TEA has sent a letter to school administrators notifying them of the requirement that a current IEP must be in place and accessible to TEA so that TEA can communicate that information to the CPA. The letter notes that the Comptroller expects to open applications for the Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA) program on February 4, 2026. The expected closing date is March 17, 2026. Dates can be confirmed by visiting the TEFA website.
Current IEPs must be less than one-year old and can be created for a child in public school or one created for a child in private school. If a child was in public school preceding their acceptance into the TEFA program and was receiving special education and related services through the public school, the child’s prior IEP will suffice.
TEA has created the APEX-ESA system within the TEAL application for purposes of uploading IEPs. The APEX-ESA system is expected to open on February 2, 2026. User accounts can be requested beginning on January 22, 2026, and the Office of Special Populations and Student Supports will give an overview of the APEX-ESA system on January 20, 2026.
All students entered into APEX-ESA will need their 10-digit unique ID. The school system will enter basic student details and upload a copy of the child’s IEP.
Key Dates
- 1/20/2026 – TEA will host a school system webinar to preview the APEX-ESA platform
- 1/22/2026 – School systems can begin to request user accounts for the APEX-ESA system in TEAL
- 2/2/2026 – APEX-ESA system opens for TEA data entry
- 3/17/2026 – APEX-ESA upload deadline
For more information, see the TEA letter here.
