High Cost Funds
High Cost Funds
The 2024-2025 High Cost Funds (HCF) application is closed. The 2025-2026 HCF application will open opens on March 2, 2026 and close on May 1, 2026.
The Qualifying Cost Amount (QCA) for the 2024-2025 HCF was $38,853.00. The QCA for the 2025-2026 HCF will be published here in October 2025.
High Cost Funds (HCF) help offset the financial impact on Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) that provide educational services to high need children with disabilities. High need children with disabilities receive educational services which exceed three times the state’s average per pupil expenditure (APPE). Only those costs associated with providing direct special education and related services to the child, and identified in the child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP), are considered when determining whether a child qualifies as a high need child.
To request HCF, an LEA must submit a High Cost Fund application through the Texas Education Agency Login (TEAL) APEX application during the HCF application window for that year.
Additional information concerning High Cost Funds can be found in the Texas High Cost Fund (HCF) State Plan.
Resources
- Revised March 2025: High Cost Fund Information and Application
- Instructions for Viewing HCF Payments
- Revised July 2025: Texas High Cost Fund State Plan
- APEX User Manual
- How to Locate Transportation Cost Per Mile Data
- TEA Special Education in Nonpublic Programs
- TEA Secure Applications Information
Contact Information
High Cost Funds Team | (512) 463-9414 | hcf@tea.texas.gov
TEA Secure Environment Applications Support | TEA Help Desk