With the elections behind us, we’re shifting from providing you context from the campaign trail to context from the Texas State Capitol as the Texas legislature gets to work. Keep up with Capitol Context this legislative session as we examine bills being debated, the messages we’re hearing from elected leaders and how their votes impact us all.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Lawmakers from the Texas House of Representatives recently heard hours and hours… and hours… of public input on the Republican-led plan for education savings accounts (ESAs) which would allow some students to use public dollars to pay for private schooling.
As KXAN has reported, estimates from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) show House Bill 3, authored by Salado Republican Rep. Brad Buckley, would offer qualifying families roughly $11,394.25. The Texas Senate’s version, SB 2, would allow $10,000 dollars in tuition help or $11,500 for students with disabilities.
So we wanted to know just how much private tuition costs in Texas. Is the state offering up too much money? Maybe too little?
According to Private School Review which uses data directly uploaded by schools across the state, the average private school tuition in Texas in 2025 is $11,348 per year. High school education tends to cost a little more at an average of $12,435 per year compared to $10,898 for private elementary schools.
As you might imagine, though, it really depends on the school itself. Some schools can cost tens of thousands of dollars per year while others come in at a few thousand.
It also matters where in the state a family lives. Some rural areas have few to zero options when it comes to school, a past sticking point for some Republican house members representing rural districts.
The Senate passed its education savings plan in February. The House’s version is currently pending in committee.
