The Texas Comptroller's first demographic report on Education Freedom Accounts finally shows where year-one money went, district by district. For Fort Worth, the headline is easy to state: families who live in Fort Worth ISD held 1,764 funded accounts on July 29, 2026. Only four districts in the state had more. Behind that number is a broader Tarrant County story that matters to any parent thinking about 2027-28.
Where Fort Worth ISD ranks
The report is a snapshot, not a final tally. On July 29, the state counted 85,344 funded accounts across Texas, more than 248,000 eligible applicants and more than 121,000 children still on the waitlist. Funded students are sorted by the school district the parent reported living in, and only districts with at least 30 participants are listed.
Houston ISD and Dallas ISD led the state, and two other districts outside North Texas also finished ahead of Fort Worth ISD, which came fifth with 1,764. That is a big number for a district whose families aren't, on average, the wealthiest in the region, and it fits the law's design. Statewide, 80% of funded students live in households below 200% of the federal poverty level, and almost a quarter have a qualifying disability. Those two groups sat at the front of the line.
The spring application count puts the July figure in context. FOX 4 reported in April that Fort Worth ISD families submitted 4,803 applications, the tenth-most of any Texas district. Set against 1,764 funded students, that's roughly 37 funded students for every 100 applications.
The suburbs, district by district
Fort Worth ISD isn't the whole picture. The Tarrant County suburbs posted numbers that would lead the list in most Texas metros:
- Arlington ISD: 888 funded students
- Northwest ISD: 768 (this count includes the district's Denton County neighborhoods)
- Keller ISD: 661
- Mansfield ISD: 568
- Crowley ISD: 512
- Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD: 469
- Birdville ISD: 404
- Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD: 371
The outer counties added more. Burleson ISD had 292, Weatherford ISD 252, Azle ISD 244, Grapevine-Colleyville ISD 196, White Settlement ISD 193 and Granbury ISD 164. Add up every district in Tarrant, Parker, Johnson, Wise and Hood counties that the report lists, and the total comes to roughly 9,000 funded students.
A note on the regional total
The report also groups students by education service center. Region 11, headquartered in Fort Worth, shows 11,459 funded students. It's tempting to call that the Fort Worth number, but Region 11 reaches beyond Tarrant and its western neighbors into Denton County and other North Texas counties. Denton ISD (688) and Lewisville ISD (580) are in that total, for example, and neither is a Fort Worth-area district. When you want a Tarrant County figure, add up the districts instead of quoting the region.
What the counts don't tell you
A high count in your district doesn't raise or lower your child's chances. Awards were made by priority tier and lottery statewide, not by district quotas. What the counts do show is where demand is concentrated. All 13 Diocese of Fort Worth schools in Tarrant County were in the state finder when we checked, and so were big Christian schools such as Southwest Christian, Fort Worth Christian, Lake Country Christian and Pantego Christian.
It's also worth knowing who isn't in the program. Fort Worth Country Day, Trinity Valley School and All Saints' Episcopal, each reporting roughly 1,000 students to the federal private school survey, weren't in the TEFA finder when we checked. Families set on one of those schools will be paying with school aid and their own money, not an account. Our school directory shows the TEFA status of every school in the five counties.
How much a Fort Worth family can receive
The 2026-27 award is $10,474 at a participating private school, the same in kindergarten as in grade 12. A homeschooled student gets $2,000. With a current IEP on file with the Texas Education Agency, the private-school amount rises by an add-on that depends on the home district and the setting written into the IEP. For a Fort Worth ISD student in a mainstream setting, the 2026-27 total is $16,794. In Arlington ISD it's $16,805, in Keller ISD $17,114, and in small rural districts such as Keene ISD in Johnson County it's higher still. Our IEP table lists every district we cover.
Money arrives in three pieces for private-school students: 25% on July 1, 25% on October 1 and 50% on February 1. Whatever isn't spent rolls forward while the student stays in the program, which helps families who start at a lower-cost elementary school and plan on a pricier high school later.
What to do before the next window
Children who weren't funded this year don't carry over. They have to apply again, and the Comptroller hasn't published 2027-28 dates. The 90th Legislature convenes on January 12, 2027, and how much money it adds will decide how far the waitlist moves. A few steps cost nothing now:
- Sign up for program notices at educationfreedom.texas.gov so you hear when the window opens.
- Keep your most recent federal tax return handy. Income decides your priority tier.
- If one of your children was funded, apply for the others in the same cycle. Siblings of current participants are placed first in year two.
- Pick two or three schools from the finder and ask each about seats, deposits and how its own aid works alongside an award. An award doesn't hold a seat.
- If your child has a learning difference but no IEP, ask your district for an evaluation now. Only an IEP on file with TEA raises the amount.
If you'd like someone to walk through your own numbers, our TEFA calculator handles any district and tuition, and the two-minute funding check connects you with an advisor who knows the Fort Worth schools.