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Texas Homeschool Requirements Checklist

Everything you need to do to homeschool legally in Texas, based on Tex. Educ. Code 25.086(a)(1). Texas is classified as No regulation.

This is the general checklist for Private School Exemption. Our free wizard customizes this for your family, including grade, pathway, enrollment status, and IEP.

Your compliance checklist

Do first

Withdrawal letter recommended

A formal letter isn't required, but it is recommended if your child is enrolled in school. Send it to school principal or attendance office and/or district superintendent.

Deadline: Before you start (if enrolled)

Ongoing

Required subjects

reading, spelling, grammar, mathematics, good citizenship

Good news

No notification required

Texas does not require you to notify anyone to begin homeschooling.

No instructional time minimums

No minimum hours or days of instruction required.

No testing or assessment required

No standardized testing or assessments required under this pathway.

Education savings: Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA)

Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA): $2,000/student (homeschool); $10,474/student (private school) โ€” All Texas students. Homeschool students receive up to $2,000/year for approved materials and services (homeschool students with disabilities are also capped at $2,000). Private school students receive ~$10,474. Students with disabilities at approved private schools (not homeschools) may receive up to $30,000.

Ongoing requirements

Required subjects

  • โœ“reading
  • โœ“spelling
  • โœ“grammar
  • โœ“mathematics
  • โœ“good citizenship
Practical tip: Your curriculum must be bona fide (genuine, not a sham) and in visual form (books, workbooks, written materials). Using any commercially published curriculum naturally satisfies both requirements.

Tex. Educ. Code 25.086(a)(1); Leeper v. Arlington ISD, 893 S.W.2d 432 (Tex. 1994)

What you don't need to worry about

No notification required

Texas does not require you to notify anyone to begin homeschooling.

No instructional time minimums

No minimum hours or days of instruction required.

No testing or assessment required

No standardized testing or assessments required under this pathway.

Education savings: Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA)

Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA): $2,000/student (homeschool); $10,474/student (private school) โ€” All Texas students. Homeschool students receive up to $2,000/year for approved materials and services (homeschool students with disabilities are also capped at $2,000). Private school students receive ~$10,474. Students with disabilities at approved private schools (not homeschools) may receive up to $30,000.

Education savings available

Texas offers Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA). Learn about ESA programs

Get your personalized checklist

This is the general checklist for the most common pathway. The wizard customizes it for your family's specific situation, including grade, pathway, and IEP status.

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Requirements sourced from Tex. Educ. Code 25.086(a)(1). Verified against primary legal sources. Last verified: March 2026