Edinburg and McAllen led the Valley in TEFA's first year. Your family can be next.
By late July, 407 Edinburg CISD students and 312 McAllen ISD students had funded accounts. 18 K-12 schools and 69 pre-K providers in Hidalgo and Starr counties accept TEFA. We'll show you how it fits with parish pricing, funded pre-K, IEP money and South Texas College dual credit.
Per private-school student, 2026-27. It's the same at every grade. An IEP can raise it to as much as $30,000, and homeschool students get $2,000.
Funded students in Region 1 the Edinburg-based service-center area, as of July 29, 2026.
Approved TEFA pre-K providers in Hidalgo and Starr counties, far more than K-12 schools.
McAllen ISD student with a mainstream IEP at a participating school, 2026-27.
TEFA against a Valley tuition bill
An illustrative Catholic parish school in McAllen: $6,500 K-8 tuition plus $600 in registration, books and uniform fees.
Illustrative example. The TEFA amount is the published 2026-27 award. Tuition and discounts vary by school.
Where Valley families find the money
The state account with its IEP, homeschool and pre-K tiers, the 2027 federal credit, Diocese of Brownsville schools, Workforce Solutions child care scholarships, South Texas College dual credit, and school and partner aid.
Texas Education Freedom Account (TEFA)
Texas's education savings account. For 2026-27 it sends $10,474 per student to a participating private school in Hidalgo or Starr County, paid in three deposits.
Who qualifies →IEP · Up to $30,000TEFA with an IEP (up to $30,000)
If TEA has a current IEP on file for the child, the account adds a special-education amount set by the home district and the IEP setting, capped at $30,000 in total.
Who qualifies →Homeschool · $2,000TEFA Homeschool / Other ($2,000)
Participants who aren't enrolled at a participating private school, most of them homeschoolers, get $2,000 a year, deposited in full on July 1.
Who qualifies →Ages 3-5 · $10,474TEFA Pre-K & Kindergarten
Approved pre-K and kindergarten providers receive the full award. Pre-K is open only to 3- and 4-year-olds who meet one of Texas's free pre-K criteria.
Who qualifies →New · Jan 2027Federal Scholarship Tax Credit (2027)
Starting in January 2027, taxpayers can take a federal credit of up to $1,700 for gifts to scholarship granting organizations in states that opt in. Texas said yes on Dec. 10, 2025.
Who qualifies →Catholic schoolsDiocese of Brownsville Catholic Schools: TEFA and School Aid
The Diocese of Brownsville's Catholic schools in Hidalgo and Starr counties all appeared in the TEFA finder, and the diocese posts a family guide to the program in English and Spanish. Tuition help beyond TEFA is handled school by school.
Who qualifies →The Valley's biggest TEFA opportunity starts at age 3
More pre-K than K-12
The state finder lists 69 approved pre-K providers in Hidalgo and Starr counties, from bilingual academies to the UTRGV and STC child development centers.
Pre-K funding guide →Limited English counts
A 3- or 4-year-old who can't yet speak and understand English meets a free pre-K criterion at any income. So does a child eligible for free or reduced-price meals.
Who qualifies →Stay through kindergarten
The pre-K categories stop mattering at age 5: kindergarten is open to every eligible child, at the same center and the same award.
21 private K-12 schools in Hidalgo and Starr counties, checked against state and federal records
Each listing shows grades, affiliation, federal enrollment figures, reported special-education support and whether the school was in the TEFA finder on our check date.
Catholic Schools
The Diocese of Brownsville's Hidalgo and Starr County campuses: Our Lady of Sorrows in McAllen, St. Joseph in Edinburg, Oratory Academy in Pharr, Immaculate Conception in Rio Grande City and the diocesan high school south of Mission, plus San Martin de Porres in Weslaco.
6 schools →Christian Schools
Non-denominational, Adventist, Baptist, Church of Christ, Lutheran and Episcopal schools, from Covenant Christian Academy and South Texas Christian Academy in McAllen to Harvest Christian in Edinburg and Mid Valley Christian in Weslaco.
12 schools →Schools Through Grade 12
Private schools in the two counties whose grades reach 12, from the Catholic regional high school to the large Christian PK-12 campuses in McAllen and Edinburg.
8 schools →By community: McAllen, Mission & the West Valley · Edinburg & North Hidalgo County · Pharr, San Juan, Alamo & Weslaco
Partner with McAllen Edu Funding
We introduce Valley schools to families whose funding is already worked out, and we walk congregations through accreditation and the two-year path into TEFA.
TEFA news for Valley families
Every Catholic school in Hidalgo and Starr counties took TEFA. What that means for parish families
Our Lady of Sorrows, St. Joseph, Oratory Academy, Immaculate Conception, San Martin de Porres and the Catholic high school in Mission were all in the TEFA finder. How the account fits with parish pricing, PreK 3 and the diocese's bilingual guidance.
Read →Oct 8, 2026Funded pre-K in the Valley: how limited English and free meals open TEFA to 3- and 4-year-olds
Hidalgo and Starr counties have far more TEFA-approved pre-K providers than K-12 schools. Who qualifies, how the bilingual criterion works, what providers need, and how Workforce Solutions child care fills the after-care gap.
Read →Oct 5, 2026Edinburg and McAllen led Region 1 in TEFA's first year. Here's what the district numbers say
Edinburg CISD (407) and McAllen ISD (312) residents held the most funded TEFA accounts in Region 1. What the July 29 numbers show about Hidalgo and Starr counties, and how Valley families can prepare for 2027-28.
Read →Find out which Valley funding fits your child
Answer five quick questions and a School Funding Advisor will call with a plan built on your district, your schools and the 2026-27 amounts. Free, in English or Spanish, with no obligation.