Private school administrators praise parents' freedom of choice

The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts recently reported the number of students who enrolled in the Texas Education Freedom Accounts program, and private school administrators shared their perspectives, highlighting the freedom parents now have to choose the best educational option for their children.

A total of 274,183 students registered for the Texas Education Freedom Accounts program by the March 31 deadline.

The TEFA program was established by the Texas Legislature in 2025 through Senate Bill 2 to empower parents with educational choices. The $1 billion state-funded program will launch in the 2026-27 school year and offer accounts for private school tuition, homeschooling and educational services.

A participating child who attends an approved private school or a pre-K or kindergarten program will receive 85% of the estimated statewide average amount of state and local funding per student in average daily attendance for the most recent school year, as calculated by the Texas Education Agency. The agency has set this amount at $10,474 for the 2026-27 school year.

A participating child with a disability who is enrolled in an approved private school or a pre-K or kindergarten program may be eligible to receive up to $30,000. To qualify, the child must have an individualized education program on file with the Texas Education Agency by the end of the application period.

The award amount is based on the funding the child's local school district would receive to provide services under the child's IEP.

A participating child who is homeschooled or not enrolled in a public school or a pre-K or kindergarten program may be eligible to receive $2,000 annually.

Local school district superintendents Guillermo Pro of Laredo ISD and Gerardo Cruz of United ISD recently raised concerns about their districts losing funding for students who do not enroll and families not taking advantage of the services public education provides.

For local private school administrators such as Dr. Guadalupe Perez, Diocese of Laredo Catholic Schools superintendent, and Dr. Myrtha Villarreal, United Day School Head of School, the high number of students across Texas who registered to become eligible for the program demonstrates that families are seeking different options for their children's education.

Diocese of Laredo Catholic Schools

Perez said the TEFA program has been received very positively across the state of Texas.

"With 274,000-plus applications during this initial year, it is clear that parents are seeking an alternative to their present child's educational setting," she said.

The Texas Comptroller reported that 77% of applicants were already enrolled in private schools, raising concerns the program would benefit only wealthy families, but Perez said there are eligibility priorities and they are excited about the opportunity to serve some of the 65,000 students enrolling in private school for the first time.

"The Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops worked closely with the authors of Senate Bill 2 to ensure the focus of Parent Choice would be on the disabled and low-socioeconomic families. Thus, the application was divided into tiers of eligibility to ensure vulnerable groups would be prioritized by the TEFA program," she said. "Due to the high number of applications, most of the Tier I applicants will be eligible to receive the funding for private schools, thus limiting the accessibility of TEFA funding for high-earning families."

Under the TEFA program, Priority 1 applicants include students with a documented disability. These students are given first consideration for funding during the application process.

Questioned about recent Rep. Richard Pena Raymond's comments that families may not realize the voucher - worth $10,474 per student - may not fully cover tuition costs, Perez said she could only speak for the Diocese of Laredo and the amount expected to be awarded for a non-disabled child will more than adequately cover all education expenses at any of the Diocese schools.

"All expenses for a quality education will be covered," she said. "These include the cost of: uniforms, school meals, transportation, electronic devices, books and any other school-related expense that may be incurred for educational purposes."

She added that the parent will have control of the TEFA funding and will be able to decide when and how to spend the yearly TEFA allocation.

"If parents do not spend all of their TEFA yearly allocation, it will roll over, much like a savings account, to the following school year for use according to the educational needs of the student."

She said other schools throughout the state of Texas may have higher tuition rates.

Perez highlighted that the underlying issue is the freedom parents have to choose their children's school, whether for academic programs, religious orientation or other reasons.

"We live in the United States of America, a great nation where our freedoms are inherent and protected under law," she said. "Even before we are born as citizens of this country, our parents are charged with making decisions on our behalf. Before becoming of age to attend kindergarten, our parents make decisions such as where we are born, our health care providers, religious education and daycare services.

"All of a sudden, when we become 5 years of age, families lose their ability to make choices for their child's education."

She said that before TEFA, parents had no choice but to send their children to the public school in which they reside.

"This 'system' of education was dictated by a zip code, and therefore, parents had to send their children to their neighborhood school," she said. "This remained true until the student's 12th-grade graduation. Upon the completion of a public high school education, freedom of choice again becomes a reality. Students have the choice to attend a college or institution of higher learning of their preference."

She added that the legal question is whether parents lose the right to educate their children at a school of their choice from grades K-12.

Asked if the number of students eligible to enter private schools through the school voucher system would exceed their capacity, Perez said all of her schools have the ability to expand.

"The first strategy in our plan of action would be to expand our current school facilities to gain new classroom space for the areas of need," she said. "Our schools have room for growth, and I foresee us being able to serve all families wishing to offer their children a faith-based education within our Catholic Schools."

Perez said it was important to highlight misconceptions about Catholic schools in Laredo:

"Although we are Catholic, we serve students and families of all faiths," she said. "The beliefs, values and morals of the Catholic Church taught within our schools transcend all faiths and religions. We develop children as a whole, academically, physically and spiritually. Our goal is to guide our students into responsible, servant adult leaders who exhibit the virtues of honesty, integrity, charity and respectability, who will have a positive influence on our future."

She said another misconception is that only affluent families send their children to private schools.

"This is a huge misconception - most of our parents make tremendous sacrifices to send their children to a Catholic School. Many are recipients of tuition assistance made available through the generosity of donors who believe in Catholic education," she said. "Although our families are responsible for their respective school district taxes, they receive nothing in return for their contribution. TEFA will now allow them some remuneration for their taxes to the local public 'education systems.'"

United Day School

Villarreal echoed Perez's words, saying that the overwhelming enrollment in the Texas Education Freedom Program clearly demonstrates that parents value having a choice in their children's education.

"Private schools offer unique advantages that are now accessible to families who previously found them financially out of reach," she said.

Villarreal said that even though 77% of students enrolled in the program were already attending private schools, that does not mean many families are not making significant sacrifices to provide a private education they believe is best for their children.

"With the introduction of these accounts, these families can now reallocate those hard-earned funds toward higher education - a critical advantage for middle-class families who often find themselves ineligible for college financial aid," Villarreal said. "Every family has unique values, and I believe their school choice should reflect that. This is a wonderful step forward for Texas, as it gives parents the freedom to seek out an education that resonates with their family's beliefs."

In response to Raymond's comments, Villarreal said that although $10,474 might not cover all costs, it covers the vast majority of tuition for many schools.

"This funding offers a critical lifeline for families, drastically reducing out-of-pocket expenses and making private school a viable option," she said.

When questioned about United Day School's capacity to receive more students due to its eligibility for the TEFA program, Villarreal said that to ensure every student receives personalized attention, UDS is committed to keeping its class sizes at 24.

"If interest exceeds this limit, we will place prospective students on a waitlist and notify families as soon as a space becomes available," she said. "We eagerly anticipate welcoming new families through the Texas Education Freedom program. I believe they will find the United Day School community to be an exceptional fit for their children's education."

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This story was originally published April 20, 2026 at 10:57 PM.