When the Texas Comptroller published its first demographic report on Education Freedom Accounts in August, one line stood out for anyone in North Texas. Of every school district in Texas, only Houston ISD had more residents with a funded account than Dallas ISD. As of July 29, 2026, 2,645 students who live inside Dallas ISD's boundaries were funded through TEFA. This post looks at what that number means, how the rest of the Dallas area compares, and what a family in the city should take from it before the 2027-28 cycle.
Where the 2,645 came from
The figure counts students by their district of residence, as reported by parents on the application. It doesn't mean those children were enrolled in Dallas ISD last year. Statewide, the Comptroller's report found that 80% of participating students live in households below 200% of the federal poverty level. In a district the size of Dallas ISD, which usually enrolls somewhere between 135,000 and 140,000 students according to D Magazine, the funded group is a small share of school-age children.
Demand was far larger than the funded total. People Newspapers reported in May that Dallas ISD students accounted for 8,617 applications as of March 16, again the second-highest count in Texas. D Magazine, citing the Dallas Morning News, reported that fewer than a third of North Texas applicants received an account. Statewide, about 274,000 students applied, 85,344 accounts were funded by late July, and more than 121,000 eligible students were left on the waitlist.
The rest of Dallas County
Dallas ISD wasn't alone. The Comptroller's district table shows Garland ISD with 1,021 funded students, Richardson ISD with 752, Irving ISD with 608 and Mesquite ISD with 477. Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD had 360, Grand Prairie ISD 296, DeSoto ISD 263, Duncanville ISD 248 and Cedar Hill ISD 186. Highland Park ISD, for all the attention the Park Cities get in private school conversations, had 33.
Collin County's suburbs added a second large block. Plano ISD residents held 1,140 accounts, Frisco ISD 545, McKinney ISD 478, Wylie ISD 355 and Princeton ISD 280. In Denton County, Northwest ISD (768), Denton ISD (688) and Lewisville ISD (580) led. Forney ISD (405) and Rockwall ISD (320) were the leaders east of Lake Ray Hubbard.
A word on regional totals, because they are easy to misread. The report groups students by education service center. Region 10, based in Richardson, reported 14,342 funded students, but that region covers Dallas, Collin, Rockwall, Kaufman and Ellis counties along with several counties to the north and east, and it does not include Denton County. Denton County districts report through Region 11. So the Region 10 figure is neither "Dallas" nor "the six counties we cover." You can see each district we track, with its funded count, on our IEP amounts by district page.
Not every award became an enrollment
A funded account only matters if a school seat follows it. In August, D Magazine reported that about 20,700 students statewide had returned their accounts, and that more than two-thirds of them had previously been in public school. By district, a little over 600 Dallas ISD students returned theirs, along with 359 in Plano ISD, 255 in Garland ISD, 244 in Frisco ISD and 204 in Richardson ISD.
The reporting pointed to practical problems. Private schools can charge more than $10,474, they don't have to admit every applicant, and most don't run buses. A family that wins an award in July but hasn't secured a seat, or can't cover the gap, may find the account unusable that year. That's the most important lesson from year one for Dallas families: start with the school, not the award.
Which Dallas schools participate
Participation among Dallas private schools split along fairly clear lines. Most Diocese of Dallas parish schools were in the state finder when we checked, along with Jesuit College Preparatory, Ursuline Academy, Bishop Lynch and Bishop Dunne. So were many Christian, Lutheran, Islamic and Jewish day schools and a large group of learning-differences schools, from Shelton to The Winston School Dallas.
A handful of the city's best-known independent schools stayed out. D Magazine reported that Hockaday, St. Mark's, Greenhill, Parish Episcopal and the Episcopal School of Dallas were sitting out the first year. People Newspapers quoted Hockaday as saying it was committed to its own need-based aid program. For a family set on one of those campuses, TEFA isn't an option for now, and the school's own aid remains the main route.
Our Catholic schools directory and the community pages, such as Oak Cliff, West Dallas and Southern Dallas, show each school's TEFA status on the date we checked.
What the account is worth in Dallas ISD
For 2026-27 the base award is $10,474, identical in every district and every grade. The difference shows up with an IEP. Using the Comptroller's 2026-27 special-education table, a Dallas ISD student whose IEP places them in a mainstream setting (code 40) is funded at $16,757. A resource or self-contained setting comes to $15,681. A speech-only IEP adds $911, for $11,385. Homeschool students receive $2,000 whether or not they have an IEP.
Dallas ISD's add-ons are slightly lower than those in Plano ISD ($17,051 for code 40) or Frisco ISD ($17,204), because the state formula gives larger districts a bit less per student. If you want to run your own numbers, our TEFA calculator handles any district and any tuition.
What to do before 2027-28
Nobody who was waitlisted carries over. The Legislature convenes January 12, 2027, and will decide how much money year two has. The Comptroller hasn't announced application dates. In the meantime, a Dallas family can do four things.
- Pick schools first. Apply on the school's own calendar, which for many Dallas campuses means winter, and ask each one directly whether it will participate next year.
- Get paperwork in order. Keep your most recent federal tax return handy, since the priority tiers are income-based, and make sure your Texas address is current.
- If your child may have a disability, ask your home district for an evaluation now. The IEP has to be on file with TEA for the add-on to count.
- Use the sibling rule. In year two, siblings of current participants are placed ahead of new applicants.
If you want help putting a plan together, our two-minute funding check is the place to start, and the Dallas voucher guide collects the essentials on one page.
Sources
- TEFA Annual Demographic Report 2026-27 (Texas Comptroller, Aug 1, 2026)
- Voucher Program Has Limited Appeal for Private Schools (People Newspapers, May 13, 2026)
- School Vouchers Are Not a Silver Bullet (D Magazine, Aug 2026)
- More than 20,000 Texas students gave up their school vouchers (D Magazine, Aug 13, 2026)
- Texas Education Freedom Accounts: Families