If your family applied for a Texas Education Freedom Account, the calendar just got a lot more important. Award notices have been going out in waves since late April, and every family who received one is now working against a single deadline.
July 15, 2026. Current state guidance lists July 15, 2026 as the final deadline.
That is the date by which families using TEFA funds for private school must confirm enrollment in a participating school for the 2026/2027 school year. It sounds far away when you are still in May. It does not feel far away once school lets out, vacations start, and the calendar fills up with everything summer brings.
We want to walk through what that deadline really means, and why families across Northlake, Roanoke, Trophy Club, and Justin are touring St. Peter Christian School before the summer slips by.
What July 15 actually requires
If you received a TEFA award, the next move is not just picking a school in your head. It is officially confirming enrollment through the program portal, with a school that has been approved by the state and is ready to accept your child for the 2026/2027 year. The school then verifies that enrollment on their end.
If that confirmation does not happen by July 15, the award does not automatically wait for you. Spots on the participating school side can fill. Families on the waitlist behind you can be pulled forward as others opt out. The whole point of the deadline is to lock in the match between student, school, and funding before the school year begins.
So this is not a paperwork formality. It is the moment the decision becomes real.
Why the deadline sneaks up on families
Three things tend to catch parents off guard.
The first is touring. Most families want to walk a campus, meet a teacher, and watch their child interact with the space before they say yes. That takes time, and good schools book up. Waiting until late June to start visiting is not the same as starting now.
The second is summer. Tour calendars, family schedules, and church travel all collide in June and early July. The window to make a thoughtful visit is honestly the next few weeks.
The third is the waitlist. If you are not yet awarded, your status can change without much warning as other families decline their spots. Touring now means you are ready to confirm the moment the portal updates, instead of scrambling.
What this looks like at St. Peter
We are opening enrollment for our brand new Kindergarten program for the 2026/2027 school year. It is the first step in building out a full elementary school, kindergarten through fifth grade, right here in Northlake.
Kindergarten will be small classes. That is on purpose. Our teacher has more than 25 years of experience, and small class size is not a tagline, it is the entire reason families tell us their children thrive here. We are fully accredited, Christ-centered, and shaped by three words we live by. Scholars. Servants. Saints.
The campus matches the philosophy. Twenty-two thousand square feet of new space, oversized classrooms, a gym, and a real kitchen. Room to learn, room to move, room to be a kid.
And because TEFA covers approved private school and kindergarten programs, kindergarten at St. Peter is exactly the kind of placement the program is designed for.
What to do this week
If you have a TEFA award in hand, schedule a tour now, not in July. You want time to ask questions, meet the people, pray about it, and confirm with confidence. That is hard to do under a deadline.
If you are still on the waitlist, do not pause your search. State officials have said more spots are likely to open as other families opt out or change plans. The families who get the most out of this program are the ones who already know where they want their child to go the moment their status changes.
If you are not in the program at all and just learning about us, reach out anyway. Your child can join our kindergarten class this fall through private enrollment, and you can join the TEFA interest list for the 2027/2028 application window in the meantime.
You can read the official program details and timeline at: educationfreedom.texas.gov.
A note from us
Choosing a kindergarten is not a transaction. It is the first chapter of how your child will learn to read, learn to pray, and learn how to be a friend. We do not take that lightly, and we would never want you to either.
If you would like to walk the building, meet the teacher, and ask every question you have, we would love to host you. Bring your child. Bring your list.
Schedule a tour or learn more at www.stpeterchristianschool.org or call (817) 491-2010.
July 15 will be here sooner than it looks. Let us make sure you are ready for it.
TL;DR — July 15, 2026 TEFA Deadline
Families with TEFA awards must confirm enrollment in a participating school by July 15, 2026. St. Peter Christian School is accepting TEFA-funded kindergarten students for Fall 2026. Tour now, confirm with confidence.