TEXAS
Homeschooling in Texas: Requirements, Paperwork, and How to Start
No notification, no testing, no reporting, no qualification. What Texas asks is a bona fide curriculum in visual form covering five subjects — and that is genuinely all of it.
Homeschooling in Texas, Summarized
The Seven Things Texas Asks of You
Legal in Texas
Yes
under a court ruling, not a statute
Compulsory ages
6 to under 19
Funding available
$2,000 a year on the homeschool tier
allocated by lottery
Do I notify anyone?
Only to withdraw from a school
nothing to the state
Paperwork load
Low
nothing submitted
Parent qualification
None required
Standardized testing
Not required
Legal requirements last reviewed: June 2026 · Plain English · Not legal advice
Homeschooling is legal in Texas
What You Need to Know
Texas sits among the lowest-burden states, and its obligations come from a court ruling rather than a homeschool statute. There is no notification to the state, no testing, no reporting and no parent qualification. What is required is a bona fide curriculum in visual form — books, workbooks or video — covering five subjects.
What Texas Asks of You
A real curriculum in visual form. Nothing else.
Must do
Formally withdraw your child from their public school in writing, if they are enrolled
Maintain a bona fide curriculum in visual form — books, workbooks or video
Cover reading, spelling, grammar, mathematics and good citizenship
Dates that matter
Before you begin home instruction, for the withdrawal
Good practice — not required
Keep the curriculum materials: 'visual form' is the part that makes the obligation checkable
Keep your own records — nothing is submitted, so nothing else exists
There is no notice to the state, no state registration and nothing to submit at any point. The requirements come from the Leeper decision rather than from a homeschool statute.
Texas asks for a real curriculum and never inspects it. StudyPug records what your child actually covered.
Funding for Texas Home Education
The key numbers before the details.
PROGRAM
Education savings account — homeschool tier
AMOUNT
$2,000 a year for home-educated students
OTHER TIERS
$10,474 private school · up to $30,000 with a disability
HOW PLACES ARE ALLOCATED
By lottery when applications exceed places
How It Works
From registration to reimbursement, step by step.
1
Apply in the annual window
Applications run through the state's official portal in a set window — the first year ran from early February to mid-March. Citizenship or residency proof and a tax return are part of it.
2
Understand the tier you are in
The homeschool tier is $2,000 a year, well below the $10,474 private-school tier and the disability award of up to $30,000. Knowing which applies avoids planning on the wrong figure.
3
Spend through the marketplace
Funds flow through the official marketplace to approved vendors. Retain eligibility and spending documentation throughout — the account is auditable.
Funding rules move faster than law. Amounts and eligibility can change every school year and every legislative session — always confirm with the official program sources below before you spend. Funding facts last reviewed: August 2026.
What StudyPug Handles for You
Not templates you fill in — records that fill themselves in.
Work-samples portfolio that assembles itself
Hours & attendance log that fills itself in
Progress reports you can download and share
A visual-form curriculum record: lessons, practice, work samples
One-click spend-documentation package, itemised and dated
Every child in one account — up to 5
Questions About Homeschooling in Texas
Quick answers for homeschooling families.
Is homeschooling legal in Texas?
Yes, though not through a homeschool statute. The position rests on the Leeper decision, which treats a home school as a private school. That is why the obligations are described in terms of a bona fide curriculum rather than a list of filings.
Do I have to notify anyone?
Not the state. There is no notification, registration or reporting to any state authority. The only communication required is a written withdrawal to your child's public school, and only if they are enrolled there.
Does Texas fund homeschooling?
Yes, through the state's education savings account, though the homeschool tier is modest: $2,000 a year, against $10,474 for private-school enrollment and up to $30,000 for a student with a disability. Places are allocated by lottery when applications exceed availability.
What is a 'bona fide curriculum in visual form'?
The phrase comes from the case law. It means real teaching materials you can point to — books, workbooks or video — rather than an oral or improvised program. Five subjects must be covered: reading, spelling, grammar, mathematics and good citizenship.
Do parents need a teaching certificate?
No. Texas requires no parent qualification, credential or certification of any kind, and because nothing is filed with the state there is no authority that would review one even if it existed.
What records should I keep, and for how long?
Nothing is submitted and nothing is mandated beyond holding the curriculum itself. Keeping your own records is worth doing: because the state collects nothing, yours is the only account of what your child covered.
How does the lottery work?
Applications are taken in an annual window and places allocated by lottery where demand exceeds supply. Applying does not guarantee an award, so it is unwise to budget on the account before you have one.
Official Sources
Confirm the rules and apply directly with your state.
Texas Education Freedom
→The account program — applying, tiers and the marketplace.
educationfreedom.texas.gov
Texas Home Schooling
→The agency's page, and what Leeper settled about oversight.
tea.texas.gov — Home Schooling
Senate Bill 2 (2025)
→The education savings account program as enacted.
capitol.texas.gov — S.B. 2 (PDF)
Other States:
Homeschooling in Utah·Homeschooling in Vermont·Homeschooling in Virginia— each reviewed against its own official sources
See How Families Run Their Homeschool on StudyPug
Lessons, practice, and the records above — one family plan.
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StudyPug is a records tool, not legal advice. Homeschool rules, funding amounts, and deadlines change at least yearly — always confirm with the official sources above before you act. Requirements can also differ at the school-board or district level, so check with your local board or district too. We review every jurisdiction page and show you the date we last checked it; each requirement in your dashboard carries its own source and last-verified date.
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