For most Texas families, the question about Catholic school is whether a $10,474 state account will cover enough of the bill. In El Paso the question often runs the other way: what happens to the money the account doesn't need? Catholic tuition here has long been modest by Texas standards, and that changes how families should think about TEFA, diocesan aid and the jump to high school.
Which El Paso Catholic schools take TEFA
The El Paso Catholic Schools office lists nine schools as TEFA participants:
- Cathedral High School
- Father Yermo Schools
- Loretto Academy
- Most Holy Trinity Catholic School
- St. Joseph's School
- St. Matthew Catholic School
- St. Patrick's Cathedral School
- St. Pius X Catholic School
- St. Raphael Catholic School
Eight of them appeared in the Texas Comptroller's participating-school finder when we checked on October 12, 2026. St. Pius X, in central El Paso, didn't show up in our pull under that name, so families considering it should confirm its status with the school. Our Catholic schools directory shows each school's grades, federal enrollment figures and finder status.
The schools span the city. Loretto Academy, St. Joseph's and Father Yermo serve the central and south-central neighborhoods. St. Patrick's Cathedral School and Cathedral High School are near downtown. St. Matthew is in the Upper Valley, Most Holy Trinity in the Northeast and St. Raphael on the East Side.
When the award is bigger than the bill
The Catholic Foundation for the Diocese of El Paso has published tuition ranges on its scholarship pages: roughly $3,500 to $8,100 a year on one page and $4,000 to $9,000 on another. Rates change every year and differ by school and grade, so ask each school for its current figure. But if your school sits anywhere in that range, the 2026-27 award of $10,474 covers tuition with something left.
That leftover is not lost. The program lets a family use the account for required fees, books, uniforms the school sells, school meals, tutoring, testing and other approved expenses, and whatever is still unspent at year end rolls over as long as the child stays in the program. A family that keeps a child at a parish elementary school for several years can build a real balance by the time high school arrives.
One rule protects the family here. Under the Comptroller's tuition guidelines, a participating school can't charge a TEFA family more than it charges anyone else, and it has to keep giving general discounts such as parishioner and sibling rates. A school can, however, consider the award when it decides need-based aid.
High school is where the math tightens
The award is the same in ninth grade as in first, and high school tuition is usually higher. Families heading to Cathedral, Loretto or Father Yermo should expect to cover some difference, and that is where the rolled-over balance from the elementary years earns its keep.
El Paso Community College is the other tool. EPCC says it offers dual-credit courses at no cost to students, and its parent handbook describes dual credit at private and parochial high schools. Where a cost does apply, such as a summer section or books, a TEFA account can pay tuition and fees at a college. Ask your high school whether it has a current agreement with EPCC.
Diocesan aid in a TEFA world
The diocese's aid system didn't go away when TEFA arrived. It now matters most for families who weren't funded, for high school gaps, and for students whose families can't cover fees and uniforms on top of tuition. There are three main pieces:
- FACTS Grant & Aid. After a child is accepted, the family completes the online FACTS form for diocesan need-based aid. The schools office stresses that earlier applications have a better chance of receiving help, and its scholarship forms are available in English and Spanish.
- The Burkitt Foundation. Need-based tuition assistance at seven schools: Father Yermo, St. Matthew, St. Patrick, St. Joseph, Most Holy Trinity, St. Raphael and St. Pius X. Families file a Burkitt tuition assistance form with the principal, along with an income form.
- The Catholic Foundation's endowed funds. The Foundation holds 28 scholarship funds for Catholic schools and reported 191 scholarship recipients in 2023-24. Its Bishop's Scholarship Fund makes renewable awards of $500 to $4,000 a year to students from pre-K through 12th grade who are recommended by a pastor or principal and couldn't attend otherwise.
Our Catholic school aid page keeps these in one place, with the aid office's phone number.
Pre-K at a Catholic school
Most of El Paso's Catholic elementary schools start before kindergarten. TEFA can pay the full award for a 3- or 4-year-old who meets one of Texas's free pre-K criteria. Two of those criteria come up often in El Paso: limited English proficiency, and having a parent on active duty, which covers many Fort Bliss families. A child who qualifies can be fully funded in pre-K and then continue at the same school, since kindergarten carries no extra criteria.
What to do this year
- Apply to the school during its admissions season, and complete FACTS as soon as you're accepted.
- Join the state's TEFA interest list. Last cycle's window ran from February 4 to March 17, and second-year dates haven't been announced.
- If one of your children already has an account, apply for the siblings next cycle; they go to the front of the line.
- Ask the school which fees it bills to the account, and how it handles the February deposit.
Not sure how the pieces combine for your family? Our Catholic tuition guide walks through it, and the funding check gets an advisor on the phone.