Through the Texas Education Freedom Accounts
Doors of Opportunity Open for Your Child
Learn more
By Sydni Silverstone on January 29, 2026
This new school-choice program provides parents with $10,000+ for private-school tuition.
Parents of children in pre-K through 12th grade in Texas have the opportunity to apply for funds through the new school-choice program, Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA).
This publicly funded, government-authorized savings account pays for a child's education at a private institution, including a Catholic School. The Texas legislature has designated $1 billion in funding for the TEFA program for the 2026-2027 school year, giving each student who applies and is accepted $10,474 for expenses, including tuition, school uniforms, school lunches, tutoring, and much more. Additionally, if one child is accepted into the program, all eligible siblings who apply will also be accepted.
When it comes to determining the right educational path for your child, there are many factors to consider. In Houston, parents have a wide range of options, including private institutions, Catholic schools, charter schools, and more.
As a city known for its educational diversity, families in Houston often face difficult decisions in selecting the best environment for their child's growth and academic success. Fortunately, much research has been compiled that is publicly available to parents to assist in evaluating educational options.
Determining What’s Best for Your Child
Research-Backed Data on Student Success
Reliable data is compiled annually by the Nation's Report Card, where students' scores are evaluated across all schools — whether public or private — to measure the effectiveness of our children's academic success across states and institutions. This research is funded by the U.S. Congress, administered by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics, and led by an independent board. Data has been collected since 1969, and parents can access this information at www.nationsreportcard.gov/ to understand trends in education.
Student Success Continues Beyond High School
School choice is new to Texas, but for states with existing school-choice programs, the results are impressive:
Educational Results from Other States with School Choice
The Big Question
Learn more about Texas Education Freedom Accounts
Sponsored by Archdiocese of Galveston - Houston
Here are recent results of student success, available through the Nation's Report Card.
The Nation’s Report Card – Recent Findings
The academic advantage for Catholic-school students has continued to grow over the last decade, and eighth-grade students' test scores equaled approximately two grade levels higher in both math and reading.
The positive effect of Catholic schools, which accept students whether they are Catholic or not, impacts key at-risk demographic groups, and includes these statistics:
At Catholic schools and regular public schools with similar proportions of low-income students, Catholic-school students, on average, scored two grade levels above their public-school counterparts.
Black students at Catholic schools, on average, were nearly one-and-a-half grade levels ahead of Black students in traditional public schools.
Hispanic Catholic-school students significantly outscore Hispanic public-school students, and they also outscored the category of all public-school students, regardless of race.
Black and Latino students are 42% more likely to graduate from high school if they are enrolled in a Catholic school.
On eighth grade reading tests, Catholic school students scored 20 points higher than public school students.
On eighth-grade math tests, Catholic school students scored 21 points higher than their public-school peers.
The Catholic high school graduation rate is 98%, with 85% of graduates attending four-year colleges compared to 43% of public-school students enrolling in college.
Catholic high school graduates who enter college are twice as likely to graduate from college as students who attend public high schools, and 62% of Catholic high school graduates earn a bachelor's degree or higher within eight years of graduating high school.
School-choice scholarship recipients attending Catholic schools gained more ground in reading and math relative to their national peers than did scholarship students attending non-Catholic public schools. This is consistent with other recent research on school-choice programs, pointing to a Catholic school advantage in college enrollment and graduation.
These differences are apparent across the board — regardless of gender, race or ethnicity, household size, parental marital status, family income, and initially observed test score performance — suggesting a consistent Catholic school advantage for all students and families.
Why are Catholic school students performing at a much higher level compared to their public-school peers?
The simple answer is that Catholic schools focus on strong academic success while educating the whole child. But what does this mean?
Public-school institutions often alter tactics and methodologies in educating children, which are frequently cited in the news, as a reflex action from poor performance on standardized testing. Other public schools have been observed to "teach to the test" in an attempt to have students perform well in standardized testing without comprehending academic content. Alternatively, Catholic schools have remained consistent in traditional curricular formats, experiential hands-on learning, and the use of independent coursework.
Strong Academic Success
A unique acronym used in Catholic schools is STREAM, integrating key subjects across the core curriculum. This acronym stands for science, technology, religion, engineering, art, and mathematics. By combining these subjects, students gain rich connections among disciplines, including the lens of faith. This develops critical thinking skills, serving them well through life. It provides a broad framework for developing problem-solving, data evaluation, observational, and communication skills, all of which enable the development of the whole person — mind, body, spirit.
Other strengths promoted through Catholic education that are highly valued include accountability, personal responsibility, respect and dignity of all people, and service to others. These expectations for students — and among students — enable children to grow into mature, productive adults.
Educating the Whole Child
Although much of the data we see in the news and through the Nation's Report Card regarding public school education results can be disheartening, one light remains for parents of children who desire a positive outcome in their child's education. Catholic schools continue to remain that beacon of light available to children in Houston, throughout Texas, and the U.S. Now, through the TEFA, the doors of opportunity are open for more children, enabling more families to pursue a Catholic education for their child.
Light Outshines the Dark
Locate a Catholic school in the Houston area
Learn more about Catholic schools
"NAEP Schools Dashboard." The Nation's Report Card, National Center for Education Statistics, www.nationsreportcard.gov/dashboards/schools_dashboard.aspx. Accessed 15 Jan. 2026.
Figlio, David. 2021. “Evidence of a Catholic School Advantage in Nonpublic Scholarship Programs for Low-Income Families.” Urban Institute. December 2021.
Durrani, A. (2023, April 18). Considering Catholic school? Here’s what to know. U.S. News & World Report.
National Catholic Educational Association. "A Dozen Reasons to Choose Catholic Schools." Catholic Schools Week: Planning Tools. Accessed January 16, 2026. ncea.org.
Izumi, L. (2025, August 26). In America’s education darkness, Catholic schools are a bright spot. Pacific Research Institute. https://www.pacificresearch.org/in-americas-education-darkness-catholic-schools-are-a-bright-spot/
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