What a TEFA account pays for

Tuition is only the biggest line item. Here is what a TEFA account can and can't buy in 2026-27, tier by tier, with notes on where Fort Worth-area families find approved providers: $10,474 for private school, as much as $30,000 with an IEP, and $2,000 for homeschool.

Source. The program's list of approved expenses for families, plus the Comptroller's tuition and fee rules for participating schools. Every payment is made inside Odyssey, so if you're unsure about an item, ask the program before you buy.

Expense	Private school & IEP accounts	Homeschool / other ($2,000)	In Fort Worth
Private school tuition	Yes, at a participating school, which has to bill a TEFA family the same tuition everyone else pays.	No. Enrolling at a participating school moves the student up to the full $10,474 award.	108 K-12 schools across our five counties were in the state finder at our last check, including all 13 Diocese of Fort Worth schools in Tarrant County.
Required school fees	Yes, for fees the school requires: registration, books and materials, technology and testing fees, school-sold uniforms and meals served by the school.	Not applicable.	At a parish K-8 priced below the award, the remainder typically covers uniforms, books and the lunch program.
Fees TEFA won't pay	No for extended-day care, capital campaign or fundraising charges, and parent-club dues.	No.	For after-school care, a child care scholarship through Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County, or for North Central Texas in the outer counties, is the program to look at.
Tutoring	Yes, if the provider is approved and its lead educator meets the Comptroller's credential policy.	Yes, under the same credential rule.	54 approved tutoring providers list an address in the five counties, from Mansfield and Arlington to Weatherford and Granbury.
Educational therapies	Yes, as long as Medicaid, another public benefit or private insurance isn't already paying for them.	Yes, under the same rule.	Among approved local providers, 30 list speech therapy, 17 list occupational or physical therapy and 21 list behavioral support.
Textbooks and curriculum	Yes.	Yes, and it's what most homeschool families spend on first.	Classical, Charlotte Mason and Catholic curricula used by Tarrant County co-ops are available from approved marketplace vendors.
Computers and software	Yes, capped at 10% of the year's deposits, or $1,047 on a full private-school award.	Yes, capped at 10%, or $200.	The limit is per year in total, so several small purchases count against the same $1,047 or $200.
Online courses and programs	Yes, from approved online providers.	Yes.	A virtual school that keeps a Texas office and meets the other rules can also join as a participating school; a few already appear in the Fort Worth-area finder.
College courses and dual credit	Yes, tuition and fees at an institution of higher education.	Yes.	Tarrant County College waives dual-credit tuition for homeschoolers and for students at partnering schools, so the account often goes to books and fees. Weatherford College and Hill College's Cleburne campus serve the outer counties.
Industry credentials	Yes, for training toward credentials on TEA's approved list.	Yes.	Aviation and aerospace manufacturing, logistics around Alliance, and health care around the Near Southside medical district are big local credential paths.
Tests and assessments	Yes.	Yes.	The annual norm-referenced test a homeschooler may want, and placement or diagnostic testing, can all be paid from the account.
Transportation	Yes, to and from approved providers.	Yes.	3 approved transportation providers are based in the Fort Worth area.
Classes at a public school district	Yes, for courses that don't count toward the district's attendance funding.	Yes.	Districts set their own policies, so ask yours whether it sells individual courses to private-school and homeschool students.
Paying a family member	Never.	Never.	Any refund goes back into the account rather than to the parent.

Odyssey handles every payment

Schools are paid and purchases are made inside the state's platform. Families never receive cash, and providers outside the platform can't be paid from the account.

Only approved providers

Every school, tutor, therapist and vendor needs Comptroller approval first. Approval applications are accepted year-round.

Fort Worth providers →

Unspent money carries forward

Whatever is left on the account at year end is still there next year, as long as your child stays enrolled in the program.

Want help planning how to spend your child's account?

An advisor matches your account to the expenses that apply and to approved Fort Worth providers.

Start the funding check →