How the money fits
Merryhill School wasn't in the state's TEFA finder when we checked on October 12, 2026. Until it joins, a TEFA award can't pay its tuition. To take part, a school must be accredited by TEA or a TEPSAC-recognized body, have operated for at least two years and give a nationally norm-referenced test every year to participating students in grades 3-12. Families can ask whether the school has applied, use the school's own aid in the meantime, or compare participating schools nearby.
This school also enrolls pre-K children. TEFA pays for a 3- or 4-year-old only if the child meets a state pre-K criterion, such as lunch-program income eligibility, limited English or a parent on active duty (reservists count while ordered to active duty). Kindergarten has no such test, so an eligible child can continue here on the full award.
An independent school decides its own need-based aid. It may factor in a family's TEFA award, but it may not charge that family a higher tuition than anyone else.
Check my funding for this school →
The school's most recent federal Private School Survey response (2021-22) listed 120 K-12 students, 18 full-time-equivalent teachers, a 6.3:1 student-teacher ratio and a 183-day school year.
Ask the school
- Do you expect to be a TEFA participating school for 2027-28, and when do you confirm that?
- Which fees besides tuition can be billed to the account?
- How does your own tuition aid change once TEFA is counted?
- Do you hold a seat while a family waits for an award, and what deposit is due?
- Are you an approved TEFA pre-K provider, and do you take child care assistance for after-care?
After grade 6: nearby schools that continue
Merryhill School ends at grade 6. These schools serve grade 7 through 12 and are among the closest:
- Grace Preparatory Academy: grades K-12, about 3 mi away · in TEFA
- Flint Academy: grades PK-12, about 3 mi away
- Pantego Christian Academy: grades PK-12, about 3 mi away · in TEFA
- Northstar School: grades 5-12, about 3 mi away · in TEFA
Nearby schools with full profiles
- St. Joseph Catholic School: Catholic School, grades PK-8, 2.3 mi · TEFA
- Park Row Christian Academy: Christian School, grades PK-8, 2.5 mi · TEFA
- Grace Preparatory Academy: Christian School, grades K-12, 2.6 mi · TEFA
- Flint Academy: Christian School, grades PK-12, 2.7 mi
- The Montessori Academy of Arlington: Independent & Secular School, grades PK-6, 2.9 mi · TEFA
- Pantego Christian Academy: Christian School, grades PK-12, 3.0 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arlington ISD | 888 | $11,391 | $16,805 | $15,720 | $25,612 |
| Mansfield ISD | 568 | $11,430 | $17,068 | $15,938 | $26,241 |
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 Fort Worth-area districts →
We list 22 K-12 private schools in Arlington, Pantego & Dalworthington Gardens, and 18 of them were in the TEFA finder.