Texas’ Education Freedom Accounts aimed to give families of students with disabilities private school options. Many families who were approved say they could not find private schools that would accept or serve their children, and tens of thousands left state funds unused.
Families report private schools declined admission, failed to respond, were too expensive or too far, or said they couldn’t accommodate needs.
Private schools receiving voucher funds are not required to provide IEPs or the same disability protections as public schools, creating a gap for many families.
# What happened Accounts (TEFA) program approved thousands of students with disabilities for taxpayer-funded accounts meant to pay for private education. Many families who received approval were ultimately unable to use the money because they could not find a private school that would take their child or provide needed services. As a result, a significant number of approved students returned the vouchers and left the funds unused.
# Numbers to know
# Parents' experiences Parents interviewed in North Texas describe repeated rejections, long waits for responses, and financial and logistical barriers that made private school impractical despite having an account to pay tuition.
One mother, Shundelon Ross, searched multiple private schools for her 5-year-old son with autism. She paid a $120 application fee, shared his IEP with schools and toured classrooms in hopes a private school would be a better fit. After several applications, one school responded with a short email: "We are not able to offer enrollment at this time," and said it did not have the needed resources to help him thrive.
Other families said prospective schools told them they could not accommodate their child's needs, or never replied. Some discovered the private options that did accept vouchers were too distant or had tuition and fees beyond what the account covered.
# System-level barriers Private schools are not bound by the same special education requirements as public schools. They generally do not have to develop or follow an individualized education program (IEP) that spells out services and accommodations. That changes the protections families have when enrolling a child with disabilities.
# State response and next steps The Texas comptroller's office, which oversees TEFA, said it plans to survey families who opted not to use the funds to better understand their reasons. Officials suggested some families might have missed deadlines, chosen to remain in public school, or moved out of state.
# What this means for families Having an approved account does not guarantee a usable private school placement. Families face logistical, financial, and legal trade-offs: private schools may reject applicants or be unable to offer services, and enrolling in private school typically eliminates public-school IEP protections. For many families in the reporting, that combination left private education out of reach despite state-funded accounts.
# Bottom line
Shundelon Ross hoped the seventh school would be the one to work. Her son wandered the hallways, clutching his favorite stuffed animal. He threw high fives to the employees. He stared, mesmerized, at the chickens pecking around the coop. Ross believed a private school would better serve her 5-year-old son, who has auti
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