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Texas Homeschool & School Choice News

The latest Texas news on homeschooling, alternative schools and school choice, with a short summary of each story. Updated every week.

How Texas K-12 education policy could change under Democrats

The Texas Tribune · Thu, Nov 5, 2026

Democrats won several statewide offices in Texas, including the governor's race, which could shift K-12 education policy. Gina Hinojosa, the first Democrat elected governor since 1990, has pledged to remove Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath, end state takeovers of school districts, and eliminate STAAR and tests like it. Many of these changes would require the Legislature, where Republicans still hold the Senate majority. Hinojosa has also said she opposes the new

billion education savings account program, which gives private school families about
0,500 a year and home-schooling families up to
,000. As governor, she could veto future voucher legislation and use her line-item veto on related budget funding.

Acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock Announces Resignation After Overseeing TEFA Rollout

The Texan

Acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock announced his resignation on July 1, the day funds first reached families' Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA). He thanked Gov. Greg Abbott for trusting him to lead the

billion program rollout, saying the program is "running remarkably smoothly for a new initiative of this size." More than 274,000 families applied, and there are currently 107,000 active awards, with students regularly pulled off the waitlist. Abbott has appointed former state Sen. Don Huffines to succeed Hancock when he leaves office at the end of the month. Families will receive initial funding in stages through July, and again in October and February.

70 million has been spent so far. Of the 111,295 students who received vouchers, more than half fall into Tier 2, which covers low-income families earning about $66,000 a year or less for a family of four. Nearly 83% of voucher recipients were not in public school last year. The dashboard does not show how families are spending the money. The state says it is withholding that information to protect children's privacy, while opponents say it should be public to keep spending honest.

Texas' next comptroller will control

Houston Public Media · Thu, Oct 29, 2026

Texas' next comptroller will oversee the state's

billion Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA) voucher fund, and the race is drawing attention because the program could double. Acting Comptroller Don Huffines, a Republican who has long backed the program, is asking lawmakers to add another
billion for 2028-29, while Democratic state Sen. Sarah Eckhardt says a new program should be judged by its results before its funding is doubled. Green Party candidate Shehla Faizi argues the money would be better spent on public schools, and Libertarian V. Alonzo Echavarria-Garza did not respond to interview requests. Over 274,000 families requested TEFA money, and more than 100,000 students received funds before the cap was reached. The comptroller's decisions will affect families across the state.

Taxpayers are funding private school tuition. It's helping classical Christian schools expand

Texarkana Gazette · Wed, Oct 28, 2026

Texas has begun rolling out

billion in public funding that eligible families can put toward private school expenses, and classical Christian schools are expanding in response. The Association of Classical Christian Schools, which has grown by nearly 200 schools since 2019, has set a goal of creating or converting 5,000 schools serving 1.5 million students nationwide within a decade. Some school administrators encourage parents to use the new funds, while critics worry the money will drain public schools and raise church-state concerns. After Texas launched its education savings accounts this year, at least 78 students at one Covenant Christian Academy campus qualified for the program.

San Antonio Family's Voucher Story Hits Special-Needs Wall

Hoodline · Tue, Oct 13, 2026

San Antonio's McDaniel family shows how Texas's first year of universal school choice can fall short for some families. Four of their six school-aged children enrolled at Cornerstone Christian Schools this fall, but their son Gavin, who has autism and ADHD, was rejected by two private schools before enrolling in an online academy. State records show nearly 7,400 students with disabilities, about 25% of those approved, returned or forfeited their vouchers after private schools rejected them or could not accommodate their needs. Private schools accepting vouchers are not required to provide special education services under federal law. Families should note that the first-round deadline to confirm enrollment, select homeschool or opt out was July 15.

Parents seek more vendors for Texas Education Freedom Accounts

KTXS · Thu, Oct 8, 2026

Texas families can now apply to the Texas Education Freedom Accounts program, which provides education savings accounts for approved expenses such as private school tuition, homeschooling costs, tutoring and career and technical education. The program is administered by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Abilene parent Hannah Garrett, who first felt skeptical before applying, said her family was accepted under Tier 1 because of her 11-year-old son's disability and receives about

7,000, part of which goes to tuition and part to professional support. She said that as of Oct. 8 only one vendor in Abilene on the Odyssey website came close to her family's needs, and she would like to see more providers listed on the portal. More program information is available on the Education Freedom website.

School choice rollout reviewed as advocacy groups report impact on public schools

CBS Austin · Wed, Oct 7, 2026

The Texas Senate Committee on Education reviewed the first year of the Texas Freedom Education Accounts (TEFA) voucher program, which the committee's agenda called a celebration. Interim director Travis Pillow said more than 95,000 children are waiting to access the program. Sen. Brent Hagenbuch strongly supported it, while Sen. Royce West pressed Pillow on its financial effects on public schools. The nonpartisan Texas Center for Voucher Transparency estimates the program costs Texas school districts 94 million this year, a figure Carrie Griffith of Our Schools Our Democracy cited in arguing that public schools are suffering. The Comptroller's office reports more than 30,000 students have left the program and is surveying families about why. Lawmakers may consider expanding the program in the next legislative session.

As lawmakers consider expanding TEFA funding, some public schools say they're losing money

Community Impact · Wed, Oct 7, 2026

Ahead of the 2027 legislative session, the Texas comptroller's office has asked lawmakers to double funding for the

billion Texas Education Freedom Accounts program, which gives families public dollars for private school and homeschooling. Officials say
billion is needed to keep the program's more than 116,000 participants enrolled. At an Oct. 7 news conference, parents and educators from several districts said their schools are losing money as students leave for the program. An analysis from two groups that oppose the program estimates public schools could lose up to 94 million. Sen. Donna Campbell, who leads the Senate Education Committee, said the program's goal is to help families who cannot otherwise afford private school or homeschooling.

Points of Interest: Interim Hearings – Week of October 5, 2026

Texas Legislative Reference Library · Wed, Sep 30, 2026

The Texas Legislative Reference Library has posted its calendar of interim committee hearings for the week of October 5, 2026, with links to agendas. On October 5, the House Committee on Insurance will study cost drivers behind property and casualty insurance premiums and review consumer protections. On October 6, the House Subcommittee on Maternal Health, Menopause, and Access to Evidence-Based Medicine will study hormone imbalances and access to hormone replacement therapy, and the House Committee on Natural Resources will meet in El Paso to review oversight of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the Rio Grande Compact. The Senate Committee on Education also meets on October 7. Families interested in these topics can check the posted agendas for details.

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