Homeschooling in Texas

Homeschooling in Texas is legal and relatively straightforward. The Texas Supreme Court issued a decision guaranteeing the right of Texas parents to teach their children at home without fear of prosecution. (Leeper et al. v. Arlington ISD et al., June 15, 199 4)

Your homeschool is considered a private school that is exempt from the compulsory attendance statute. Therefore, Texas does not regulate the number of days private schools must be in session per year or the number of days a student must attend. There isn’t a requirement for the number of hours you must homeschool each day.

Research Your Local Laws

First, understand your state’s homeschooling laws and regulations. Some states require you to notify the school district. Others may have specific curriculum or testing requirements.

Texas Homeschool Curriculum

Homeschooling in Texas is notably flexible, with minimal state oversight and no mandates regarding specific curriculum. However, your curriculum must include the five basic subjects of reading, spelling, grammar, mathematics, and good citizenship.

Additionally, your homeschool curriculum is also legally required to:

Provide bona fide instruction. (i.e., “sincerely; without intention to deceive; authentic.” ).
Must be in visual form with materials, such as textbooks, workbooks, or online programs.

You can choose and adapt the educational materials and methods that best suit your children’s needs.

Local School District

Your local school district has no authority to approve curricula used by your private homeschool. There isn’t any requirement to regulate homeschooling in Texas. There are no reporting agencies and no testing requirements for homeschoolers. Your students do not need to take the STARR tests.

Public School Notification

You are not legally required to register with your local school district or receive their permission to homeschool. If your child was previously enrolled in public school in Texas, you must formally withdraw them. This is often done by letting the school administration know you intend to homeschool. This notification is frequently referred to as a “Letter of Intent.”

This notification should include:

The date when homeschooling begins.
The names and ages of the children you plan to homeschool.

You don’t need to list the curricula you plan to use or any other information about your homeschooling plans. A public school district may request, in writing, a letter of assurance. It is within the school district’s rights to request this information.

Teaching Qualifications

You can teach your child yourself, hire a private tutor, or join a co-op or college class. The law states that a parent or one standing in parental authority can instruct your children.

You’re ultimately responsible for deciding the curriculum, schedule, and whether your child advances to the next grade. Some parents choose to do standardized testing, while others don’t. Parents do not have specific teaching qualifications for homeschooling. You do not need to be a certified teacher to homeschool.

Special Education Homeschooling

Texas does not have any restrictions regarding children with special needs. Texas enables students five years old or younger with special educational needs to access special education services (i.e., early childhood services) if the parent consents to the child’s evaluation.

Infants and toddlers, birth through age 2, with disabilities and their families receive early intervention services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part C. Children and youth ages 3 through 21 receive special education and related services under IDEA Part B.

The state’s public schools must evaluate and determine services for students with special educational needs. Federal funding must be allocated to support these services, and the resources must be available in the district where the student would typically attend.

Speech therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and reading services are the most common services homeschool parents use. These services are typically recommended in the homeschool student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) following an evaluation with the child, with the parent’s consent.

Entering Public School After Homeschooling

Homeschooled students can enter public school at any time. However, most districts have policies and procedures in place to assess the mastery level of courses that homeschooled students have completed. The assessment results may be used for grade placement, credit award, or both. Homeschooled students are treated the same as students transferring from unaccredited private schools.

For many parents, homeschooling high schoolers requires a four-year commitment, as placement in the public school system typically involves taking placement tests to determine grade placement, and the school district will decide if and when the student graduates.

Maintaining Homeschool Records

Texas does not require homeschoolers to record attendance and test scores, keep records, or report to State agencies. However, some find that they need proof documents in divorce and separation situations where the non-custodial parent or the court requests documentation.

Records of your student’s educational progress, or the student portfolio, could include attendance records, test scores, and work samples, which may be helpful.

It is typically a good idea to save everything your homeschooler is doing from about 8th grade on. Optimally, you will have some written overview of the material covered and activities completed, including keeping the paperwork and any files from each class, should you need them (larger projects can be photographed or videoed and filed digitally) as a reference.

When the time comes to create homeschool high school transcripts, your record-keeping should make it a simple process to enter the needed information into the transcript template. You will want to keep a copy for your records in case of future needs.

High School Transcripts and Graduation

Texas considers the successful completion of a homeschool education equivalent to a public high school graduation. In Texas, higher education institutions must treat a homeschool graduate to the same general standards, including specific standardized testing score requirements, as other applicants for undergraduate admission who have graduated from a public high school.

While you can customize your student’s high school curriculum, it is recommended that if your student is college-bound, trade school-bound, or military-bound, they earn the minimum number of credits generally needed for graduation. The minimum is 22, with a maximum of 26 recommended courses.

These can be a combination of online courses or other types of homeschool curriculum. The core recommended course sample is:

4 credits of English/Language Arts
4 credits of Mathematics (including Algebra I, II, and Geometry, plus an additional course)
4 credits of Science (including Biology, Chemistry, and Physics, plus an additional lab course)
4 credits of Social Studies
1 credit of Physical Education
1 credit of Fine Arts
5.5 credits of Electives
2 credits of Foreign Language Studies

As a private school administrator, you determine the criteria needed to graduate from your homeschool. Your student would likely need a homeschool transcript for multiple reasons. While it is beneficial to create a transcript for your student, it is not a requirement.

Texas homeschooling requirements are subject to change, so staying informed about updates is crucial. We will update our information as soon as we receive any updates.

Second STep

Learning Challenges

Aphasia

Aphasia is a language disorder caused by brain damage, such as a stroke, head injury, or neurodegenerative disease, that affects speaking, understanding, reading, or writing. Dysphasia is an outdated term that was once used to describe partial language loss due to brain damage. Today, aphasia is the preferred and more accurate medical term.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder that affects children and adults. It involves ongoing inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity patterns that can disrupt daily life and vary in severity.

Auditory Processing Disorder (APD)

Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) affects how the brain interprets sounds, not hearing itself. People with APD hear normally but struggle to understand speech, especially in noisy settings. Early diagnosis and support can significantly improve learning and communication.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects how individuals communicate, interact, learn, and behave. It involves a range of challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, and communication. The term “spectrum” reflects the broad diversity in how autism presents in each person.

Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)

Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD) is a childhood mental health condition marked by chronic irritability and frequent, intense outbursts that are out of proportion to the situation. While similar behaviors may appear in children with autism, they often stem from sensory or processing challenges, and the root causes differ even when the two conditions co-occur.

Down Syndrome

Down syndrome is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of an extra copy of chromosome 21. This additional genetic material affects development and results in the physical and intellectual characteristics associated with the condition. It’s one of the most common chromosomal disorders.

Dyscalculia

Dyscalculia is a learning disorder that affects a person’s ability to understand and work with numbers. It is sometimes referred to as “number dyslexia” because, like dyslexia for reading, dyscalculia makes it difficult to process mathematical information.

Dysgraphia

Dysgraphia is a neurological condition that affects writing skills, making it hard to write clearly, spell correctly, and organize thoughts on paper.

Dyspraxia / DCD

Dysgraphia is a neurological condition that affects writing skills, making it hard to write clearly, spell correctly, and organize thoughts on paper.

Dyslexia

Dyslexia is a neurological learning disability that affects reading, spelling, and writing. It often runs in families and involves difficulty with phonological processing—the ability to recognize and work with the sounds in spoken language.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

Anxiety is a normal response to stress, such as relationship changes, public speaking, or major decisions. However, when it becomes persistent and disrupts daily life, it may indicate a mental health disorder. Anxiety and depression often occur together—nearly half of those with depression also have an anxiety disorder.

Mixed Receptive-Expressive Language Disorder (MRELD)

Mixed receptive-expressive language disorder (MRELD) is a communication disorder that affects both understanding and expressing language. Individuals with MRELD struggle to comprehend spoken language and have difficulty forming words or sentences to communicate clearly.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic condition marked by uncontrollable, recurring thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors (compulsions).

Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)

Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) is a childhood behavior disorder marked by ongoing uncooperative, defiant, and hostile behavior toward authority figures. Children with ODD often cause more difficulty for others than for themselves.

Sensory Process Disorder (SPD)

Sensory processing disorder (SPD) is a condition where the brain struggles to process multisensory input effectively, leading to inappropriate responses to environmental demands. It commonly occurs in individuals with dyspraxia, autism spectrum disorder, and ADHD.

Visual Process Disorder (VPD)

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic condition marked by uncontrollable, recurring thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors (compulsions).