Fort Worth ISD families held 1,764 state-funded school accounts in year one. Here's how to be next.
Texas pays $10,474 a year toward a participating private school. 108 K-12 schools and 174 pre-K providers across our five counties accept it. We show how the account works alongside Catholic tuition aid, IEP funding, military pre-K, child care scholarships and dual credit.
Per private-school student, 2026-27. It's the same at every grade. An IEP can raise it to as much as $30,000, and homeschool students get $2,000.
Fort Worth ISD students funded by July 29, fifth among Texas districts. Arlington ISD added 888 and Northwest ISD 768.
Diocese of Fort Worth schools in Tarrant County and every one was in the state TEFA finder when we checked.
Fort Worth ISD student with a mainstream IEP at a participating private school, 2026-27.
One Fort Worth tuition bill, before and after TEFA
An illustrative parish K-8 school in east Fort Worth with $8,900 tuition and $700 in registration, technology and book fees.
Illustrative example. The TEFA amount is the published 2026-27 award. Tuition and discounts vary by school.
Ten ways Fort Worth-area families pay for school
The state account with its IEP, homeschool and pre-K tiers, the Diocese of Fort Worth's aid, two child care scholarship boards, the TCC dual-credit waiver, the 2027 federal credit, and help from schools and partners.
Texas Education Freedom Account (TEFA)
Texas's education savings account pays $10,474 in 2026-27 for a Fort Worth-area student enrolled at a participating private school. The state releases the money in three installments through Odyssey.
Who qualifies →IEP · Up to $30,000TEFA with an IEP (up to $30,000)
A student whose current IEP is on file with the Texas Education Agency receives the $10,474 base plus an add-on tied to the home district and the IEP setting, up to $30,000 at a participating school.
Who qualifies →Homeschool · $2,000TEFA Homeschool / Other ($2,000)
A TEFA student who learns at home or through programs other than a participating private school gets $2,000 for the year, deposited in full on July 1.
Who qualifies →Ages 3-5 · $10,474TEFA Pre-K & Kindergarten
TEFA funds pre-K and kindergarten at approved providers at the full $10,474, but a 3- or 4-year-old must meet one of the state's free pre-K criteria to be eligible.
Who qualifies →Catholic schoolsDiocese of Fort Worth: Tuition Assistance Fund & Camino
The Diocese of Fort Worth's Catholic Schools Office runs Camino to help families apply for TEFA, and its Tuition Assistance Fund, supported by the diocesan Advancement Foundation, has backed need-based aid at diocesan schools since 2006.
Who qualifies →Income-based · Ages 0-12Child Care Scholarships (Tarrant & Surrounding Counties)
Texas's child care scholarship program pays part of the cost of a licensed provider for working, job-seeking or student parents. Tarrant County and the four outer counties are run by two different workforce boards.
Who qualifies →Military families: the reserve-base wrinkle in TEFA pre-K
Active duty qualifies
A 3- or 4-year-old whose parent is on active duty meets the pre-K rule at any income. Reservists and Guard members count only while ordered to active duty.
West-side districts
A White Settlement ISD student with a mainstream IEP totals $16,887. In Aledo ISD it's $17,205.
Start with the school liaison
No DoD schools operate on the base. The Navy School Liaison helps with district zoning, and we cover the funding side.
Military guide →136 Fort Worth-area private schools, checked against state and federal records
Every school shows its grades, affiliation, federal enrollment, special-education services and whether the state TEFA finder listed it on our last check.
Catholic Schools
The Diocese of Fort Worth's 13 Tarrant County schools, from Nolan Catholic and Cassata to parish K-8s in Arlington, Keller and North Richland Hills, plus Cristo Rey Fort Worth and Chesterton Academy.
18 schools →Christian Schools
Non-denominational, Baptist, Lutheran (Missouri Synod), Seventh-day Adventist, Episcopal, Nazarene and classical Christian schools across Tarrant, Parker, Johnson, Wise and Hood counties.
67 schools →Church-Run Schools
Schools whose name ties them to a congregation or denomination, such as Temple Christian, Victory Baptist, St. Paul Lutheran downtown and the Missouri Synod schools in Colleyville and Keller.
8 schools →Independent & Secular Schools
College-prep, Montessori, gifted, learning-differences and online schools with no religious affiliation, including Fort Worth Academy, The Oakridge School and Montessori School of Fort Worth.
51 schools →Montessori Schools
Montessori programs from Camp Bowie and Arlington to Bedford, Colleyville and North Richland Hills, several running from age 3 into elementary or middle school.
12 schools →Special Education & Learning Differences
The Key School, Hill School of Fort Worth, The Novus Academy, the Jane Justin School at Cook Children's Child Study Center and other schools that report special-education or reading support.
15 schools →High Schools (Grades 9-12)
Private schools that run through grade 12, from Nolan Catholic and Cassata to Southwest Christian's Lakeside campus, Lake Country, Grapevine Faith and Chisholm Trail Academy in Keene.
84 schools →Microschools & Hybrid Programs
Prenda microschools in Fort Worth, Haslet, Keller, Mansfield, Southlake, Springtown and Weatherford, an Acton-model academy in Weatherford, and other small-format programs.
10 schools →By community: Central & West Fort Worth · Southwest Fort Worth · East Fort Worth · West Side & NAS JRB · North Fort Worth & Alliance · Keller, Southlake, Colleyville & Grapevine · Mid-Cities · Arlington, Pantego & Dalworthington Gardens · Mansfield & Kennedale · Burleson, Cleburne, Joshua & Johnson County · Weatherford, Aledo, Azle & the Parker and Wise County Line · Granbury & Hood County
Partner with Fort Worth Edu Funding
We send you families who already know how they'll pay. Churches considering a school of their own get the Texas requirements and the two-year path to TEFA.
TEFA news for Fort Worth and Tarrant County
TEFA pre-K in Tarrant County: the reservist rule at NAS JRB and the 27-month child care wait
Texas pays $10,474 for eligible 3- and 4-year-olds at approved pre-K providers. Why reserve families at NAS JRB Fort Worth often don't qualify on military status, and how TEFA compares with Tarrant's child care waitlist.
Read →Oct 8, 2026Catholic school in the Diocese of Fort Worth after TEFA: Camino, tuition aid and 13 Tarrant County schools
All 13 Diocese of Fort Worth schools in Tarrant County were in the TEFA finder. How the diocese's Camino program and Tuition Assistance Fund work with the $10,474 award, and what to do for 2027-28.
Read →Oct 5, 2026Fort Worth ISD ranks fifth in Texas for TEFA accounts. What Tarrant County's year-one numbers show
Fort Worth ISD families held 1,764 funded Education Freedom Accounts by July 29, fifth among Texas districts, and the Tarrant suburbs added thousands more. What the count means for 2027-28.
Read →See which Fort Worth funding sources fit your child
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