs.

2. Tuition can rise sharply as your child gets older. Lubbock Christian lists $8,700 for kindergarten and $12,300 for high school. The standard award stays $10,474. A family fully covered on tuition in kindergarten faces a $1,826 high-school tuition gap before separate costs.

3. Grade cliffs can be abrupt. Covenant Christian lists a $14,055 kindergarten rate and a $16,760 grades 1–6 rate, a $2,705 jump in the published required rate. Covenant says its published rates include $1,900 in fees, so compare the school's full contract — not just the word “tuition” — before treating one grade as cheaper.

Here is a comparison that sticks: Covenant Christian's $14,055 published kindergarten required rate, including $1,900 in fees, is the same number as Brentwood Christian's $14,055 high-school tuition. Same number. Very different school models and grade bands.

4. Tuition is not the whole bill. The schools' own pages show costs such as:

• a $325 registration fee at St. Luke Catholic School
• a $100 application fee and $250 enrollment down payment at Greenville Christian School
• separate application, registration, technology, and supply fees at St. Joseph Catholic School
• a $150 application fee and $375 seat fee at Brentwood Christian School
• a $100 application fee and $600 new-student enrollment fee at Fort Bend Christian Academy
• a required meal plan at Southwest Christian School, listed at $1,210 for K–4 and $1,450 for high school
• extended care at Fort Bend Christian Academy, listed at $2,500 for the year

The program treats those costs differently. Required registration or enrollment fees, required uniforms, and school breakfast or lunch may be eligible when the school and expense meet program rules. Before- and after-school care is not eligible. Fundraising and capital campaigns are not eligible either.

5. A plus sign is not a rebate. When tuition is below the award, the school cannot refund, rebate, or credit TEFA money to the family. The account balance may be used only for other eligible expenses or remain subject to the program's account rules.

6. Payment timing can still bite you. The official private-school funding schedule calls for about 25% by July 1, another 25% by October 1, and the remaining 50% by February 1, 2027. A school's invoice calendar can be earlier. Fort Bend Christian warns families that TEFA disbursement dates may not match its contracted due dates and that families remain responsible for timely payments.

You can be fully funded on paper and still need cash before the next account installment arrives.

Run the whole bill, not just tuition. Use our Texas TEFA award calculator, then compare the result with tuition, required fees, meals, uniforms, deposits, transportation, and care. Our eligible-expenses guide explains which categories may use account funds.

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Will the award just cancel out our financial aid?

Answer: It can. Texas guidance says a school cannot charge a participating child more than its standard price for the same service, but the school may consider TEFA funding when deciding how much of its own need-based aid to award. School policies are not uniform.

This is the question that quietly decides whether the award changes anything for a family already receiving a scholarship.

The state's rule has two parts:

1. A school cannot raise the price because a child uses TEFA.
2. A school may consider the account when calculating its own financial aid.

That means a school cannot turn an $8,000 standard charge into a $10,474 charge just because the account exists. But it may reduce school-funded aid after the TEFA award changes what the family can pay.

Published Christian-school policies show the difference:

• Southwest Christian School says TEFA and its financial aid are considered separately, but the two cannot be combined to pay the same tuition amount twice.
• The Lutheran Education Association of Houston tells families that TEFA funds may, in some cases, replace school financial aid.
• Other schools tell families to apply for both and then recalculate the school's own award after TEFA is known.

All of those approaches can exist under the same state guidance.

For a family that already had a large school scholarship, TEFA may reduce school aid and leave the out-of-pocket number almost unchanged. For a family paying full tuition, the account may reduce the bill dollar for dollar.

The fix takes one email. Ask for both numbers:

“If we receive a TEFA award, what will our family owe for 2026–27? What would we owe without it? Please include tuition, every required fee, meals, deposits, and the effect on any school-funded aid.”

Get the answer in writing. That tells you what the award is worth to your family, which can be very different from what it is worth on paper.

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Does the church-member discount still work?

Answer: Yes. State guidance allows schools to keep parishioner, church-member, sibling, staff, and other standard discounts for TEFA families. The school still cannot charge a TEFA family more than its normal price. But account money cannot pay a church donation, fundraiser, or capital campaign.

The cheapest seat at many church schools is the member or parishioner seat. The label alone does not tell you how to qualify.

A school may require:

• a pastor-signed affiliation form
• active church membership
• regular attendance
• documented giving during a prior period
• a form submitted before a separate discount deadline

TEFA can pay an eligible school charge. It cannot turn a voluntary or required church contribution into tuition, and the school cannot route program money back to the family as a rebate or credit.

Two questions protect you:

1. What exactly qualifies us for the member rate? Ask for the policy and the required proof.
2. When is the member-rate deadline? It may arrive before the admissions or enrollment deadline.

Put the church contribution and the discounted school bill on separate lines in your budget. Then compare the real net savings.

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Can the state change what a Christian school teaches, hires, or believes?

Answer: Texas Education Code Section 29.368 protects a participating private school's religious or institutional values and its authority over curriculum, admissions, enrollment, employment, and religious practices. The law also says receiving TEFA funds does not, by itself, make the school a state actor or a recipient of federal financial assistance.

This is the fear that keeps some Christian families and school boards out of public funding programs. So read the structure of the law instead of guessing.

Section 29.368 bars a state agency, state official, or the certified organization administering the accounts from taking action that limits or contradicts a participating private school's religious or institutional values. It also protects the school's ability to determine:

• its teaching methods and curriculum
• its admissions and enrollment practices, policies, and standards
• whether to change or keep its religious values, conduct rules, standards, assessments, or employment practices
• how it exercises its religious practices

It separately states that a school is not a state actor and is not treated as a recipient of federal financial assistance solely because it receives program funds.

Read that once and it answers the school-board fear. Chapel, Bible class, the statement of faith, curriculum choices, and faith-based employment practices do not disappear just because a family directs TEFA funds to the school.

Read it again and you will notice the damaging admission: the same protection that covers curriculum also covers admissions and enrollment. The law preserves the school's model, including the parts that may keep a particular family out.

What the school still has to do

Participation is not free of obligations. A participating private school must:

• hold recognized accreditation
• have operated a Texas campus for at least two school years
• give students in grades 3–12 a nationally norm-referenced assessment or the appropriate state assessment each year
• maintain a qualifying Texas location; a virtual school needs a Texas office
• follow payment, record, verification, and program rules
• give the parent the program's special-education notice

That last notice matters. A private school is not required to provide special-education rights and services in the same way a public school district is. If your child has an IEP, read the notice before withdrawing from public school, and review our Texas autism school guide before assuming a private placement will continue every service.

For the testing details, see our Texas TEFA testing and accountability guide.

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Is this “taking government money”? Here's how the money actually moves

Answer: TEFA funds are placed in an account held in trust for the participating child. The parent initiates an approved payment request, and the certified organization pays the approved school or provider. The law does not let the parent withdraw cash or receive a direct reimbursement.

Some Christian families and school boards draw a line between a government grant paid to a school and an account controlled by a parent for one child. Texas built the second structure.

The basic flow is:

1. The state transfers the child's award into an education savings account held in trust.
2. The parent selects an approved school, service, or product and submits the payment request through the program system.
3. The certified organization verifies the expense and pays the approved provider. For a verified school payment, the law sets a 10-business-day payment period.
4. The parent cannot withdraw cash from the account or receive a direct reimbursement.

So there is no unrestricted block grant to the school and no check written to the parent. The parent chooses. The account pays an approved provider. The money stays tied to the participating child and the program's eligible-expense rules.

If your pastor or board is weighing the program, bring the actual payment structure to the conversation. The useful question is not just, “Does public money reach the school?” It is also, “Who chooses the school, who controls the request, and what legal conditions follow the payment?”

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Do Catholic schools accept Texas ESA?

Answer: Yes. Catholic schools can participate, and the Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops Education Department is one of the 19 current TEPSAC-approved accrediting associations. But participation is still campus-specific. The family must find the exact school in the state list and complete the school's separate admissions process.

The accreditation route gives many Catholic schools a cleaner first gate than an independent school with no recognized accreditor. It does not guarantee that every Catholic school participates or that every family gets a seat.

Our August 2 state-file check found Catholic schools across Texas. The cost table above includes two current examples:

• St. Luke Catholic School in San Antonio, with $7,923 kindergarten tuition before its separate registration fee
• St. Joseph Catholic School in Waxahachie, with $8,750 K–8 tuition before separate application, registration, technology, and supply fees

At both examples, the standard award is larger than published tuition. That does not mean every Catholic school is fully covered. High-school tuition, fees, meals, transportation, and diocesan or school-specific policies can change the result.

Catholic families should still check:

• the exact campus listing
• the school's admission and parish-priority policy
• whether the grade is open
• parishioner versus non-parishioner tuition
• required fees and giving rules
• the deadline by which the school must confirm enrollment
• how the school treats TEFA alongside diocesan or school-funded aid

Applying for TEFA does not enroll a child in a Catholic school. Applying to the school does not guarantee TEFA funding. You need both tracks to clear.

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What about Baptist, Lutheran, classical, Adventist, Episcopal, and non-denominational schools?

Answer: Each of those traditions has at least one current recognized accreditation route, but the school still needs current TEFA approval. Use the accreditor name as a first check, not as proof of participation.

Here is the current map:

Baptist. The TEPSAC list includes the Accreditation Commission of Baptist Schools and the American Association of Christian Schools. Our state-file name screen found 22 records with the exact word “Baptist.” That is a floor, not a census; many Baptist schools use names that do not include the word.

Lutheran. The current TEPSAC list includes the Lutheran Schools Accreditation Commission. Our screen found 40 Lutheran-named records. Older materials may mention WELSSA, but WELSSA is not in the current 2026 TEPSAC Appendix A. Verify the school's present accreditation and TEFA listing rather than relying on an old denominational page.

Classical Christian. TEPSAC recognizes the Association of Classical & Christian Schools. TEA also separately recognizes the Society for Classical Learning. Classical schools may use covenant-style family requirements, so read the admissions policy and statement of faith before paying.

Seventh-day Adventist. The Texas Seventh Day Adventists School System appears in the current TEPSAC list. Our name screen found 16 Adventist-named records.

Episcopal. The Southwestern Association of Episcopal Schools is current. Our screen found 31 Episcopal-named records. Trinity Episcopal School in Victoria published $8,275 K–5 tuition, leaving $2,199 of the standard award above tuition before separate fees.

Churches of Christ and other Christian networks. The National Christian Schools Association is current. Other schools may use ACSI, ACTS, Christian Schools International, the International Christian Accrediting Association, Cognia, TAAPS, or another recognized route.

Methodist and Presbyterian. Our screen found 12 Methodist-named and five Presbyterian-named records. Many use a general accreditor rather than a denomination-specific body.

Non-denominational. “Christian” was the largest exact word in our screen, with 293 records. That group spans tiny church schools, preschools, microschools, and large college-prep academies. It is also where the tuition range becomes widest, so do not infer price or admission rules from the label.

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Which online Christian schools accept Texas ESA?

Answer: A full-time virtual private school can participate if it meets the private-school rules, including a qualifying Texas office, and appears in the current state list. A standalone online course, curriculum product, or tutoring service may use a different provider or vendor route. Those are not the same thing.

Four things get called “online school”:

The trap to watch for: an out-of-state online school may market to Texas families and still fail the private-school participation rules. At the same time, some out-of-state online programs or vendors may qualify through another approved route. Do not treat “online,” “accredited,” or “accepts ESA” as enough.

Find the exact school, provider, or vendor in the official system before you enroll or buy.

Nothing nearby does not mean nothing available. Start with the official school finder for full-time private schools, then use our Texas ESA online-school guide to separate a private school from a course, curriculum product, or tutoring service.

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What about church preschool and kindergarten?

Answer: Prekindergarten and kindergarten providers can qualify through routes that are not identical to the K–12 private-school route. That helps explain why the state file contains so many church preschools, child-care centers, and early-learning programs.

The official school requirements include paths for qualified pre-K and kindergarten providers, including eligible licensed child-care operations. A provider still has to meet the route that applies to it and receive program approval.

Our August 2 name screen found:

• 550 records with one of the nine exact Christian or denominational words
• 494 serving at least kindergarten
• 469 serving at least first grade
• 81 stopping before first grade

If your child is three, four, or five, the state file may show far more nearby church programs than a family searching for third grade will see.

Two checks matter:

1. Confirm the maximum grade for that exact campus in the state file. A church may operate a large ministry while the approved education provider stops at pre-K or kindergarten.
2. Separate education from care. Before- and after-school care is not an eligible TEFA expense. At an early-childhood program, care can be a large share of the total bill.

Ask the school to show tuition, required school fees, and care charges as separate lines.

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My school says it accepts Texas ESA, but I cannot find it. Now what?

Answer: Search the exact legal and campus name in the official finder. If the school still does not appear, ask whether it is currently approved or is only eligible, applying, or waiting to be added. Do not treat the award as usable there until the current official listing confirms it.

Try these searches:

• the full legal school name
• the campus name, if the school has more than one
• the parent church or operating organization's name
• the street address or ZIP code
• “St.” and “Saint”
• punctuation variations and names without apostrophes

If it still does not appear, ask this exact question:

“Are you currently approved to receive TEFA payments at this campus, or are you eligible and applying?”

Those answers are not interchangeable.

School websites can also go stale. A page may use an old award amount, old deadline, old agency name, or old application link. The school's intent may be honest while the instructions are outdated.

Private schools can apply on a rolling basis, so “not listed today” is not necessarily a permanent no. It is still not a yes you can spend.

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What if we are on the waitlist, or missed the window entirely?

Answer: The 2026–27 family application window ran from February 4 through March 31, 2026 and is closed. A family brought off the waitlist must opt in and have school enrollment confirmed by September 15, 2026 to receive the full annual award. Later enrollment dates use the state's proration schedule.

If you already have an award

Confirm the award in the program system, finish the school's separate admissions process, and make sure the school completes any required enrollment confirmation. Then compare the school's first due date with the state's installment calendar.

Do not assume an award protects a seat. Do not assume an acceptance letter protects the award. Both sides have to finish.

If you are on the waitlist

Keep your portal information current and keep realistic school options open. Senate Bill 2 capped program spending at $1 billion for the state fiscal biennium that began September 1, 2025; that temporary cap expires September 1, 2027. Demand was much larger than the money available.

The waitlist is not one simple first-come line. The law puts siblings of participating children first, then uses disability and household-income groups. Within the main applicant groups, children with disabilities in households at or below 500% of the federal poverty level come first, followed by households at or below 200%, then households above 200% but below 500%, and then households at or above 500%. The highest-income group is also capped at 20% of annual program spending. A family can be eligible and still not be funded that year.

The state's late-July report showed:

• more than 274,000 applications
• 85,344 funded students
• more than 121,000 students still on the waitlist

Those are statewide snapshot numbers, not a prediction for one child. Waitlist movement does not guarantee that your turn will come or that your preferred grade will still have space.

The September 15 date is the protection for a full annual award after a waitlisted family is offered a place. It is not a promise that every waitlisted family will receive one by then.

If you did not apply

Use the time before the next cycle to do the work most families put off:

1. Build a shortlist from the current official school file.
2. Check which grades each campus serves.
3. Ask when the school opens applications for 2027–28.
4. Get its tuition and fee schedule as soon as it is published.
5. Read the admissions policy and handbook.
6. Ask whether the school plans to keep participating.
7. Watch the official program site for the next family application dates.

The 2027–28 family window had not been announced on the official program site as of August 8, 2026.

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The 12 questions to ask before you pay anything

Answer: Before paying an application fee or signing an enrollment contract, confirm the school's exact state listing, grade availability, full cost, admission rules, aid policy, refund terms, and payment calendar. Most families need answers from both the state program and the school.

Print this. Take it to the phone call. Fill in the blanks.

1. What exact name is this campus listed under in the official TEFA finder?
2. Are you currently approved for my child's grade for 2026–27?
3. Is that grade accepting applications now, or is it already on a waitlist?
4. Is the application fee refundable if you cannot offer a seat?
5. What is the published tuition or required annual rate for that grade?
6. What required fees, meals, uniforms, deposits, transportation, or care costs sit on top of it?
7. What will our family owe with TEFA, and what would we owe without it?
8. Will TEFA reduce or replace any school-funded financial aid?
9. Is there a parishioner, church-member, sibling, staff, or other discount, and what exactly qualifies us?
10. Do you require a statement of faith, church membership, regular attendance, a pastor reference, an assessment, or a family-conduct agreement?
11. When are payments due, and what is owed before each state installment arrives?
12. Has the school committed to TEFA beyond 2026–27, and when will it decide again?

Red flags worth slowing down for

• “We should qualify” with no current listing you can find
• “Up to $30,000” presented as if it is your child's confirmed award
• a refusal to put tuition and required fees in writing
• a quote that rises after you mention TEFA
• pressure to pay immediately because “the state money is coming”
• anyone saying an award guarantees admission
• no written refund or withdrawal policy
• a school page that sends you to an old agency, deadline, or application system

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What we actually verified

We would rather show our work than ask you to trust us.

State-file work completed August 8, 2026

We downloaded the participating-school workbook linked from the official TEFA toolkit. Its footer says “Report Run as of 8/2/26.” We removed the header and footer, leaving 2,785 records.

We ran a case-insensitive exact-word screen on the school_name field for:

Christian, Catholic, Lutheran, Episcopal, Baptist, Adventist, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Orthodox.

That produced:

• 559 word matches
• 550 distinct state-file records in the union
• 494 with a maximum grade of kindergarten or higher
• 469 with a maximum grade of first grade or higher

We also counted the cities reported in the file and confirmed that each of the nine schools used in the tuition table appeared in the August 2 file.

Law and program rules checked

We checked the final enrolled text of Senate Bill 2 and the current official program pages for:

• the $10,474 standard private-school award
• the IEP-based amount up to $30,000
• the $2,000 homeschool cap
• the March 31, 2026 family deadline
• rolling private-school applications
• school accreditation, operation, location, and testing rules
• tuition and refund restrictions
• school autonomy
• special-education notice requirements
• payment flow and the ban on parent cash withdrawals
• the current funding and waitlist timeline
• the late-July application, funded-student, and waitlist counts

Accreditation checked

We used the current TEA accreditation-status page and the current TEPSAC policy manual. The 2026 Appendix A lists 19 approved associations. Twelve are explicitly Christian or denominational by name. WASC appears on the current list; WELSSA and CESA do not.

School pricing checked

We checked the schools' own 2026–27 pages for every figure in the tuition table. Where a school listed registration, application, enrollment, meal, care, or other fees separately, we did not fold those numbers into tuition. Covenant Christian's grades 1–6 published rate expressly includes $1,900 in fees, so the table says so.

What we did not assume

• that a Christian-sounding name proves a school's current faith identity
• that recognized accreditation proves TEFA approval
• that TEFA approval proves a seat is open
• that an admission offer proves funding
• that an IEP automatically produces a $30,000 award
• that a school website is current just because it is live
• that a balance above tuition can be paid to the family
• that switching from private school to homeschool preserves the same award

Where current sources can confuse families

What this page still cannot promise

No static article can promise that a school is still participating, that a grade is still open, that a family will be admitted, or that the final bill will match a public tuition page. Those facts can change after publication.

That is why every decision path on this page ends with the same two proofs: the current state listing and a written answer from the school.

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Frequently asked questions

Is “Texas ESA” the same thing as TEFA?

Yes. TEFA stands for Texas Education Freedom Accounts, the program's official name. Families also call it the Texas ESA or voucher program.

How much is the Texas ESA for private school?

The standard 2026–27 amount is $10,474 for a child attending a participating private school. A child with a qualifying IEP may receive an individually calculated amount up to $30,000. The homeschool cap is $2,000.

Who is eligible to apply for Texas ESA?

A Texas-resident parent may apply for a child who is a U.S. citizen or national, or who was lawfully admitted to the United States, and who is eligible to attend a Texas public school or qualifying public prekindergarten program. There is no income cutoff for eligibility. Income and disability status affect priority when applications exceed available funding, and an eligible child is not guaranteed an award.

Will $10,474 cover full tuition at a Christian school?

Sometimes. In the 13 grade bands we priced, the award covered about 40% to 132% of the published annual tuition or required rate. Required fees and ineligible costs can change the family's final bill.

Do Catholic schools accept Texas ESA?

Many Catholic schools do. The Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops Education Department is a current TEPSAC-approved accreditor. Check the exact campus in the official finder; accreditation alone does not prove participation.

Can a Christian school reject my child?

Yes. Private schools set their own admissions and enrollment policies, and Section 29.368 protects that authority within the program. An award does not create a right to admission.

Do we have to be Christian to attend?

It depends on the school. Some require a Christian family, church membership, regular attendance, a pastor reference, or agreement with a statement of faith. Others accept families of any or no faith if they agree to school rules.

Can a school charge us more because we use TEFA?

No. The school or provider cannot charge a participating child more than its standard amount for the same service or product. Ask for the standard price and your TEFA price in writing if they appear different.

Can we combine TEFA with school financial aid?

Possibly, but the school's own aid may be reduced or replaced. State guidance allows a school to consider TEFA when calculating need-based aid. Ask for your full cost with and without the award.

Does the private school have to follow my child's public-school IEP?

Not in the same way a public school district does. The program and the participating private school must give parents a special-education notice explaining the difference. Read it before leaving public school.

Can the account pay for uniforms, meals, transportation, or therapy?

Some of those can be eligible through approved routes: required uniforms, school breakfast and lunch, eligible transportation, and qualifying therapies not paid by insurance or another benefit. Approval depends on the expense and provider. Before- and after-school care, fundraising, and capital campaigns are not eligible.

Do participating private-school students have to take STAAR?

The law requires students in grades 3–12 at a participating private school to take a nationally norm-referenced assessment or the appropriate state assessment each year. STAAR can satisfy the state-assessment route; it is not the only option. See our testing guide.

When does the money arrive?

For a participating private-school student, the official schedule is about 25% by July 1, another 25% by October 1, and the remaining 50% by February 1. School due dates can be earlier.

Can the family receive leftover money as cash?

No. The parent cannot withdraw cash or receive a direct reimbursement, and the school cannot rebate, refund, or credit program money to the family.

What happens when the child leaves the program?

After the child is no longer eligible and approved expenses are finished, the account closes and remaining money returns to the program fund. Full-time enrollment in a public school or public charter ends program eligibility.

Can I still apply for 2026–27?

No. The family application window closed on March 31, 2026. Watch the official program site for the 2027–28 dates.

Does being on the state list mean Texas endorses the school?

No. It means the school met the program's approval requirements at that time. It is not a state judgment about the school's academic quality, theology, culture, safety, or fit for your child.

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Where to go from here

If you take three things from this page, take these:

1. Check the exact campus in the official finder before you do anything else. Everything downstream depends on that current listing.
2. Get the full bill with TEFA and without it, in writing. That tells you whether the award changes your family's cost or only changes the source of payment.
3. Clear the admissions gate before paying nonrefundable money. Ask about grade space, faith requirements, assessments, handbook terms, and refund rules.

You are not late for asking hard questions, and you are not being difficult. You are doing the work that prevents a family from spending hundreds of dollars on a school that cannot receive the account, cannot offer a seat, or still leaves a five-figure gap.

Start with the official Texas school finder. Then run your amount through our Texas TEFA award calculator and check every extra line against our eligible-expenses guide.

Schools may pay The School Choice Index a flat monthly fee for parent-selected introductions. Payment never affects our coverage, content, or result order. You choose which schools may contact you. We do not accept payment for rankings, badges, verification, or placement.

Award amounts, deadlines, eligible expenses, school participation, tuition, and admission status can change. Verify current program details with the Texas Comptroller's Texas Education Freedom Accounts program and verify school details with the school before signing or paying. This page provides information, not legal or financial advice.

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Primary sources

Texas program and law

• Texas Education Freedom Accounts — Families
• Texas Education Freedom Accounts — Schools
• Texas Education Freedom Accounts — Tuition and Fees
• Texas Education Freedom Accounts — Funding Timelines
• Texas Education Freedom Accounts — Toolkit and Participating School List
• Official TEFA School Finder
• March 31, 2026 Application-Deadline Extension
• Senate Bill 2, 89th Texas Legislature — Enrolled Text

Accreditation

• Texas Education Agency — Private School Accreditation Status
• TEPSAC Accreditation
• TEPSAC Policies and Procedures Manual

School tuition and policy pages

• St. Luke Catholic School — Tuition and Fees
• Greenville Christian School — 2026–27 Tuition Form
• Lubbock Christian School — Tuition
• St. Joseph Catholic School Waxahachie — Tuition and Financial Aid
• Trinity Episcopal School Victoria — Tuition
• Brentwood Christian School — Tuition Information
• Covenant Christian School — Tuition and Fees
• Fort Bend Christian Academy — Tuition
• Fort Bend Christian Academy — TEFA
• Southwest Christian School — Tuition
• Southwest Christian School — TEFA
• Rivertree Academy — TEFA
• Lifestyle Christian School — Admissions
• LEAH Schools — Texas Education Freedom Accounts