Texas Comptroller Outlines Plans for Online Marketplace to Run School Voucher Program

Acting Texas Comptroller Kelly Hancock has offered new details on how the state will roll out its private school voucher program, speaking at a roundtable held at The Imani School, a private school in Houston.

Governor Greg Abbott signed the $1 billion voucher bill into law last May. It creates education savings accounts, known as ESAs, that let parents put state tax dollars toward educating their children outside the public school system. The program is scheduled to start in the 2026-2027 school year.

Hancock said his office is building an online marketplace through which ESA money will be distributed and payments between families and private education providers will be handled. He likened the concept to "an Amazon with a list of schools," adding that he hopes it will work much like other online transactions people already make.

On timing, Hancock said the website will "be ready to go in January." The marketplace will also list related services that qualify for ESA spending, and private schools and other providers will be able to opt in. "Everybody, private schools, tutors, therapists, all of them, will be placed on [the website] in the fall," he said.

Mandy Dragin, campaign director of Next Generation Texas at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a conservative advocacy group, joined Hancock at the event. She said parents can use the funds for tuition, depending on its cost, and that any money left in an account can go toward tutoring or therapies, including occupational, behavioral and speech therapy.

Several details are still unsettled. The dates of the enrollment period, the name of the website and the documents families will need to apply have not yet been announced.

Under the law, eligibility is set by a four-tier priority system. Students with disabilities from families earning below 500% of the federal poverty line come first. Next are children from families earning less than 200% of the poverty line, followed by families between 200% and 500%. Families above 500% of the poverty line are last.

The law also caps awards to families above the 500% threshold at 20% of the allocated funds. Texas students who are US citizens or legal residents can receive ESAs, including those already enrolled in private school.

Qualifying families are expected to receive about $11,000. That figure is based on 85% of the estimated statewide average of per-student state and local funding. Updates on the rollout will be posted on the comptroller's website.