Coryell County families file 370 school voucher applications, Copperas Cove leads the way

Copperas Cove families drove Coryell County’s first response to Texas’ new school voucher-style program, accounting for 305 of the county’s 370 applications. Gatesville families filed 65 applications, and no applications were reported from Jonesboro, Evant or Oglesby ISD, a split that shows how uneven the early demand has been across the county.

The first round of Texas Education Freedom Account awards began to separate winners from everyone still waiting to see whether the program will open a door for their children. In Coryell County, 70 Copperas Cove applicants received Tier 1 notices, while Gatesville received none in that first priority round. Statewide, more than 42,600 students received those initial notices, and the highest-priority tier went to students with qualifying disabilities in households at or below 500 percent of the federal poverty level.

For many Coryell County families, the awards are only the first step. Those selected have until July 15 to confirm enrollment, choose a homeschool or other option that carries $2,000 in funding, or opt out. Students who enroll in participating private schools will receive $10,474 for the 2026-27 school year. More than 1,400 private schools and education providers had already registered to participate, giving families a wide but still developing list of options as they weigh whether to leave a local campus.

The scale of interest points to a program that drew far more applicants than it could immediately serve. The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts said more than 274,000 students applied during the first year, with nearly three-quarters coming from low- or middle-income families. About 30,000 applicants qualified for the first priority tier, and another 79,000 qualified for the second tier. A lottery was used to allocate remaining second-tier funds and establish the waitlist order, with year-one funding expected to run out within that second tier.

That has real consequences for school districts in Coryell County. If more families in Copperas Cove or Gatesville accept awards and move their children out of public schools, local campuses could feel the effect in enrollment counts and state funding. The rural districts, which reported no applications in the first round, did not show the same early pressure. Still, the county’s uneven pattern suggests that access, information and family preference are already shaping who can act on the new law and who is left watching from the sidelines.