Children who are six years old on September 1 of a given year must attend school for that school year. It can be a home school, a public school or a private school. Homeschools and private schools do not have to follow the compulsory attendance rules of public schools, so homeschooled children do not have to go to school for a certain number of days a year. Home schools in Texas are considered private schools and therefore not regulated by the state. Therefore, there is no minimum number of days for homeschooling in Texas. The homeschooling portfolio mentioned above can be very helpful when making the decision to return to the school system for a while after homeschooling. Each district and school will have different expectations for enrolling a child, but a complete record of what you`ve covered in your home school will likely be especially helpful in every school. Enrolling in a public school after homeschooling may involve some sort of assessment test for placement purposes, so prepare your student for this possibility. What if I want to re-enroll my child in public school after homeschooling? Just like other aspects of homeschooling in Texas, graduation is largely unregulated by law. This gives parents and guardians an extra responsibility to ensure that their teen`s school commute home prepares them for life after high school. Depending on whether your child is attending university, joining the military, or entering the workforce after graduation, it`s important that you align their education with their post-secondary goals. Since my husband and I were both in public school, we didn`t even know how to start homeschooling! Were there rules? Forms to fill out? Who were we to tell him? For students who have never been enrolled in a public school, no notification is required to begin homeschooling. You can simply choose a program and start homeschooling! THSC has compiled the most frequently asked questions about homeschooling requirements in Texas just for you here! Use the drop-down menu to navigate through the questions.
We believe that homeschooling is one of the best educational models and hope you find this resource useful. I remember when I was trying to find information about homeschooling in Texas, the information I found was confusing. But this was not the case! Homeschooling in Texas is surprisingly relaxed, giving parents almost complete freedom to teach how, what, and when they want. Every child learns differently and part of homeschooling is figuring out what types of programs are best for your child. It can be a process of trial and error. And that`s okay! Texas Homeschool Law / State Code – In Texas, home schools are considered private schools and are in no way regulated by the state. Homeschooling has been a legal alternative to public education since 1994. In Leeper et al. v. Arlington ISD et al. , the Texas Supreme Court upheld a lower court`s decision that homeschooled children are exempt from school attendance to the same extent as students enrolled in private schools.
(tea.texas.gov/texas-schools/general-information/finding-a-school-for-your-child/home-schooling ) Information on all topics can be found at: www2.ed.gov/about/inits/ed/non-public-education/regulation-map/texas.html. Was your child enrolled in a public or private school before homeschooling? While it`s not part of the legal requirements for homeschooling in Texas, it`s still a good idea to officially remove your child from school so you don`t trigger truancy requests. To do this, you can send a payment email or letter to the school`s principal, counselor, and attendance officer to let them know that you are officially removing your child from school and when your homeschooling begins (or begins). Are you ready to start homeschooling in Texas? You may have a lot of questions about topics such as what you need to do to get started, what records and tests are required, and how to interact with your local school district. You`ll want to start by understanding Texas` homeschooling law. You may feel overwhelmed when you start this process, but there are resources and other homeschoolers who have already experienced this adventure successfully! Download this FREE resource where experienced homeschoolers share their stories on how to get started with homeschooling, understand your child academically, plan your days and more. You can also go to court to change your order to clarify which school calendars are controlled when your child is homeschooled, or even create a new visiting schedule that best suits your child`s homeschooling schedule. If you and the other parent agree with the change, see I need to change a custody, access or support order (amendment) for forms and instructions. Teacher certification required? – Private schools do not require teacher certification. All teachers in accredited private schools must be “highly qualified,” but each accrediting agency is allowed to define what this means as part of its approval process. Keep in mind that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to homeschooling. What works for our family may not be the best option for another family.
And that`s okay! Homeschooling allows you to try different strategies, schedules, and programs and find out what works for you! We are almost a year into our first official year of homeschooling, and this was the BEST decision we could have made! Our daughter is learning and thriving and it has worked perfectly for our family`s needs. When creating your plan, it can be helpful to know what is expected of your student`s traditionally trained Texas-trained peers. Time4Learning provides the following table to help you compare Texas Public School graduation and homeschooling requirements at a glance. Currently, there are no minimum hours for homeschooling in Texas. Your portfolio can be as simple as a journal entry from time to time to remember what you and the children did in your homeschooling program, or as detailed as a folder of lesson plans and lists of books and materials used. When deciding what to include in yours, try to be as forward-looking as possible about what information you think you need to retrieve in the future. If your child has already attended public school and you want to switch to homeschooling, you should contact your school administrator. You may need to pull your child out of school so they don`t think you`re jumping and sending yourself the truancy chart. Have more questions about homeschooling in Texas? The following pages may be helpful. This right may be granted exclusively to one of the parents or shared jointly by both parents.
This right can sometimes be granted to each parent “independently”, which can be complicated if the parents do not agree on the best choice of school for the child. When the right is shared, an order can sometimes specify what to do if the parents cannot agree, such as choosing a third party to act as a “tie-breaker” or mediation. You should be able to start – there is no registration.