If you go under contract on a home in Schertz or Cibolo this October, nobody can give you an exact 2026 tax number for it yet. Three separate forces are still settling that bill. Cibolo's taxable values went down this year, and its tax rate went up. The largest school district serving both cities has adopted a rate that only holds if voters approve it on November 3. And the exemptions that keep the current owner's bill low belong to that owner, so they don't come with the house.
That's why the annual tax figure on a listing is a poor guide right now. It's a record of what the seller paid under last year's rates with the seller's exemptions, and most of what goes into it can change.
The Number on the Listing Comes From the Seller's Bill
Start with the house before you look at any rate. Under current Texas rules, school districts must give a $140,000 general residence homestead exemption, plus another $60,000 for homeowners who are 65 or older or disabled. In Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD, that exemption explains most of the gap between what a house is worth and what gets taxed. The district puts the average home's market value at $316,465 and its taxable value at $176,465, after the homestead and other qualifying exemptions. The two numbers are exactly $140,000 apart.
The age-65 school tax ceiling matters even more. The Texas Comptroller's property tax guide says the ceiling can move to a new qualified homestead only with the same owner, who carries over the same percentage of tax paid. A buyer doesn't inherit it. SCUC ISD's own materials say 65-and-older homeowners' school taxes are frozen and won't change because of this fall's tax election unless the owner makes large improvements. So when a home has been taxed under a frozen ceiling, its listing history shows a school tax amount the next owner won't see.
Timing works against a fall buyer too. The Comptroller explains that someone who buys after January 1 can get the general homestead exemption for the applicable part of that tax year once they qualify, but only if the previous owner didn't already receive the same exemption that year. The general application deadline is before May 1. In practice, the 2026 bill on a house sold this fall usually reflects the seller's exemption status. Your own exemption profile starts to show up in later years.
Cibolo's Taxable Values Fell, and Its Rate Rose
Next come the rates, and this year Cibolo's rate went up because values went down.
At the city's September 8, 2026 tax rate hearing, staff reported that certified net taxable value fell 4.5% from 2025. That was 2.4% below the range the appraisal district gave in April. The city also said about 200 more properties were still under protest than at the same point a year earlier. Homes didn't account for most of the drop:
| Property class in Cibolo | Change in taxable value, 2025 to 2026 |
|---|---|
| Industrial | down $48.7 million, or 21.3% |
| Commercial | down $32.7 million, or 9.6% |
| Multi-family | down $4.5 million, or 8.3% |
| Residential | down $78.5 million, or 2.6% |
| Overall | down $167.6 million, or 4.5% |
The city's presentation puts it simply: "A decline in values generally results in an increase in tax rate to generate tax revenues equivalent to the prior year (on the same properties)." Texas's no-new-revenue rate is built to collect the same money from the same properties. When business property loses value faster than homes do, a rate set to hold revenue steady moves more of that revenue onto homes.
Cibolo's no-new-revenue rate for 2026 came out at $0.5353 per $100, up from last year's $0.5226. The council adopted $0.5515, which was also the voter-approval rate, the highest allowed without an election. At the same time, the city's median homestead value rose just 0.91%, from $336,622 in 2025 to $339,677 in 2026. The city estimates the median homestead's city tax at $1,759.19 for 2025 and $1,873.32 at the $0.5515 rate, an increase of $114.13. The house barely changed in value, and the bill went up anyway.
Schertz Ran the Same Math, and Its Records Disagree on the Rate
Schertz started from the same arithmetic. The September 15 council memo lists the prior rate as $0.5118, the no-new-revenue rate as $0.5296 and the voter-approval rate as $0.5593. The memo says the no-new-revenue rate would bring in about 4.2% more total property tax than last year, almost all of it from new property added to the roll.
City documents don't agree on which rate passed. Staff recommended $0.5175, and the ordinance text in the meeting packet uses that figure. But the city's September 17 announcement says council adopted $0.5296, effective October 1, 2026. Confirm the final figure with the city or the tax office before you plug it into a budget. Either way, the 2026 rate is above last year's $0.5118.
The School Rate Depends on the November 3 Vote
The school tax is the largest piece of the bill, and it's also the least certain. The Cibolo city website lists SCUC ISD as serving residents of both Cibolo and Schertz. On August 17, 2026, the board signed an order adopting a 2026 total rate of $1.1969 per $100: $0.7869 for maintenance and operations and $0.4100 for debt service.
That rate includes a 12-cent operations increase, and voters have to ratify it as Proposition A on the November 3 ballot. Here's how the district's VATRE site lays out the two outcomes:
| If Prop A passes | If Prop A fails | |
|---|---|---|
| SCUC ISD total rate per $100 | $1.1969 | $1.0769 |
| School tax on the district's average home, $176,465 taxable | about $2,111 a year | about $1,899 a year |
| Difference | about $212 a year, or $17.65 a month |
The ballot language mentions an 18% increase. The district clarifies that this is the projected growth in operations revenue, not an 18% jump in the rate. The San Antonio Report's estimate is close, about $216 more a year after homestead exemptions on a $317,335 home. The newsroom also notes that voters rejected a smaller 6-cent SCUC ask in 2025. District voters did approve three bond propositions in May 2026. The district points out that bond money legally can't pay for day-to-day operating costs. Early voting runs Monday, October 19, through Friday, October 30. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day.
Put the main pieces side by side, and here's what's settled for a Cibolo homestead in SCUC ISD as of this week:
| Taxing entity | 2026 rate per $100 | Status |
|---|---|---|
| City of Cibolo | $0.5515 | Adopted in September |
| Guadalupe County | $0.3493 | Listed in the FY 2026–27 budget notice |
| SCUC ISD | $1.0769 or $1.1969 | Depends on the November 3 vote |
Parts of Schertz are in Bexar County, where commissioners set a 2026 rate of $0.299999, keeping it just under 30 cents while dealing with lower valuations. Each entity applies its own exemptions, and some addresses are also taxed by other districts. Treat the table as a picture of how the rates are moving, not as a final bill.
Closing This Fall Turns the Uncertainty Into a Proration
All of this lands in your settlement statement. The standard TREC One to Four Family Residential Contract prorates current-year taxes through the closing date. If the actual tax statements later come in at a different amount, buyer and seller adjust the proration. The Comptroller says tax bills go out by October 1 or as soon after as practical. The usual last day to pay without penalty is January 31. In 2027 that date falls on a Sunday, so under the Comptroller's weekend rule, 2026 taxes can be paid through Monday, February 1, and become delinquent on Tuesday, February 2.
So a buyer closing in Schertz or Cibolo between now and early November will see a proration built on an estimate. That estimate is being made while a city's rate is still disputed in its own records and the school rate depends on an election. The re-proration clause handles the true-up later. What you can control now is reading the estimate correctly. These questions help:
- Which rate did the closing estimate use for SCUC ISD, $1.0769 or $1.1969?
- Does the seller's current bill reflect an age-65 or disability ceiling that ends when they sell?
- Does the home's tax history include a homestead exemption, or was it taxed without one?
- Which county, city and school district actually tax this address?
- Who will handle the re-proration once actual statements are issued?
Quick Answers
Will Prop A change taxes for homeowners 65 and older? SCUC ISD says qualifying 65-and-older homeowners' school taxes are frozen and won't go up because of the election unless they make significant improvements. A new buyer doesn't get the seller's ceiling.
Can a new resident vote on Prop A? The deadline to register for the November 3 election was Monday, October 5.
Why would a rate go up when my home's value barely moved? Cibolo's rate rose because total taxable value fell 4.5%, mostly in industrial and commercial property, while the median homestead value inched up. The no-new-revenue formula then pushed the rate higher.
If you're weighing a home in Schertz or Cibolo and want help working out a realistic tax figure, the team at Jason Campbell's Option One Real Estate can go through the rates, exemptions and proration math for that address with you before you commit. Contact Us, and we'll start with the property you're looking at.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
