Houston net-tuition calculator

TEFA calculator: Houston tuition after the award

Choose a Houston school or enter a tuition amount to estimate your remaining tuition after an assumed TEFA award and see the funding dates.

By the research team at School, Clearly. AI-assisted research with human review. Our method.

2026-27 figures checked September 7 and 10, 2026. Future-year amounts are not published.

Which Houston private schools are TEFA approved?

The official Texas Education Freedom Account school finder is the only list that counts. We opened its Houston Area list on September 7, 2026 and looked up each of the first twenty schools below by name. Eight were listed. Twelve were not. On September 10, 2026 we added the six Montessori schools in that list, with a Houston address, that publish an annual 2026-27 figure for their highest grade band; all six were listed that day, and our Montessori schools page carries the rest of the list. The finder changes as schools sign on, so a school missing today can appear later. A listed school still runs its own admissions. Approval lets the school accept the account. Whether it has a seat for your child is a separate question.

The published tuition figures below range from $8,100 to $38,960 for 2026-27. Each is the figure the school publishes for its highest grade band, taken from the school's own page. Lower bands are in the small print. Where a school states its own TEFA position, that is quoted too.

School	Grades	2026-27 tuition	Official TEFA finder	Source
The Kinkaid School	PK-12	$38,960 Upper School; Lower School 32,110, Middle School 37,620	Not listed	School page
Episcopal High School	9-12	$38,100 excludes a required 1,625 food service fee	Not listed The school states it does not participate in TEFA.	School page
The Awty International School	PK3-12	$38,070 grades 9-12; PK3-PK4 30,180, K-5 31,240, 6-8 35,050	Not listed	School page
The Emery/Weiner School	6-12	$37,639 Upper School, published as all-in; grades 6-7 31,208	Not listed	School page
St. John's School	K-12	$38,530 Upper School; Lower 32,125, Middle 36,370	Not listed The school states it does not participate in TEFA.	School page
The Post Oak School	14 months through grade 12	$37,000 High School; Middle School 33,825, Upper Elementary 32,530; 2026-27 heading confirmed September 7, 2026; activity fees extra	Not listed The school deferred its TEFA decision for 2026-27.	School page
The John Cooper School	PK-12	$36,240 Upper School; Lower 32,300, Middle 34,775	Not listed The school states it will not participate in TEFA for 2026-27.	School page
Annunciation Orthodox School	PK3-8	$37,590 grades 7-8; Early Childhood 29,480, K-4 30,830	Not listed	School page
St. Francis Episcopal School	age 2 through grade 12	$36,999 Upper School; K-4 31,593, 5-8 36,379; excludes 1,000 in technology and activity fees	Not listed	School page
The Village School	PK2-12	$35,373 grades 9-12 day tuition; PK3 24,819, PK4 27,849	Listed The school states it accepts TEFA beginning 2026-27.	School page
Presbyterian School of Houston	PK3-8	$33,790 grades 6-8; PK3 and PK4 25,170	Not listed The school states it is delaying TEFA participation for 2026-27.	School page
The Briarwood School	K-12, learning differences	$32,000 Middle and Upper School; Lower School 31,000	Listed The school states it was approved to participate for 2026-27.	School page
St. Thomas Episcopal School	18 months through grade 12	$32,970 grades 9-12; K-1 24,765, 6-8 29,680; 2026-27 heading confirmed September 7, 2026	Listed The school states it is an approved TEFA provider.	School page
River Oaks Baptist School	age 3 through grade 8	$35,725 grades 7-8, published as all-in; K 28,320, 1-4 28,875, 5-6 32,145	Not listed The school states it does not participate in TEFA.	School page
Strake Jesuit College Preparatory	9-12	$29,970 published as an inclusive figure	Listed The school describes TEFA funds as usable toward its tuition.	School page
St. Agnes Academy	9-12	$28,400 excludes the tablet purchase	Not listed	School page
Westbury Christian School	PK3-12	$24,000 grades 9-12; PK3-PK4 15,500, K 16,000	Listed The school publishes a TEFA page.	School page
Incarnate Word Academy	9-12	$22,800 excludes a 350 registration fee	Listed The school states it is an approved participating TEFA school.	School page
St. Anne Catholic School	PK3-8	$13,835 grades 5-8; PK3-K 14,305, 1-4 13,650; published as an image	Listed	School page
Corpus Christi Catholic School	PK3-8	$10,913 non-parishioner rate for one child	Listed The school page lists the TEFA application window.	School page
School of the Woods	age 2 and a half through grade 12, Montessori	$23,868 High School; excludes an 850 family facilities fee	Listed	School page
St. Catherine's Montessori	14 months through grade 12, Montessori	$20,753 grades 10-12; excludes 2,750 in high school fees and an 800 facility fee	Listed The school states it participates in TEFA.	School page
Elderflower Montessori	grades 1-6, Montessori	$20,400 the highest of three income tiers; 16,320 and 12,240 at the others; aftercare extra	Listed The school states it accepts TEFA funds.	School page
Sherwood Forest Montessori School	18 months to age 12, Montessori; its home page says through grade 3	$17,195 upper elementary, full day, 37 weeks	Listed	School page
Westside Montessori School	18 months through grade 6, Montessori	$16,800 upper elementary academic day; excludes an 825 annual fee	Listed The school states it accepts TEFA.	School page
St. Mary of the Purification Catholic School	PK3-5, Montessori through kindergarten	$8,100 full tuition for kindergarten and up; fees extra; the family rate is set through FACTS	Listed The school posts a diocesan TEFA guide.	School page

What does TEFA pay, and when?

TEFA, the Texas Education Freedom Account program, is the state account that pays part of an awarded child's private school costs. Some parents call it the Texas voucher program. For 2026-27 the state pays $10,474 for an awarded child at a participating private school, pre-K, or kindergarten program. An awarded child with a disability may receive up to $30,000. A homeschooled child receives $2,000. The state lists three funding dates: 25% on July 1, 2026, 25% on October 1, 2026, and 50% on February 1, 2027. Homeschool amounts arrive in full on July 1. Source: educationfreedom.texas.gov, read September 7, 2026.

Questions parents ask

What can TEFA funds be used for at a private school?

Tuition and fees at a participating school are the main use. The state site lists the other approved expenses. This page covers tuition only. Fees a school charges on top of tuition, and any financial aid, sit outside the math here.

Who qualifies for TEFA?

The state says a child is eligible if they are a U.S. citizen or lawfully present, and eligible to attend a Texas school district, open-enrollment charter, or pre-K program. The parent must be a Texas resident. An award is not automatic. Applications for 2026-27 opened February 4, 2026. Check the state site for the 2027-28 window.

Where is the full list of TEFA approved schools in Houston?

The state finder at finder.educationfreedom.texas.gov. Use it for the current participating-school list. This page compares twenty-six Houston private schools with published tuition. Eight of the first twenty appeared in the finder on September 7, 2026 and twelve did not; the six Montessori schools added on September 10, 2026 all appeared that day. This is a sample, not a complete directory or a ranking.

Does an approved school have to admit my child?

No. Approval lets a school accept the account. Admission is the school's own decision, on the school's own timeline. Several schools on this list close applications in December or January for the following fall.

Will the 2027-28 award be the same?

Not published as of September 7, 2026. The state sets the private school amount at 85% of the average state and local funding per student, worked out for each year. When the 2027-28 figure appears we will update this page and date the change.

How this page works

The page subtracts the award from the published tuition and splits the award by the state's funding dates. That is arithmetic. The state decides eligibility and awards, and each school decides admission. The page does not know your child's award status. No school pays us, and no school is favored here. We built the source table with AI-assisted research and human review. The $195 School Decision Report applies the same sourcing to the schools your family is weighing.

These numbers for the schools on your list

The School Decision Report compares the schools on your family's list. It covers costs, eligibility, deadlines, commute, and aftercare. The price is $195 once for one focus child and one school year. A call is optional.

Get these numbers for your shortlist, $195