El Paso's first year with TEFA was small next to the big metros but real. KTSM reported that just under 4,400 applications came from the El Paso region. By July 29, 2026, the Comptroller's demographic report counted 1,810 funded students in the Region 19 service area, which is El Paso and Hudspeth counties.
Almost all of those accounts belong to families in five districts. El Paso ISD residents held 862, the 19th-highest district total in Texas. Socorro ISD followed with 462, then Ysleta ISD with 250, Canutillo ISD with 109 and Clint ISD with 88. The rural districts in the county each had fewer than 30, which is the report's privacy cutoff.
The money follows a fixed formula: 85% of average state and local funding per Texas public school student, or $10,474 for 2026-27, the same in first grade as in twelfth. For a private-school student it arrives in three pieces, 25% on July 1, 25% on October 1 and the remaining 50% on February 1, and unspent funds carry forward as long as the child stays enrolled in the program.
Statewide the first year was oversubscribed many times over. About 274,000 students applied for $1 billion in funding under Senate Bill 2, 85,344 accounts were funded by late July, and more than 121,000 eligible students sat on the waitlist. The Comptroller administers the program, and its contractor Odyssey runs the parent accounts, school payments and marketplace.
Year one's money effectively reached two groups: students with disabilities in households up to 500% of the federal poverty level, and families at or under 200% of poverty. Siblings of current participants move to the front for 2027-28, and anyone who wasn't funded should plan to apply again.
Funded TEFA students by El Paso-area district
| District of residence | Funded students (Jul 29, 2026) |
|---|---|
| El Paso ISD | 862 |
| Socorro ISD | 462 |
| Ysleta ISD | 250 |
| Canutillo ISD | 109 |
| Clint ISD | 88 |
Source: TEFA Annual Demographic Report (Texas Comptroller), parent-reported district of residence, data as of July 29, 2026. The Region 19 (El Paso) total was 1,810.
Combining it with other sources
Few El Paso families rely on a single source. This one normally works alongside the school's own discounts and at least one more item on this list, and the funding check lays out the exact mix for your child.