“This is about empowering families, expanding opportunity and making sure every child can learn in the environment that works best for them.”
Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN, Texas – “This is about empowering families, expanding opportunity, and making sure every child can learn in the environment that works best for them,” said Acting Texas Comptroller Kelly Hancock earlier today, announcing the formal name for Texas’ school choice program as "Texas Education Freedom Accounts" (TEFA,) and the selection of Odyssey as the certified educational assistance organization that will help launch the program.
“We’re moving quickly to launch this program, keeping the end goal in sight every step of the way — giving parents the freedom to choose the best educational path for their children to reach their God-given potential,” Hancock said.
Applications are expected to open in early 2026.The announcement marks two major steps toward rolling out the largest school choice initiative in the nation, set to begin in the 2026-27 school year.
Education Freedom Accounts were established ealier in the year during the 89th Texas Legislative Session through Senate Bill 2.
The program allows eligible families to apply for state funds to help pay for educational costs such as career and technical education programs, tutoring, private school tuition, home-school expenses, and other approved services.
Odyssey will manage an end-to-end platform that will support parents, schools, service providers and state administrators.
The portal, along with robust customer support, will help guide families through the application process and allow them to pay tuition to schools and shop for eligible educational resources via an e-commerce marketplace.
Parents or legal guardians will have the opportunity to apply for TEFA on behalf of children who are U.S. citizens or legal residents and eligible to attend a Texas public school, open-enrollment charter school or pre-K program.
“As the leading school choice platform in the country, we are thrilled to partner with the Comptroller’s office to launch a Texas-sized program to empower Texas parents,” said Odyssey CEO Joseph Connor.
“Having successfully served hundreds of thousands of students across the nation, we are ready to deliver a user-friendly and trustworthy platform that can ensure a seamless rollout.”
Odyssey brings a strong track record of successfully managing education freedom programs across several states, including Iowa, Georgia, Louisiana, Utah and Wyoming. Its mobile-first platform will provide each approved TEFA recipient with a secure digital wallet featuring real-time balances and transaction details, offering access to an e-commerce marketplace where parents can shop on behalf of multiple students.
- For questions regarding the platform, please email Odyssey.
- For more information about eligibility and anticipated funding amounts,or to sign up for updates, visit the Comptroller’s website.
