State Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a recent legal opinion limiting certain private schools from qualifying for the Texas Education Freedom Accounts voucher program.
The application period for private schools to participate in the program opened Dec. 9, 2025. The application for families opened Feb. 4 and closes March 17.
Students accepted into the program are eligible to receive $10,474 if they are attending an approved private school. Some students who have disabilities and have a specific learning plan can receive up to $30,000 annually.
Paxton’s opinion was issued in response to a request from Acting Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts Kelly Hancock, who asked the state attorney general to clarify whether private schools that hosted events by the Council on American-Islamic Relations could be eligible for participation in the vouchers.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations has been a frequent target of criticism from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and other Texas officials, who have accused the group of links to terror groups.
National group leaders have denied any connection to terror groups and have said that schools shouldn’t be penalized for hosting CAIR events.
Paxton emphasized that his office will not determine which schools should be excluded but instead placed that responsibility on Hancock and the comptroller’s office.
Private schools applying for the Texas Education Freedom Accounts program must be recognized by the Texas Private Schools Accreditation Commission and administer nationally comparative assessments for grades 3-12, according to the program website.
Associate Head of School, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer Kendra Grace said that Greenhill doesn’t have enough information to participate in the program at this point.
Additionally, students don’t need a voucher to attend Greenhill because of financial aid resources, according to Grace. Greenhill strives to fund 100% of the demonstrated needs for anybody who wants to attend, she said.
“We don’t need to accept these funds because of our incredibly generous and robust financial aid program,” Grace said.
Head of School Lee Hark said an important consideration for Greenhill is whether participation in the program would impact the school’s autonomy.
“Our ability to design and run our program is a fundamental part of what it means to be an independent school,” Hark said. “I would be reluctant to participate in anything that might put that independence at risk.”
