Texas parents rush to enroll their kids into state's school choice program

Texas saw the largest school choice rollout in U.S. history, with over 118,000 applications filed as of Friday.

"This has been the largest rollout of a school program in the nation and there is still about a month left—application deadline on March 17," Abbott administration spokesperson Eduardo Leal told Fox News Digital.

The Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA) is a state-created education savings account program, backed by an initial $1 billion investment. The legislation introduced new competition into the education landscape, giving parents options outside the neighborhood school their child is zoned for — posing challenges for districts struggling to retain students. 

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Over 42,000 applications were submitted on the first day the portal opened, which Leal said made it "the largest day one school choice program in the nation." 

School choice group, The American Federation for Children Growth Fund, spent nearly $2 million overall on enrollment marketing efforts in Texas to make families aware of the Texas Education Freedom Accounts.

"Every family wants their children to have access to the best education possible. An education system controlled by the unions that forces kids to go to a school that isn’t serving their needs is a moral failure in our country," American Federation for Children President Tommy Schultz told Fox News Digital.

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"School choice policies state-by-state have been wildly oversubscribed because the demand is overwhelming from parents," Schultz added. "Now that more than 100,000 families have applied in Texas in this short period of time, it’s a clear indication that this is one of the most popular public policy initiatives of our time that can actually fix a broken K-12 system."

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed the Texas Education Freedom Act in May 2025. The journey leading to signing the legislation was turbulent for Abbott and state Republicans as he struggled to unify members of his party on his school choice agenda.

In the past, rural Republicans in the state rejected school choice policies, arguing, along with Democrats, that vouchers, or education savings accounts, would negatively impact public school funding. 

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In order to garner more support for his school choice agenda, the governor announced that he would get involved in the party's primaries to oust any candidates opposing school choice. With the aid of the American Federation for Children’s Victory Fund, the governor endorsed and helped raise money for pro-school choice candidates in 2024.

The historic rollout of the program comes amid major city school districts struggling to retain students since the coronavirus pandemic. Among them is Houston Independent School District (HISD), whose superintendent spoke with Fox News Digital in January, about its enrollment decline, citing nationwide enrollment trends, and efforts to appeal to parents as competition with charter schools ramps up. 

HISD Superintendent Mike Miles last week recommended the district close 12 schools for the 2026-27 school year. 

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HISD sent Fox News Digital a press release published on Feb. 12 that the district "is taking necessary steps to ensure the long-term strength, sustainability, and quality of education for all students." 

"This includes a recommendation to the Board of Managers for the closure of 12 schools (11 facilities) beginning 2026-27," the district announced. 

The press release continued, "Like school districts across the region and the nation, HISD is navigating significant demographic and population shifts. As the District enters the annual budgeting and planning process for the upcoming school year, the impact of declining enrollment and compounding repair and maintenance costs has made it clear that maintaining certain campuses is no longer financially responsible or educationally sound."