TEFA and Your Charter Seat: What to Check Before You Withdraw
A TEFA award for the 2026-27 school year is $10,474 per student, and most San Antonio private schools cost more than that. Accepting the award also means leaving public school entirely, including public charters. Before you give up a charter seat, confirm three numbers: your award amount, the school's full cost after fees, and whether that school still has an opening in your child's grade.
Can you use TEFA funds and keep a public charter seat?
No. The program treats public enrollment and TEFA as two separate paths, and a family picks one. This catches people off guard, because a charter school feels different from a traditional ISD campus. For TEFA purposes it is not.
A parent who had been through the approval process laid the two paths out for another family asking the same thing:
"You have to choose one path or another. (1) TEFA and private school or homeschool, or (2) Public (charter, magnet, or ISD)."
A San Antonio parent, in a separate TEFA thread
Confirm your own case with Odyssey, the program administrator, before you withdraw from anything. Award terms have shifted between windows, and your child's situation may carry conditions that a general answer does not cover.
One more rule worth knowing before you tour: private schools are not bound by an IEP the way public schools are. A parent put it plainly in a thread about faith based schools:
"Private schools don't have to follow an IEP plan. Have a conversation with the school about whether they can accommodate your child."
A San Antonio parent, in a thread on Christian schools
If your child receives services, ask what the school provides in writing, and ask who delivers it. Some campuses refer families out to private therapists rather than staffing specialists.
How much San Antonio private school tuition does the award actually cover?
The standard 2026-27 award is $10,474 per student. Students with a documented disability may qualify for up to $30,000, and homeschooling families may receive $2,000. Set those against real San Antonio tuition:
- Under $11,000. Many parish schools and smaller Christian schools sit here, and the award covers close to all of tuition.
- $12,000 to $18,000. A common range for established private schools. Expect to cover a few thousand dollars per child, per year.
- $20,000 and up. College preparatory campuses. The award is a discount, not a solution.
- Fees on top of tuition. Uniforms, books, technology, athletics, and testing add several hundred to a couple thousand dollars, and they are rarely in the number a school quotes first.
A parent advising a family looking at a well known independent school showed how wide that gap can get:
"They accept TEFA, but be aware that the tuition is approx $25k to $34k (price increases as child promotes to next grade), so you'll have to pay the balance between TEFA and total tuition, uniform and supply expenses."
A San Antonio parent, in a thread on private school recommendations
Multiply your gap by the number of children you plan to enroll, then by the number of years you plan to stay. Tuition at most schools also rises as a child moves up in grade, so the gap in third grade is not the gap in eighth.
See what your TEFA award covers at San Antonio schools
Filter San Antonio schools by TEFA acceptance, your neighborhood, and your child's grade, then compare the real cost after the award.
Get matchedIs it worth switching when your current school is already working?
Free tuition is a reason to look. It is not, on its own, a reason to move. The most common regret in our community comes from families who switched because they could, then found the new campus could not serve their child.
A parent responding to a family weighing a charter against a TEFA funded private seat gave the counterweight:
"I think if you are happy with your school, stay. I wouldn't change schools just to go to a private school for free, especially if your child has an IEP. I would be more concerned about the needs of the child not being met and needing to return to public school rather than the TEFA funding ending."
A San Antonio parent, in a thread on Great Hearts and TEFA
That risk is real in both directions. If a private placement does not work, returning to your charter means re entering a waitlist, and San Antonio charter waitlists do not move quickly mid year. Ask your current school in writing whether it will hold or restore your seat before you send a withdrawal notice.
Families who left the program mid process described ordinary reasons rather than dramatic ones:
"Maybe the school of interest cannot accommodate their child? Or even with TEFA, they can't afford the tuition balance? Or they simply changed their minds."
A San Antonio parent, in a thread on opting out of TEFA
Will a private school still have room this year?
An award does not come with a seat. Demand statewide has run far ahead of capacity, and established schools have been open about not expanding to absorb it.
"Someone might get the voucher but can't get into private school, either because the school is at capacity or because they qualify due to testing. Our private school already let us know that we are not growing in size, nor will class sizes get larger."
A San Antonio parent, in a thread on voucher demand
Two practical consequences. First, call admissions directly and ask how many seats are open in your child's specific grade, because a school that is open for kindergarten is often full in fourth. Second, treat brand new schools carefully. One parent recommending long established campuses added a caution worth repeating:
"Shepherd of the Hills is a wonderful option. There's also Saint Louis Catholic School in Castroville. They have good reputations already established within the community. Anything new is probably just here to take advantage of TEFA funding."
A San Antonio parent, in a thread on TEFA awarded private schools
That is a generalization, and some new schools are strong. The underlying point stands: a school with a track record in San Antonio gives you parents to call. A school in its first year does not.
If you would rather not work down a call list, our open seats page tracks which San Antonio schools still have openings by grade.
Which TEFA approved schools have enough parent feedback to judge?
Review volume matters more than a rating when you are deciding. Three or four reviews tell you almost nothing. A few hundred tell you what a school is consistently like. These San Antonio schools accept TEFA and carry real feedback on School Path.
- Grades: PK-12
- Location: San Antonio, TX
- Tuition: $14,800/yr (TEFA-approved)
253 parent reviews. Parents describe a Christ centered program, a supportive community, and strong academics. The same reviews raise concerns about bullying, limited diversity, and inconsistency between teachers. Worth asking about directly on a tour.
- Grades: 6-12
- Location: San Antonio, TX
- Tuition: $11,922/yr (TEFA-approved)
148 parent reviews. Tuition sits closest to the award of any school on this list, so the out of pocket gap is smallest. Parents point to a nurturing environment, a strong community, and college preparation.
- Grades: PK-12
- Location: San Antonio, TX
- Tuition: $18,000 to $24,000
Fewer reviews, higher cost. Included because it shows the top of the range. At this tuition the award covers under half, so plan for a gap of $8,000 or more per child.
If your child has a documented disability, an award of up to $30,000 changes which of these is reachable, and it brings schools built around learning differences into range, including Winston School San Antonio and Fusion Academy.
What should you do this week?
A parent who had worked through the eligible school list described the order that saves the most time:
"Start by looking through the list of eligible private schools by location, because that daily drive to and from adds up fast, or by what fits your family values. Once you narrow it down to a few, hop on their websites. Most of them list tuition, so it gives you a pretty good idea of what to expect."
A San Antonio parent, in a thread on choosing a TEFA school
Working from that, four steps:
- Filter TEFA approved schools by your side of town first, then by what you want. Drive time decides whether a school is livable by November.
- Call admissions and ask how many seats are open in your child's grade, and what the total annual cost is after the award, including fees.
- Tour on a normal school day rather than at an open house, and ask to see the specific classroom your child would join.
- Keep your charter seat until you have an acceptance in writing and a cost you have confirmed twice.
The award gives you options and a deadline at the same time. The families who are happiest a year later toured before they withdrew, and chose based on how a school handled their particular child rather than on how the school is regarded in general.
Compare TEFA approved San Antonio schools in one place
Tell us your child's grade, your neighborhood, and your award amount. See which schools accept TEFA, what you would owe after the award, and who still has seats.
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