Home › What TEFA pays for
The account, explainedWhat a TEFA account pays for
Tuition is only one line on the list. Below, each type of account is broken down into what it covers, what it excludes and where families in the six-county Dallas area can find approved providers. For 2026-27 the accounts are $10,474 at a private school, as much as $30,000 with an IEP, and $2,000 for homeschool.
Source. The program's families page, which lists approved uses, and the Comptroller's tuition and fee guidelines for participating schools. Every payment runs through Odyssey, the state's platform; if something looks unusual, ask the program before you spend.
| Expense | Private school & IEP accounts | Homeschool / other ($2,000) | In Dallas |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private school tuition | Covered at a participating school, which has to bill a TEFA family the same rate it bills every other family. | Not on this tier. Enrolling at a participating school moves the child up to the $10,474 account. | On our last check, 202 K-12 schools in Dallas, Collin, Denton, Rockwall, Kaufman and Ellis counties were in the state finder. |
| Mandatory school fees | Covered: enrollment and registration, books and materials, technology and testing fees, school-sold uniforms and school-provided meals. | Doesn't apply. | At Dallas parish schools priced below the award, the leftover often handles registration, uniforms and lunch. |
| Charges the account won't touch | Not covered: extended-day care, building-fund or capital-campaign assessments, fundraising obligations and parent-club dues. | Not covered. | Families who need after-care can apply for a child care scholarship through Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas (Dallas County) or Workforce Solutions for North Central Texas (the other five counties). |
| Tutoring | Covered when the tutoring business is approved and its lead educator meets the Comptroller's credential policy. | Covered on the same terms. | 136 approved tutoring providers list an address in our six counties, and statewide online tutors are approved too. |
| Educational therapies | Covered when insurance, Medicaid or another public benefit isn't already paying. | Covered on the same terms. | Among approved providers with a Dallas-area address, 49 offer speech services, 36 offer occupational or physical therapy, and 57 offer behavioral support. |
| Textbooks and curriculum | Covered. | Covered, and it's where most homeschool accounts go first. | Classical, Charlotte Mason and Catholic curricula used by North Texas co-ops are sold through approved marketplace vendors. |
| Computers, devices and software | Covered up to 10% of the year's funding, or $1,047 on a full private-school award. | Covered up to 10%, which is $200. | The 10% limit counts everything bought in the program year, not each item separately. |
| Online courses and virtual programs | Covered from approved online providers. | Covered. | Several virtual schools with Dallas-area offices are themselves participating schools, so a full-time online student can be funded at the private-school rate. |
| College courses and dual credit | Covered: tuition and fees charged by an eligible college or university. | Covered. | Dallas College's seven campuses handle most dual credit in Dallas County, where eligible homeschool residents may get tuition waived. Collin College serves Collin County, North Central Texas College serves Denton County, and Navarro College has Ellis County campuses. |
| Industry-recognized credentials | Covered for training toward credentials on TEA's approved list. | Covered. | Aviation maintenance, IT and cybersecurity, health care and logistics credentials line up with the Dallas-area job market. |
| Tests and evaluations | Covered. | Covered. | The norm-referenced test a homeschool family chooses each year can be paid from the account. |
| Getting to school or a provider | Covered when the transportation provider is approved. | Covered. | 4 approved transportation providers list an address in the six counties. Most Dallas private schools don't run buses, so this matters. |
| Classes from a public school district | Covered for courses that the district doesn't count toward its attendance funding. | Covered. | Call your district's counseling office to ask whether it enrolls private or homeschool students in single courses. |
| Payments to relatives | Not allowed, ever. | Not allowed, ever. | Any refund from a school or vendor goes back into the account, never to the parent. |
Everything goes through Odyssey
Schools are paid and purchases are made inside the state's platform. Families never receive cash, and providers outside the system can't be paid.
Only approved providers
The Comptroller approves every school, tutor, therapist and vendor, and applications stay open year-round.
Dallas providers →Unspent funds carry over
A year-end balance stays in your child's account for the following year, as long as your child stays in TEFA.
Want help planning how to spend your child's account?
An advisor matches your account to the expenses that apply and to approved Dallas providers.