Do I need a teaching certificate to homeschool in Texas?

No. Texas sets no qualification requirement for the parent teaching at home.

How many hours or days must I teach in Texas?

Texas sets no required number of teaching hours or days; you decide what a full year looks like.

Homeschooling in Texas

Q: Do I have to notify anyone to homeschool in Texas?

No. No one. Families whose child was never enrolled in public school do not need to contact or register with anyone.

What the law requires, what you file and when, and what to keep — with the statute behind each rule.

no notice required 11 sources Verified 12 October 2026

What Texas requires

Notify: No one. Families whose child was never enrolled in public school do not need to contact or register with anyone.
Testing or evaluation: Not required.
Subjects set by the state: Yes — 5 required subjects, listed below
Teaching time: None specified.
Compulsory school age: 6 until the 19th birthday — in detail
Records: None required by law.

Taking your child out of school in Texas

First move: Give the school a signed, dated written withdrawal letter (or the district's withdrawal form) stating the child will be homeschooled and the start date.

TEA guidance says districts may not require an in-person meeting, curriculum review, or other steps. A district may ask once in writing for a 'letter of assurance' that you are homeschooling with a curriculum covering the basic subjects.

The legal routes

One route exists in Texas. They carry different duties, and families often do not know the alternatives to the obvious one.

Home school as a private school (Leeper): Under Texas Education Agency v. Leeper (Tex. 1994), a home school is a private school exempt from compulsory attendance if it is run in good faith (bona fide) with a written/visual curriculum covering reading, spelling, grammar, math and good citizenship.

The notice, and who receives it

No one. Families whose child was never enrolled in public school do not need to contact or register with anyone. Nothing has to be filed with any authority to begin.

Subjects Texas requires

reading
spelling
grammar
mathematics
good citizenship

See which courses here cover these subjects →

Compulsory school age

6 until the 19th birthday (also applies to a younger child previously enrolled in 1st grade; a child enrolled in pre-K or kindergarten must attend).

Teaching time

Texas sets no required number of teaching hours or days, so what counts as a full year is yours to define. The courses here are planned as a 36-week year of about 180 sessions, which is the ordinary shape of one.

Who may teach

Texas sets no qualification for the parent teaching at home: no teaching certificate, no college degree, and no requirement that you hold a high school diploma.

Testing and evaluation

No testing required. Students returning to public school may be assessed for grade placement or credit (treated like transfers from unaccredited private schools).

Records to keep

None required by law. Keeping curriculum lists, samples of work and any test results is recommended in case of a question about bona fide homeschooling.

High school, diplomas and transcripts

Parent sets graduation requirements and issues the diploma and transcript; the state does not issue home school diplomas. Texas treats completing a home school program as equivalent to public high school graduation, and public colleges must apply the same general admission standards.

HB 3041 (2025) addresses homeschoolers' treatment for automatic admission/class rank, financial aid and dual credit.

Public school classes, sports and activities

UIL extracurriculars: under SB 401 (2025), schools must let non-enrolled homeschool students in their attendance zone participate in UIL activities unless the district's board opts out; if the zoned school opts out, the student may participate at the nearest school that has not. Students must meet UIL eligibility rules.

Districts must let homeschoolers take PSAT/NMSQT and AP exams they offer. Part-time class enrollment is at district discretion.

Funding: education savings accounts, vouchers and tax credits

Texas Education Freedom Accounts (ESA, SB 2 of 2025, Education Code ch. 29 subch.

J, run by the Comptroller): homeschooled students are eligible and may receive up to $2,000 per school year starting 2026-27 (about $10,474 for private school; up to $30,000 for students with disabilities with an IEP). No testing requirement for homeschool participants in the statute (private schools must test grades 3-12). Lottery/priority tiers apply if oversubscribed. 2026-27 applications closed March 31, 2026; an interest list is open for 2027-28.

What changed recently

2025: SB 2 created Texas Education Freedom Accounts ($2,000/yr for homeschoolers, starting 2026-27). SB 401 made UIL participation for homeschoolers the default unless a district opts out (from 2025-26).

HB 2674 ('Homeschool Freedom Act') bars TEA and other public education bodies from adding new homeschool regulations without legislative approval. HB 3041 addresses equal treatment of homeschoolers in college admission/class rank, financial aid and dual credit. No change to the basic Leeper requirements.

What we could not confirm

HB 2674 and HB 3041 details were confirmed only from secondary sources (THSC/press; capitol.texas.gov HB analyses could not be fetched). Code section numbers for the SB 401 UIL provision were not verified; possible renumbering of the ESA subchapter by later legislation not checked.

HB 2674 and HB 3041 enrolled text not read (only THSC summaries; signed June 20, 2025)

Listed because a legal summary that hides its gaps is harder to trust than one that names them. How these pages are checked.

Statutes and sources

Statute and regulation

Tex. Educ. Code § 25.085
Tex. Educ. Code § 25.086(a)(1)
Tex. Educ. Code § 29.916
Tex. Educ. Code §§ 29.351-29.374 (Subchapter J, ESA program, added by SB 2, 2025)
Texas Education Agency v. Leeper, 893 S.W.2d 432 (Tex. 1994)