EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — As the state rolls out the Texas Education Freedom Accounts – a new school voucher program – data from the Texas comptroller is shedding light on who is applying— and raising questions about whether local private schools have the space to accommodate them.
Statewide, more than 270,000 applications have been submitted. According to the data, 75% of those applicants are already attending private or home schools. Demographically, 45% of applicants are white and 23% are Hispanic, while 37% of the total applicants come from low-income families as defined by the program.
Closer to home, just under 4,400 applications came from the El Paso region. It is a turnout that both public and private school leaders say they view as a positive indicator for their respective campuses, albeit for different reasons.
Public Schools See Low Departure Interest
For local public school districts, the data suggests that a vast majority of families are choosing to stay…