St. Joseph Catholic School (Waxahachie): TEFA Status & Tuition Help

Where this comes from. Whether a school takes TEFA comes from the Texas Education Freedom Accounts participating-school finder (Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts), which we checked on October 12, 2026. Enrollment, grades and religious affiliation come from the NCES Private School Survey (U.S. Department of Education). Neither source publishes tuition, so confirm current tuition and fees with the school directly.

How the money fits

$10,474

TEFA private-school award, 2026-27. It's the same at every grade served here (PK-8).

$16,017 to $17,078

Typical TEFA total with an IEP for a DeSoto ISD resident (resource/self-contained to mainstream)

$2,000

TEFA homeschool tier, for comparison, if a family chooses a hybrid or homeschool path

St. Joseph Catholic School was not in the state's TEFA finder when we checked on October 12, 2026, so an Education Freedom Account can't be used for tuition here right now. To join, a school must be accredited by a TEPSAC-recognized body or TEA, have operated for at least two school years, and give students in grades 3-12 a nationally norm-referenced test each year. Until then, families can look at the school's own aid, the 2027 federal scholarship credit, or a participating school nearby.

This school also enrolls pre-K students. TEFA funds a 3- or 4-year-old at the full award only if the child meets a free pre-K criterion, for example free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, limited English, foster care history, or a parent who teaches in a Texas public school. From kindergarten on, any eligible child can be funded.

Most Catholic schools in the Diocese of Dallas were in the TEFA finder when we checked, and the diocese employs a TEFA liaison to help families apply. At diocesan schools, need-based aid comes from the Catholic Schools Office Tuition Assistance Program through FACTS; independent Catholic schools such as Jesuit, Ursuline and Cistercian run their own aid. Parishioner and sibling rates keep applying for TEFA families. Catholic schools in Denton County are part of the Diocese of Fort Worth.

Check my funding for this school →

The school's most recent federal Private School Survey response (2021-22) listed 105 K-12 students, 12 full-time-equivalent teachers, a 8.5:1 student-teacher ratio and a 180-day school year.

Associations (federal survey): National Catholic Educational Association.

What to ask the school

Will you be in TEFA for 2027-28, and how do you handle a family that's awarded after the school year starts?
Which of your fees (registration, books, technology, uniforms, lunch) can be billed to the account?
What need-based aid, sibling rate or church or parish pricing applies to the balance?
Do you serve students with an IEP or a learning difference, and what support is included in tuition?
Are you an approved TEFA pre-K provider, and do you take child care assistance for after-care?

After grade 8: nearby schools that continue

St. Joseph Catholic School ends at grade 8. These schools serve grade 9 through 12 and are among the closest of the same tradition:

Bishop Dunne Catholic High School: grades 6-12, about 21 mi away · in TEFA
Cristo Rey Dallas College Prep: grades 9-12, about 26 mi away
Notre Dame School of Dallas: grades 1-12, about 28 mi away · in TEFA
Bishop Lynch High School: grades 9-12, about 31 mi away · in TEFA

Nearby schools with full profiles

First Christian Day School: Christian Day School, grades PK-8, 1.2 mi
Waxahachie Preparatory Academy: Christian Day School, grades K-12, 1.3 mi · TEFA
Ovilla Christian School: Christian Day School, grades PK-12, 10.1 mi · TEFA
Christa Mcauliffe Academy School of Arts and Sciences (CMASAS): Independent & Nonreligious School, grades K-12, 11.3 mi · TEFA
DeSoto Private School & Day Care Center: Independent & Nonreligious School, grades PK-6, 13.8 mi · TEFA
Ferris Christian Academy: Christian Day School, grades PK-5, 14.0 mi

IEP funding for nearby districts

Home district	TEFA-funded students (Jul 29, 2026)	IEP: speech only (00)	IEP: mainstream (40)	IEP: resource / self-contained (41-44)	IEP: residential facility (81-89)
DeSoto ISD	263	$11,437	$17,078	$16,017	$26,401
Duncanville ISD	248	$11,390	$16,792	$15,710	$25,583
Cedar Hill ISD	186	$11,408	$16,915	$15,822	$25,896
Lancaster ISD	142	$11,381	$16,734	$15,662	$25,443

Totals are the $10,474 base plus the district add-on from the Comptroller's 2026-27 Special Education Funding Table, capped at $30,000. Funded counts come from the TEFA Annual Demographic Report (data as of July 29, 2026); districts with fewer than 30 participants aren't listed in that report. All Dallas-area districts →

We list 19 K-12 private schools in Best Southwest & Ellis County, and 14 of them were in the TEFA finder.