Texas Removed 10,011 Children in FY 2025. The County Pattern Matters.

In the fiscal year that ended August 31, 2025, the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services removed children from their homes 10,011 times. That is 791 more removals than the year before, an increase of 8.6%, and the first rise since FY 2021.

It is also less than half of the FY 2018 peak of 20,685. Both things are true: the system is far smaller than it was seven years ago, and the need ticked back up this year.

Where removals happen

Removals are concentrated. Bexar County (1,143), Harris (971), Dallas (835) and Tarrant (523) together account for 3,472 removals, about 35% of the state total. Region 3 (Arlington) had more removals than any other DFPS region, 2,200.

Counts mostly follow population, so it helps to look at rates too. Statewide, DFPS recorded about 1.26 removals for every 1,000 children in Texas. Harris County, home to 1.42 million children, recorded 0.68 per 1,000. Bexar County, with 576,000 children, recorded 1.98 per 1,000. Among counties with at least 50,000 children, Bell (3.21) and McLennan (3.08) had the highest rates.

What these numbers do and do not say

A removal rate is a pressure signal, not a grade. It reflects how many families reached a crisis point, how reports were made and investigated, and local practice. It does not tell us whether any county is doing better or worse by children. What it does tell us is where foster homes, kinship supports and prevention services are needed first.

When children are removed, they need a safe place nearby: close to their school, siblings, and the family they may return to. Every county with removals is a county that needs foster families.

• Find your county on the Texas explorer, with counts and per-1,000 rates side by side.
• See how to start fostering in Texas, from DFPS's official first step.