Austin families can now put $10,474 from the state toward private school or a microschool. Here's how.
On July 29, 6,027 students in the Austin region had funded Education Freedom Accounts. 117 K-12 schools and 123 pre-K providers in our five counties accept them. We help you combine the account with school aid, Catholic scholarships, IEP money and ACC dual credit.
Per private-school student, 2026-27. It's the same at every grade. An IEP can raise it to as much as $30,000, and homeschool students get $2,000.
Austin ISD students funded by July 29, 13th among all Texas districts. Leander ISD (574) and Round Rock ISD (544) came next locally.
funded students in Region 13 the education service center area that includes Austin, on July 29.
Austin ISD student with a mainstream IEP at a participating private school in 2026-27.
An Austin tuition bill, before and after TEFA
An illustrative North Austin Lutheran K-8 charging $10,900 in tuition plus $450 in registration and book fees.
Illustrative example. The TEFA amount is the published 2026-27 award. Tuition and discounts vary by school.
Ways Austin-area families pay for school
TEFA and its IEP, homeschool and pre-K tiers, the 2027 federal credit, Diocese of Austin aid, child care scholarships, ACC dual credit, and help from schools and our partner.
Texas Education Freedom Account (TEFA)
Texas's education savings account pays $10,474 for 2026-27 toward an Austin-area student's tuition and approved costs at a private school that has joined the program.
Who qualifies →IEP · Up to $30,000TEFA with an IEP (up to $30,000)
If your child has a current IEP on file with the Texas Education Agency, TEFA adds a district-specific special-education amount to the base award, with a ceiling of $30,000 at a participating private school.
Who qualifies →Homeschool · $2,000TEFA Homeschool / Other ($2,000)
Students in TEFA who aren't enrolled at a participating private school, usually homeschoolers, get a $2,000 account that is funded in full on July 1.
Who qualifies →Ages 3-5 · $10,474TEFA Pre-K & Kindergarten
TEFA pays the full $10,474 at an approved pre-K or kindergarten provider. For 3- and 4-year-olds, the child must meet one of the criteria Texas uses for free public pre-K.
Who qualifies →New · Jan 2027Federal Scholarship Tax Credit (2027)
From January 1, 2027, people in participating states can give up to $1,700 to a scholarship granting organization and claim a dollar-for-dollar federal credit. Texas said on December 10, 2025 that it would opt in.
Who qualifies →Catholic schoolsDiocese of Austin: Beacon of Hope & Catholic School Aid
Beacon of Hope is the need-based scholarship for Catholic schools in the Diocese of Austin, funded by the Catholic Foundation of the Diocese of Austin. The diocese's schools office lists it alongside TEFA and several smaller aid programs.
Who qualifies →Acton, Alpha-model schools and the TEFA rules that decide what they're paid
School or vendor?
A microschool in the state finder as a school is paid $10,474 per student. A program that's only an approved vendor draws on the $2,000 homeschool account.
IEPs count at microschools too
An Austin ISD student with a mainstream IEP totals $16,779 at any participating school, and a Leander ISD student $17,066.
Check the finder first
Some well-known Austin programs weren't in the state finder when we pulled it on October 11. Our guide lists what we found.
Microschool guide →166 private schools across the Austin area, checked against state and federal records
Every listing shows grades, affiliation, enrollment, any special-education services, and whether the school was in the TEFA finder on our check date.
Catholic Schools
Parish K-8 schools such as St. Louis, St. Theresa, St. Ignatius Martyr and Holy Family, Catholic high schools including St. Dominic Savio, San Juan Diego and St. Michael's, and parish schools in Buda, Georgetown and Taylor.
14 schools →Christian Schools
Non-denominational, Baptist, Lutheran, Episcopal, Church of Christ, Adventist and classical Christian schools in Travis, Williamson, Hays and Bastrop counties, from Hyde Park and Brentwood to Round Rock Christian and San Marcos Baptist Academy.
54 schools →Church-Run Schools
Schools that carry a congregation's or denomination's name and usually meet on the church's own property, such as the Lutheran schools in Bastrop, Georgetown and Pflugerville or a Baptist church academy in Smithville.
5 schools →Independent & Secular Schools
College-prep, international, language-immersion, gifted, Waldorf, progressive and Jewish and Islamic day schools, plus Austin's many Acton-model and self-paced academies.
98 schools →Montessori Schools
Montessori programs from Cedar Park and Georgetown to Buda, Wimberley and Lockhart, several of which carry children from age 3 into the middle-school years.
24 schools →Special Education & Learning Differences
Schools built for dyslexia, speech and language delays, autism and other learning differences, such as Rawson Saunders, Capitol School of Austin, Bridges Academy Austin and William's Community School, plus campuses that report special-education services to the state.
17 schools →High Schools (Grades 9-12)
Private campuses that run through grade 12, including Catholic high schools, K-12 Christian schools, online academies and Acton-model studios.
79 schools →Microschools & Hybrid Programs
Acton Academy, where the model began in 2009, and its many Austin affiliates, schools built on the 2 Hour Learning platform, plus nature pods and three-day hybrid studios.
20 schools →By community: Central Austin · East Austin · South Austin · West Austin & Lake Travis · North Austin · Cedar Park, Leander, Liberty Hill & Avery Ranch · Round Rock, Pflugerville & Hutto · Georgetown, Jarrell, Taylor & North Williamson · Buda, Kyle, San Marcos & Lockhart · Dripping Springs, Driftwood & Wimberley · Bastrop, Elgin, Smithville & Paige
Partner with Austin Edu Funding
We refer families who already know how they'll pay. Churches thinking about starting a school get the Texas accreditation steps and the two-year path into TEFA.
TEFA news for Austin families
Catholic school in the Diocese of Austin with TEFA: Beacon of Hope, FACTS and the rest of the aid
How Austin-area Catholic families can stack TEFA's $10,474 with parish pricing, the Diocese of Austin's Beacon of Hope scholarship, gala and foundation funds, Folds of Honor and ACC dual credit.
Read →Oct 8, 2026Acton, Alpha and Austin's microschools: who TEFA funds at $10,474 and who gets $2,000
Austin is where Acton Academy and Alpha School began. Which Central Texas microschools were in the TEFA finder on Oct. 11, how the Cognia accreditation snag played out, and what to ask before enrolling.
Read →Oct 5, 2026Austin ISD's 1,020 TEFA accounts, and the suburbs that outpaced it
Year-one Education Freedom Account data for the Austin area: district counts from Austin ISD to Hutto, why applied and funded numbers differ, unused awards, and what to do before 2027-28.
Read →Map out how your family pays for school
Answer a few quick questions and a School Funding Advisor will phone you with a plan. There's no cost and nothing to sign.