Homeschool funding & ESAs in Texas
Yes, with a caution from our own review. Texas runs the Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA), about $2,000 per student per year, and independent homeschooling families can use it. From our rules review on June 5, 2026: Texas's new TEFA program is active; homeschool usability not yet confirmed. Our funding review checked this program later, on June 10, 2026, and records it as usable by independent homeschooling families. Nationwide grants are listed below, each with its own eligibility rules.
Texas funding checked June 10, 2026 · Nationwide grants checked May 25, 2026 · Texas requirements reviewed
Can I get paid to homeschool in Texas?
Not as a salary. What Texas offers is an education savings account: the Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA) puts about $2,000 per student per year into an account you spend on expenses the program approves, rather than paying you to teach. An ESA comes with conditions — what the money may be spent on, what has to be reported, and in some states whether the child is still counted as a homeschooler. The program details below set those out. Romeschool tracks and organizes what you spend, so a receipt is ready the moment a program asks for one — it never files or submits anything on your behalf. Texas's homeschool rules require no test or evaluation of their own, so there is nothing on that side to arrange.
Texas ESA program
Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA)
~$2,000/yrLaunching Fall 2026. Expected to be broadly available to Texas K-12 students.
Runs through: the state's own portal
Official program & application →What does Texas require of homeschoolers — and what should I plan for?
Texas does not require a test or an evaluation, so there is no assessment to arrange. What Texas asks for — notice, instruction time, testing and records — is set out below, straight from the reviewed rules.
- Notice
- No. Texas does not require homeschooling families to file a notice. No notice, registration, or approval (home schools are private schools). The 2025 Homeschool Freedom Act (HB 2674) bars state agencies from regulating home education.
- Testing or evaluation
- No. Texas does not require standardized testing for homeschooled students. No mandatory testing.
- Days and hours
- None. Texas does not set a minimum number of instructional days or hours for homeschoolers. No attendance record requirement.
- Records
- Texas does not require homeschooling families to keep specific records. No record-keeping obligation under state law.
Common questions about homeschool funding in Texas
- Does Texas have an education savings account (ESA) for homeschoolers?
- Yes. Texas offers the Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA) (about $2,000 per student per year), which independent homeschooling families can use for approved education expenses. Texas's new TEFA program is active; homeschool usability not yet confirmed.
- How much is Texas's homeschool ESA worth?
- Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA) provides approximately $2,000 per eligible student per year. Awards and eligibility change from year to year — confirm the current amount with the program before you rely on it.
Nationwide grants
- ACT Today! Grant · Autism Care TodayFor U.S. families of a child with an autism diagnosis (priority to household income under $100k).Open to any family of a child with autism — not homeschool-specific, but useful for therapy costs.
- Dyslexia Services Foundation Grant · Dyslexia Services FoundationFor low-income U.S. children with dyslexia who cannot otherwise afford treatment (need shown via free/reduced lunch, Medicaid, or SNAP).Typically identified through a teacher or provider; not homeschool-specific.
- HSLDA Compassion Curriculum Grant · Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA)For HSLDA members with significant financial need (legal custody of a child 6-19, homeschooling 3+ months).You must privately fund your homeschool (not receiving ESA or other public funds).
- HSLDA Disaster Relief Grant · Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA)For homeschooling families (child 6-19) with physical disaster damage in the past 18 months.
- MyGOAL Autism Grant · MyGOAL Inc.For the primary caregiver of a child under 18 with autism, with demonstrated financial need.Open to any family of a child with autism — not homeschool-specific.
- Our Military Kids Grant · Our Military KidsFor children (1-18) of deployed National Guard/Reserve members (60+ days) or of post-9/11 combat-injured service members and veterans.Funds organized, provider-led activities (not parent-taught core instruction).
- UnitedHealthcare Children's Foundation Grant · UnitedHealthcare Children's FoundationFor U.S. children aged 16 or under with commercial (non-public) health insurance, subject to income guidelines.Medical (not education) funding — useful for special-needs homeschoolers' therapy costs.
Texas TEFA money — without losing your homeschool freedom.
Texas's new Education Freedom Accounts (~$2,000/yr for homeschoolers, launching for 2026–27) don't change your legal homeschool status — but they do add testing and audit requirements regular Texas homeschoolers never face. The ESA Wallet keeps every receipt and record so the new paperwork never costs you the money.
- Stay a Texas homeschooler — TEFA is voluntary and doesn't reclassify you
- Audit- and test-ready records for the requirements TEFA adds
- Eligibility checks before you spend the limited $2,000
TEFA is brand new and demand-based (income priority if oversubscribed); its testing/audit rules are new for homeschoolers. Verify launch details before publishing.
Track Texas receipts in the ESA Wallet →Funding programs change often. Romeschool organizes receipts and checks likely eligibility — it does not file or submit on your behalf. Confirm amounts, eligibility, and deadlines with each program before you rely on them.