Romeschool

Texas homeschool requirements

Texas is one of the most permissive states. No filing, no testing, no oversight — home schools are private schools. Teach five subjects (including 'good citizenship') from a bona fide written curriculum.

Last reviewed June 5, 2026 · corrected September 23, 2026 · Sources below

Minimal regulation
Another state:

Texas homeschool requirements at a glance

Notice
Not required
Required subjects
Reading, Spelling, Grammar, Mathematics, Good citizenship
Instruction time
NoneNo attendance record requirement.
Testing or evaluation
NoNo mandatory testing.
Records
No
Parent qualifications
Not required
Compulsory attendance ages
6–19Texas requires a child who is at least six and has not yet reached their nineteenth birthday to attend school, unless the child is exempt under Education Code § 25.086 (§ 25.085(b)) — so the years run from the sixth birthday through the day before the nineteenth. The same section reaches two further cases: § 25.085(b) also covers a child younger than six who has previously been enrolled in first grade, and § 25.085(c) provides that on enrollment in prekindergarten or kindergarten a child shall attend school. Among the exemptions, § 25.086(a)(1) covers a child who attends a private or parochial school that includes in its course a study of good citizenship.
Ways to homeschool
Private school (no filing)
Law
Leeper v. Arlington ISD (1994); Tex. Educ. Code §§ 25.085, 25.086; Tex. Educ. Code § 1.010 (HB 2674, 2025)
Official source
tea.texas.gov ↗

Do I have to notify anyone to homeschool in Texas?

No. Texas does not require homeschooling families to file a notice. No notice, registration, or approval (home schools are private schools). Since September 1, 2025, Tex. Educ. Code § 1.010 — added by HB 2674 (2025), often called the Homeschool Freedom Act — has barred the Texas Education Agency, the State Board of Education and every other institution the Education Code reaches under § 1.001(a), which takes in school districts, from adopting a rule or policy that regulates a home school's educational program. It does not touch compulsory attendance (§ 25.085) or the good-citizenship subject, and TEA's guidance still says a district that becomes aware a child may be home schooled may ask the parents in writing for a letter of assurance that the child is being home schooled — a district's request, not a state filing, and nothing is approved or registered.

What subjects does Texas require homeschoolers to teach?

Texas requires instruction in Reading, Spelling, Grammar, Mathematics, and Good citizenship. Five subjects per Leeper v. Arlington ISD (1994); 'Good citizenship' is the verbatim term. The curriculum must be in written/visual form and pursued in a bona fide manner.

How many days or hours of instruction does Texas require?

None. Texas does not set a minimum number of instructional days or hours for homeschoolers. No attendance record requirement.

Is standardized testing required to homeschool in Texas?

No. Texas does not require standardized testing for homeschooled students. No mandatory testing.

What records do I need to keep to homeschool in Texas?

Texas does not require homeschooling families to keep specific records. No record-keeping obligation under state law.

Do parents need a teaching certificate or other qualification to homeschool in Texas?

No. Texas does not set a general qualification for homeschooling parents.

What ages does Texas's compulsory attendance law cover?

Texas's compulsory attendance law covers children from age 6 to age 19. Texas requires a child who is at least six and has not yet reached their nineteenth birthday to attend school, unless the child is exempt under Education Code § 25.086 (§ 25.085(b)) — so the years run from the sixth birthday through the day before the nineteenth. The same section reaches two further cases: § 25.085(b) also covers a child younger than six who has previously been enrolled in first grade, and § 25.085(c) provides that on enrollment in prekindergarten or kindergarten a child shall attend school. Among the exemptions, § 25.086(a)(1) covers a child who attends a private or parochial school that includes in its course a study of good citizenship.

What are the ways to homeschool in Texas?

In Texas, families homeschool under this pathway: private school (no filing).

Yes. Homeschooling is legal in Texas, as it is in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Texas is one of the most permissive states. No filing, no testing, no oversight — home schools are private schools. Teach five subjects (including 'good citizenship') from a bona fide written curriculum.

How to get started in Texas

1
No filing required
Homeschools are private schools in Texas, so there's no notice, registration, or approval. If your child is currently enrolled in public school, withdraw them in writing before you begin. Since September 1, 2025, Texas Education Code § 1.010 — added by HB 2674 (2025), often called the Homeschool Freedom Act — has barred the Texas Education Agency, the State Board of Education and the other institutions the Education Code reaches under § 1.001(a), which takes in school districts, from adopting a rule or policy that regulates a home school's educational program. It does not touch compulsory attendance or the good-citizenship subject, and TEA's guidance still says a district that becomes aware a child may be home schooled may ask the parents in writing for a letter of assurance that the child is being home schooled — a district's request, not a state filing, and nothing is approved or registered.
Official resource (tea.texas.gov) →
2
Use a bona fide curriculum
Teach from a curriculum in written or visual form, and pursue it in a bona fide (genuine) manner.
3
Teach required subjects
Reading, spelling, grammar, math, and good citizenship. The five come from Leeper v. Arlington ISD (1994), and 'good citizenship' is the law's own wording: the compulsory-attendance exemption in Education Code § 25.086(a)(1) covers a child who attends a private or parochial school that includes in its course a study of good citizenship.
4
Know what TEFA does and doesn't change
Texas Education Freedom Accounts are live — the Comptroller funded 2026-27 accounts on July 1, 2026 — and a participating child who is home-schooled is capped at $2,000 for the school year (Education Code § 29.361(b-1)), paid in one transfer and spent through the program marketplace on approved expenses. Taking it does not reclassify your child: program law still calls a participating child home-schooled, and the annual norm-referenced test in § 29.358(b)(2)(B) is a condition a private school meets to be approved, not a duty the program puts on a homeschooling parent. Any child eligible to enroll in a Texas public school or its prekindergarten may apply (§ 29.355), but awards are limited by funding and granted in the order § 29.356(b) sets — siblings of participating children first, then by disability and household income — so an application is not an award. The 2026-27 application window closed March 31, 2026, and the Comptroller has not published the next one.
What Romeschool tracks for you: Activity log, curriculum tracking.

Sources for Texas

Official source (tea.texas.gov) ↗HSLDA's Texas summary ↗
Statute: Leeper v. Arlington ISD (1994); Tex. Educ. Code §§ 25.085, 25.086; Tex. Educ. Code § 1.010 (HB 2674, 2025)
Last reviewed: June 5, 2026
Corrected: September 23, 2026, after re-reading the official source for what changed

Every requirement above comes from our review of Texas’s rules, checked against these sources on June 5, 2026 and corrected on September 23, 2026 after re-reading the official source for what changed. Homeschool law changes, and a state can amend its rules between our reviews — read the official source before you file anything or rely on a date here. How we review state requirements.

Nearby states

States that share a border with Texas:

All 50 states & D.C. →