Afterschool Centers on Education (ACE) is Texas’ program that provides out-of-school programming for K-12 students. Texas ACE relies on federal funds made available through the U.S. Department of Education’s Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Center (21st CCLC) program.
What is Texas ACE?
According to the Texas Education Agency (TEA), nearly 130,000 students across the Lone Star State rely on Texas ACE for afterschool and summer programming. Out-of-school programming is offered at no cost to the student and occurs primarily at Title 1 schools, which are designated as “learning centers.” TEA reports that Texas ACE operated 664 learning centers during the 2024-2025 school year, backed by 11,680 staff members.
How Texas ACE Funding Works
Unlike California’s ELOP program, Texas ACE awards funds through a competitive grant program that is administered by the TEA. Grant competitions occur every few years and are typically awarded in 5-year “cycles.” Total available funding amounts seem to increase gradually with each grant opportunity cycle. For example, total available funding for “cycle 12” exceeded $70 million for the 2025-2026 school year. Funds available for “cycle 11” during the same year were just over $65 million. Funding amounts can also fluctuate from year to year, even within cycles.
The TEA Grant Opportunities page demonstrates Texas’ staggered, multi-year approach to issuing grants. The following grants funded Texas ACE during the 2025-2026 school year, but the different “cycles” indicate unique grantee cohorts.
- 2025-2026 Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers, Cycle 11, Year 5
- 2025-2026 Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers, Cycle 12, Year 3
In summary, grantees funded by “cycle 12” were on year three of their award while those in “cycle 11” were already in year five. Both received funding for the same school year—just on different schedules.
Texas ACE: Helping Students Realize their Potential
A primary focus of Texas ACE is to help students change the world by realizing their potential. Providing academic tutoring as well as college and career-readiness activities align with this goal. In addition, Texas ACE prioritizes “student interest-based enrichment” that ranges from sports to service-based learning. Culinary is a good example, as mentioned in the Texas ACE Roadmap to High-Quality Out-of-School Time. The guide specifically includes “making a cake” as an example and stresses the underlying importance of interest-based enrichment. “There may be academic skills embedded, such as measuring or physics principles, but the activity’s objective is focused on the development of the enrichment skill itself,” the guide says. “Students may learn cooking skills that could be applied to a culinary arts employment path, but the instruction is only focused on the cooking skill and not the education or business elements.”
Increasing engagement with non-student family members and connecting them to the school community is another essential part of Texas ACE. Learning centers might host student showcase nights or develop other innovative programs that improve the school-to-home connection.
Let’s Partner to Engage Texas Students and Families
Partner with Rainbow Chefs Academy to enrich out-of-school programming through hands-on culinary experiences. Inspire healthy habits at school and at home. Contact us to request a pilot program for your school or district.