How the money fits
The Highlands School was listed as a participating school in the state's TEFA finder on October 12, 2026. That means a student with an Education Freedom Account can put the 2026-27 award of $10,474 toward tuition here. The state pays the school directly through Odyssey: a quarter on July 1, another quarter on October 1, and the remaining half on February 1.
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.
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The school's most recent federal Private School Survey response (2023-24) listed 344 K-12 students, 35 full-time-equivalent teachers, a 9.6:1 student-teacher ratio, 99% of the previous year's graduates going on to four-year colleges 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?
- Which dual-credit partners do you use, and can those course fees come from the account?
Nearby schools with full profiles
- Cistercian Preparatory School: Parish & Catholic School, grades 5-12, 0.7 mi
- Redeemer Montessori School: Christian Day School, grades PK-6, 0.8 mi · TEFA
- Wesleyan Academe: Christian Day School, grades PK-3, 2.3 mi · TEFA
- Radiant Stem Academy: Independent & Nonreligious School, grades PK-12, 2.8 mi · TEFA
- Our Lady of Perpetual Help: Parish & Catholic School, grades PK-8, 4.6 mi · TEFA
- Holy Family Academy: Parish & Catholic School, grades PK-12, 4.6 mi · TEFA
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irving ISD | 608 | $11,413 | $16,955 | $15,845 | $25,971 |
| Coppell ISD | 98 | $11,457 | $17,255 | $16,093 | $26,688 |
| Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD | 360 | $11,413 | $16,955 | $15,845 | $25,972 |
| Grand Prairie ISD | 296 | $11,393 | $16,812 | $15,726 | $25,630 |
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 27 K-12 private schools in Irving, Coppell, Carrollton & Grand Prairie, and 18 of them were in the TEFA finder.