How many Austin students are getting voucher money
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More than 3,700 students in the greater Austin area are participating in Texas' new private school voucher program, according to a recent state report.
Why it matters: Public school advocates warn the vouchers will harm public schools, while supporters argue parents shouldn't have to send their kids to underperforming public schools.
How it works: The $1 billion program gives families state money for private school tuition or to pay for homeschooling.
- A family can get as much as $10,474 per child to help pay for private school for the 2026–27 school year.
- Students with disabilities can receive up to $30,000.
- Homeschooled students may qualify for up to $2,000 a year.
Zoom in: 1,020 students who live within Austin ISD boundaries are getting vouchers, per the report from Texas Comptroller Don Huffines. The district had about 70,000 total students last year.
- 574 who live in the Leander ISD area have them; so do 544 in Round Rock, 432 in Georgetown and 329 in Pflugerville, among others.
What they're saying: "Giving all parents the power to choose the right education for their child encourages schools to compete and deliver better results for all students," Huffines said upon the release of the figures last week.
The other side: This is "just another page of the rich paying less and less ... and getting more in subsidies," state Sen. Sarah Eckhardt (D-Austin), who is running against Huffines this November to be comptroller, tells Axios.
State of play: The program could cost nearly $4 billion by 2030, per a state fiscal analysis, which Eckhardt says could cover operational deficits of every school district instead, with $1 billion to spare.
The big picture: About 85,000 students statewide are participating as of the end of July, out of 274,000 applications received.
- 121,000 more students are on the waitlist.
By the numbers: Of 85,000 students who have qualified for the vouchers, 41% (34,800) are white; 28% (24,000) are Hispanic; 14% (11,570) are Black; 12% (10,000) are multiracial; 5% (4,300) are Asian or Pacific Islander; and just under 1% (580) are Indigenous.
- The comptroller's report does not say how many students receiving the vouchers were already in private school. Axios has filed an open records request with the comptroller's office for that information.
Between the lines: 80% of participating students are in a family with a household income below 200% of the federal poverty level (FPL), or $66,000 for a family of four.
The intrigue: Public money can now pay for private school blazers.
- School uniforms — including "shirts, pants, skirts, shorts, skorts, sweaters, jumpers, blazers, ties, and belts" — are an eligible expense in the voucher program, per the comptroller's office.
What we're watching: Catholic schools in Austin are reporting a surge in enrollment.