Thousands of Fort Worth-area families applied for Texas school vouchers, data says
The deadline for Texas families to apply for the state’s new voucher-like program ended this week, and thousands in the Fort Worth Independent School District and Fort Worth area sought after the funds.
More than 274,000 students statewide applied for the public funding to attend private and home schools through the Texas Education Freedom Accounts program after applications opened on Feb. 4, according to the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. The deadline was extended from March 17 to Tuesday, March 31 after the state excluded Islamic schools from the program and a federal judge ordered the deadline extension, according to the Texas Tribune.
The funding will be distributed to families this summer ahead of the 2026-27 school year, and families will receive notification of their awards later this month.
Education Service Region 11, which serves more than 595,000 students in public and private schools in North Central Texas including Fort Worth, had the third-highest number of applicants with about 37,800. Houston-area and Richardson-area service regions respectively saw the first- and second-highest number of applications.
Fort Worth ISD had 4,803 students apply for the program against the backdrop of a state takeover that formally began last week.
“Texas didn’t just meet expectations, we set the national record for year-one demand in a school choice program,” said Texas Comptroller Kelly Hancock. “Families across Texas made it clear they want a greater role in their child’s education, and they showed up in record numbers.”
Preliminary data based on parents’ applications shows the following number of applications submitted for Tarrant County school districts:
- Aledo ISD: 850
- Arlington ISD: 2,723
- Azle ISD: 662
- Birdville ISD: 1,285
- Burleson ISD: 794
- Carroll ISD: 342
- Castleberry ISD: 97
- Crowley ISD: 1,522
- Eagle Mountain Saginaw ISD: 1,551
- Everman ISD: 202
- Fort Worth ISD: 4,803
- Godley ISD: 159
- Grapevine-Colleyville ISD: 1,020
- Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD: 1,462
- Keller ISD: 2,542
- Kennedale ISD: 299
- Lake Worth ISD: 113
- Mansfield ISD: 2,116
- Northwest ISD: 2,753
- White Settlement ISD: 465
Who else applied in Texas?
The majority of applicants were eligible for the voucher-like funding — about 247,000 — while the remainder were considered ineligible or under review, according to the comptroller’s office. The largest share of applicants, 37%, had a household income of less than or equal to 200% of the federal poverty line, which is $64,300 for a family of four, according to 2025 federal guidelines.
Most applicants were white, 45%, which was followed by Hispanic applicants who represented 23% of submitted applications.
In terms of grade level, pre-K students made up the largest number of applicants with 36,666 applications, but roughly half of them were determined to be ineligible. Pre-K applicants were required to meet the same criteria that allows them to attend public schools, which higher grade levels aren’t subjected to. Some of these qualifications include students who are unable to speak or comprehend English, are eligible for the national school lunch program or those who have a parent in the U.S. armed forces.
The funding will be distributed based on the following priority tiers, based on 2025 data:
- Students with disabilities with a household income at or below 500% of the federal poverty level ($160,750 for a family of four)
- Students with a household income at or below 200% of the federal poverty level ($64,300 for a family of four)
Additional tiers were laid out for families with higher household incomes, but the comptroller’s office said this week that the first year of funding is expected to be exhausted within the second priority tier.
“A lottery will be used to allocate remaining funds within the second tier and to establish waitlist order for remaining students. The waitlist will be reported to the Texas Legislature, as required by statute, to inform future funding decisions,” according to the comptroller’s office.
