Since applications opened for schools and vendors on December 9, nearly 600 private schools have signed up to participate in the state’s $1 billion education savings account (ESA) program, known as Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA).
Houston has the highest number of registered schools at 172, followed by the Dallas-Fort Worth area with 154, and Austin with 55. Acting State Comptroller Kelly Hancock told CBS News that 83 percent of participating schools are Catholic.
