A complete guide to Texas's Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA)

Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFAs) allow families to choose the learning environment that best fits their child, through direct control of education funds.

Families can then spend their TEFA funds on private school tuition, tutoring, curriculum, or other approved learning resources of their choosing.

Children are eligible for the TEFA if they are:

• Eligible to enroll in K-12 education in a Texas public school
• A resident of Texas
• A US citizen, or lawfully admitted to the US

To apply, applicants must submit:

• Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number for the parent
• SSN for the child
• Form 1040, U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, for 2024 or 2025
• Texas Driver's license number or state ID number

If your driver's license or state ID number cannot be verified, proof of residency can be established by uploading one of the following:

• Utility bill
• Lease agreement
• Mortgage statement
• Voter registration certificate

If your child's SSN cannot be verified, proof of lawful status can be established by uploading one of the following:

• Birth certificate
• Report of birth abroad
• Certificate of naturalization
• Certificate of citizenship
• Other official documentation affirming lawful admission

To assist with prioritizations, the following documents can also be submitted:

• TEFA Disability Certification Form
• Full and individual initial evaluation
• Texas Individualized Education Program (IEP) learning assessment, or out of state IEP

Children aged between 3 and 5 may be eligible to enroll in a participating pre-K program if they're:

• Unable to speak and comprehend English
• Eligible to participate in the national free or reduced-price lunch program
• Homeless
• The child of an active-duty member of the U.S. armed forces
• The child of a member of the U.S. armed forces who is injured or killed in the line of duty
• In foster care
• The child of a person eligible for the Star of Texas Award
• The child of a classroom teacher at a public school that offers a pre-K class

As well as the documents listed above, additional documents may be required for pre-K children.

If your child is in foster care, the application must include one of the following:

• Court order
• Adoption documents
• Department of Family and Protective Services foster/kinship placement orders
• Pre-K verification letter
• Other valid proof of foster care

If your child's parent is active duty, or injured, or killed in the line of duty, the application must include one of the following:

• Statement of service
• Line of duty determination document
• Purple Heart orders
• Other applicable citations

Finally, if you or one of your child's parents is a Star of Texas recipient, then the application must include the Star of Texas Certificate.

If a child is accepted for participation during an application period, any eligible sibling of that child who applies during the same application period is also accepted for participation during that application period.

Additionally, participants who remain in good standing do not need to reapply each year.

Once approved, TEFA funds are deposited into the student's Odyssey account on a schedule set by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Funds are held in the account and released against approved purchases; neither students nor their parents receive the funds directly.

Purchases using TEFA funds happen inside the Odyssey portal:

1. 1.Pre-approved providers Parents select from providers approved by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts and submit the purchase for payment directly through Odyssey.
2. 2.Item approvals Parents request approval for individual items or services; once approved, Odyssey pays the vendor on the family’s behalf.

TEFA funds can be spent on:

• Tuition and fees at a private school, higher education provider, online educational course or program, or program that provides training for an industry-based credential approved by the Texas Education Agency
• Textbooks or other instructional materials
• Required uniforms
• Fees for classes provided by school districts that do not qualify the child to be included in school's average daily attendance
• Academic assessment costs
• Private tutoring
• Transportation to/from approved providers
• Educational therapies not covered by any federal, state, or local government benefits (i.e, Medicaid)
• Computer hardware or software (must not exceed 10 percent of the total amount transferred to the child's account that year)
• Meals provided by private school