Applying to Fort Worth private schools for 2027-28: the deadlines, Clarity aid and where TEFA fits

Every fall, Fort Worth parents who want a private school for next year run into the same scheduling problem. The schools want applications in January and February, decisions go out in March, and enrollment contracts follow. Texas Education Freedom Accounts, which could cover a large share of tuition, run on a different clock, and the state hasn't announced dates for 2027-28 yet. This post lines up the admissions calendars we could confirm at several Tarrant County schools, explains how their aid works, and shows where TEFA can fit without leaving your family exposed.

The deadlines we could confirm

Trinity Valley School lists a January 15, 2027 deadline for pre-K and kindergarten and February 12, 2027 for grades 1 through 12. Its fall calendar includes a kindergarten information session on October 29, a pre-K information session on November 3 and a campus event, TVS Live, on November 13.

All Saints' Episcopal School opened applications on September 1, 2026. Kindergarten early decision closes November 6, 2026, with decisions on December 11. Early childhood and new kindergarten families have until January 15, 2027, and grades 1 through 12 until February 12, 2027. Decisions for grades 1 through 12 go out March 12, 2027. Applicants for grades 2 through 9 take the ISEE.

Fort Worth Country Day doesn't post 2027-28 dates on its admissions page. It does say the Fort Worth consortium schools share calendar, testing and notification dates, so expect a schedule close to its peers'. Call the admissions office to confirm.

Nolan Catholic High School says its 2027-2028 application is open now through FACTS, with a separate Fort Worth Diocesan Partner School application for students coming from diocesan elementary schools. It asks families to submit the FACTS Grant & Aid application as soon as possible but doesn't publish a deadline.

How school aid works at these campuses

All Saints' and Trinity Valley run need-based aid through Clarity, a third-party service that estimates what a family can pay; each school's committee then sets the award. All Saints' lists its 2026-27 tuition at $28,410 for lower school, $29,760 for middle school and $31,130 for upper school. Its aid deadlines are November 30, 2026 for kindergarten early decision, February 5, 2027 for the kindergarten general pool and February 19, 2027 for new students in grades 1 through 12. It doesn't offer aid in early childhood.

Trinity Valley publishes its own aid history. For 2025-26, its chart shows 186 awards on 202 requests, totaling a little over $3 million. Those are encouraging odds, but they describe families who applied on time. Missing the aid deadline usually means missing the money.

Catholic schools work differently. Nolan Catholic and the diocese's elementary schools use FACTS, and the diocese has its own assistance fund. Our page on the Diocese of Fort Worth tuition assistance fund covers that calendar.

Where TEFA fits, and where it doesn't

The first thing to check is whether a school takes TEFA at all. When we last pulled the Comptroller's school finder on October 11, it listed 283 schools and pre-K providers across our five counties, 239 of them in Tarrant County. Nolan Catholic, Fort Worth Christian, Lake Country Christian, Covenant Classical, both Southwest Christian campuses, The Hill School and The Key School were among them. Trinity Valley, All Saints' Episcopal and Fort Worth Country Day were not. The finder changes, so check it again before you apply, but don't build a budget around TEFA at a school that isn't listed.

At a participating school, the 2026-27 account paid $10,474, or more for a student with an IEP. Against tuition near $30,000, that still leaves a large balance for the family and the school's aid office to close. Our TEFA calculator shows your child's amount, and what's left after TEFA walks through the rest.

The timing problem

For 2026-27, families applied to TEFA from February 4 to March 31, 2026. Demand far exceeded funding, so a lottery and priority tiers decided who received an account, and many awards came off the waitlist in summer. Families with awards then had a few weeks to confirm enrollment at a participating school.

If 2027-28 follows a similar pattern, which the state hasn't confirmed, you'll be signing an enrollment contract before you know whether your child has an account. The 90th Legislature also convenes January 12, 2027 and could change the program. So plan for both outcomes:

Apply for school aid as if TEFA won't come. Meet every Clarity or FACTS deadline. A missed aid deadline is hard to undo, and a TEFA award may arrive months later or not at all.
Join the state's interest list at EducationFreedom.Texas.gov so you hear the 2027-28 dates when they are announced.
Ask about the enrollment contract. Find out what deposit is due, when it becomes nonrefundable, and how the school would adjust aid if a TEFA award arrives later.
Ask how TEFA interacts with aid. Ask whether the school would count a TEFA account as a resource and reduce its own grant, and get the answer in writing.

A short checklist for November

Pick two or three schools and note each one's application and aid deadlines.
Check each school against the TEFA finder and our Fort Worth school directory.
Book the information sessions and testing dates now; fall slots fill.
Collect your 2025 tax return and recent pay stubs for Clarity or FACTS.
Decide your fallback if TEFA doesn't come through: a lower-tuition participating school, a sibling plan, or staying put for a year.

If you'd like a second set of eyes on the numbers, start the funding check, and an advisor will map TEFA, school aid and diocesan help for your child.

Sources

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