Nearly 100,000 Texas students to receive school vouchers in first year

Nearly 100,000 Texas students will receive school vouchers to help pay for private school tuition. Acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock announced that over 53,000 low-income students were awarded Texas Education Freedom Accounts through a random lottery. This comes on top of 42,644 students with disabilities and their siblings who received the accounts in late April. The program awarded students in two tiers: Tier 1 for students with disabilities in households at or below 500% of the federal poverty level, and Tier 2 for students from households with incomes at or below 200% of the federal poverty level. The top six school districts receiving Tier 2 awards were Houston ISD, Dallas ISD, Fort Bend ISD, Northside ISD, Fort Worth ISD, and Cypress-Fairbanks ISD. Families have until July 15 to confirm enrollment in a participating private school or opt out of the program.