Texas is the easiest state in the country to homeschool in: nothing to file, nothing to report, and no one to ask permission from. There are exactly two things the law does expect, and one practical record you will want anyway.
Verified against primary sources August 2026. Laws change; sources are linked at the bottom of this page.
What Texas requires, in short
Texas requires nothing to be filed, reported, or approved. Your only legal obligations are to use a written curriculum covering reading, spelling, grammar, mathematics, and good citizenship, and to teach in a bona fide manner. No notice, no testing, no records, and no days or hours requirement.
Annual filingNone, ever
Records required by lawNone
TestingNone required
Compulsory ages6 to 19
Parent qualificationsNone
Notice to anyoneNone (a letter of assurance may be requested if you withdraw from public school)
What the law actually requires
Use a written curriculum
The instruction must be based on a curriculum that exists in written form: books, workbooks, video courses, online programs, or materials you assemble yourself. Nothing is submitted or approved, but courts have treated "written" as the dividing line between homeschooling and simply not schooling.
Texas Education Agency v. Leeper, Texas Supreme Court (1994)
Cover five subject areas
The curriculum must cover reading, spelling, grammar, mathematics, and good citizenship. The statute names good citizenship; the other four come from the Leeper decision. No grade-level standards, no hour counts, and no sequencing rules apply.
Texas Education Code 25.086(a)(1); Leeper
Teach in a bona fide manner
The instruction must be genuine rather than a pretense for avoiding school. In practice this has never been a burden for families actually teaching their children, and there is no inspection or verification process attached to it.
Leeper
If you are withdrawing from public school, expect one letter
A district may request a written letter of assurance that your child is being homeschooled in compliance with the law. That is the extent of anything a district can ask. You do not need permission, and the district does not approve or deny anything.
Texas Education Agency homeschool guidance
Your compliance calendar
Never
No filings, notices, renewals, or reports are due at any point.
When leaving public school
Withdraw your child and provide a letter of assurance if the district requests one.
At age 15+
If your teen wants a learner permit, you will need attendance records: see below.
Records to keep
Attendance record (practical, not legal). Texas requires no attendance records, but the driver license verification form is signed by you as the school official and attests to attendance over the prior 80 school days. Keeping a simple daily record makes that form honest and easy.
Your written curriculum. Keep or note what you used each year. It is your evidence that the one real legal requirement was met.
Transcript and course descriptions (high school). Not required by Texas, but required by colleges, the NCAA, and the military. Since the state keeps nothing, your records are the only records that will ever exist.
Work samples (optional). Useful if a child later enrolls in public school and the district evaluates placement, and useful for college portfolios. No one can demand them.
No notice of intent, registration, or filing with the state or your district.
No standardized testing at any grade.
No days or hours minimum, no school calendar, and no set schedule.
No teaching credential, degree, or qualification of any kind.
No curriculum approval, textbook list, or lesson plan submission.
No home visits, evaluations, portfolio reviews, or progress reports.
No notarization on any document you produce, including transcripts and diplomas.
Questions Texas families ask
Do I have to notify anyone that I am homeschooling in Texas?
No. There is no notice of intent, registration, or filing in Texas. If you are withdrawing a child from public school, the district may request a written letter of assurance that you are homeschooling in compliance with the law, and that is the only document anyone can ask for.
Does Texas require homeschool attendance records?
Not by law. But the driver license verification form you sign as the school official attests to attendance over the prior 80 school days, so most families keep a simple record for that reason.
Is a Texas homeschool diploma accepted by colleges and the military?
Yes. Texas homeschools are legally private schools, and private schools issue their own diplomas. The military additionally wants a transcript showing enrollment and graduation dates and the last six months of continuous schooling with the diploma issuer.
Common myths about Texas homeschool law, corrected
You have to register your homeschool with the Texas Education Agency.
The TEA states plainly that it does not regulate, monitor, approve, register, or accredit homeschools. There is no registry to join.
Texas homeschoolers must keep attendance records.
Not by law. But if your teen wants a learner permit, the state form you sign attests to attendance for the prior 80 school days, so most families keep a simple record for that reason alone.
You need to teach 180 days or a certain number of hours.
Texas sets no day or hour requirement for homeschools. You choose the calendar.
A parent-issued Texas homeschool diploma is not real.
Texas homeschools are private schools, and private schools issue their own diplomas. Colleges, employers, and the military accept them; the military additionally wants a transcript showing enrollment and graduation dates.
Recent and pending changes
No changes to homeschool law itself through August 2026.
Texas created an education savings account program in 2025, with accounts beginning in the 2026-27 school year and roughly $2,000 available for homeschooled students. Taking the money adds program paperwork (applications and receipt-based spending) but does not change your homeschool's legal status.
Free tools for Texas families
Transcript builder: Texas keeps no records of any kind for homeschool students, so your transcript is the only academic record that will ever exist.
GPA calculator: weighted and unweighted, computed the way colleges do it.
Reference information reviewed August 2026 against primary sources (statutes, NCAA and Common App published requirements). This is general information, not legal advice; requirements change, so verify anything load-bearing for your family against your state's current law.