Over half of Texas private schools expected to join $1 billion voucher program
Faith Bugenhagen, Chron, 12/8/25
Texas private schools are gearing up for potentially high participation as the state’s long-awaited $1 billion school voucher program prepares to launch.
Acting Texas Comptroller Kelly Hancock is projecting that more than half of Texas’ private schools will participate in the soon-to-be-launched program.
“There is no reason not to participate in it because we’re not telling you how to operate your school or what to teach, so there is all the incentive available to register,” Hancock told WFAA last week. “We’re not going to force any student on you, we’re not going to tell you what to do.”
Hancock added that he would expect more of the roughly 1,700 private schools in Texas to continue to register after the first year of the program, which sends state funds to eligible families to cover the cost of private and parochial schooling.
Chron contacted the comptroller’s office for further comment on how the office arrived at these participation projections, but did not receive a response by publication.
The program, signed into law earlier this year, was a long-held priority of Gov. Greg Abbott’s that finally crossed the legislative finish line.
Registration for Texas private schools to apply to participate opens on Tuesday. The state will then open up applications to families on Feb. 4.
The application window will remain open until mid-March. The state will then aim to provide status updates for approved students in early May. The program officially launches at the start of the 2026-2027 school year.
Hancock said that before families begin registering, a list of participating private schools will be available.
The comptroller said he’s gone to a number of schools to encourage participation on both sides, schools and students.
Under the program, most Texas families deemed eligible to participate will receive about $10,300 a year in state funds per student enrolled, which they can put toward education expenses or tuition at accredited private schools approved to participate in the program.
Families who opt to use it for homeschooling expenses will receive $2,000, and those with students with disabilities could receive up to $30,000.
If applications for the voucher program exceed the state funding available, the comptroller is required to prioritize applicants who:
- Students with disabilities from households with an annual income at or below 500 percent of the federal poverty line-a four-person household earning less than about $160,000
- Students from families at or below 200 percent of the poverty level-any four-person household earning less than roughly $64,300
- Students from families between 200 to 500 percent
- Students from families at or above 500 percent of the poverty level-restricted to 20 percent of the program’s budget
The Texas Legislature approved $1 billion in funds for the first year of the program, which will be allocated to education savings accounts, a form of school voucher that operates as a digital platform where families can pay tuition and purchase educational supplies from approved vendors. The platform is expected to launch in early July.
Odyssey, a technology company, will develop the tuition system and work alongside the comptroller’s office to establish the program.
Hancock announced the company’s selection in early October. Odyssey helped develop similar programs in Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, Utah, and Wyoming. Its work in those states has been subject to criticism.
The company was sued in 2023 over “substantial material misrepresentations” in its bid to assist Iowa’s voucher program-a judge later dismissed the complaint. It also agreed to reimburse Idaho after an audit of the state program found up to $180,000 in ineligible, taxpayer-funded purchases, and nearly $500,000 in collected interest from unused federal funding for the program.
Odyssey was reportedly the lowest bidder in Texas, yet more experienced vendors were available, raising questions about Texas officials’ selection of it.
Notably, the company retained former Abbott chief of staff Luiz Saenz to advocate for its interests during the last two legislative sessions and hired a lobbyist and former policy advisor to former GOP House Speaker Dade Phelan as its Texas state director.
Addressing why the office chose Odyssey, Hancock said, “It is just kind of the best fit; we’re looking for value. I want the best value. I want what we think is best for Texas.”
The company has not handled the amount set aside for Texas’ program, even after accounting for all eight states in which it has operated.
Hancock also spoke to these concerns, saying Texas’ investment in the voucher program is the “largest in the country.”
“Nobody’s dealt with this-and absolutely we’re going to make it work,” Hancock said.