Fears about how to lawfully and officially withdraw from public school can be one of the main obstacles to homeschooling. Let us shed some light on how easy the process is!

Homeschool law in Texas can feel daunting. Getting familiar with the home education process will help you confidently start your homeschool journey, without the worry that you’re missing something.

But first, remember that you aren’t alone in your desire to withdraw your child from public school! The number of homeschoolers is growing at a  record-breaking pace.

In July 2019, THSC helped to process 201 withdrawals… in July 2020, THSC helped process 3,114 withdrawals! That’s 15x the number of withdrawals from July 2019!

How to Withdraw from Public School in Texas

The State of Texas has clear rules about how this process works and though it may seem complicated at first, THSC is here to help you every step of the way!

Withdraw from Public School

Steps to Withdraw Your Child from Public School

How do Compulsory Education Laws work?

Where do I find the Compulsory Education Laws in the State of Texas?

Here are links to the full texts of the current laws.

      1. Texas Education Code Section 25.085
        1. Key Points: Unless specifically exempted by Section 25.086, a child who is at least six years of age, or who is younger than six years of age and has previously been enrolled in first grade, and who has not yet reached the child’s nineteenth birthday, shall attend school.
      2. Texas Education Code Section 25.086(a)(1)
        1. Key Points: A child is exempt from the requirements of compulsory school attendance if the child attends a private or parochial school that includes in its course a study of good citizenship.
      3. Texas Supreme Court Decision TEA v. Leeper
        1. Key Points: The courts decided to designate homeschools as private schools and allow homeschools to be legal in the State of Texas.
        2. See this article for more information on the heroes that made this possible.
        3. Learn about Leeper Day that homeschoolers in Texas celebrate as the day their freedom to homeschool was confirmed.

What do the compulsory education laws mean?

      1. Basically, for the purposes of keeping attendance as outlined in the compulsory education laws, the courts have decided that Texas homeschools are categorized as private schools. Therefore, whenever the laws mention “private school” mandates, those laws apply to your homeschool.
      2. Homeschools in Texas are not regulated like public schools and do not require attendance to be taken, as some other states do.
      3. Homeschools in Texas are not required to have teacher certification.
      4. You are not required to have a third-party approve the curriculum used.
      5. There is no such thing as “accredited curriculum” for the State of Texas.
        1. Be aware that this term is sometimes used to upsell curriculum. There is no requirement in the law for your chosen curriculum to be accredited, nor is there a Texas governmental agency that does such accreditation.

 What if I want to keep attendance for my own records?

      1. THSC provides resources for members to take homeschool attendance and keep records, if they desire to do so.
      2. THSC also recommends that you keep records of the following:
        1. Samples of student’s work showing what they have learned in each grade
        2. A list of curriculum used
        3. Lesson plans
        4. Copies of any letters to and from public school officials
        5. Field trips taken
Withdraw from Public School

What are my rights as a parent?

What do I have to do if my child has never been enrolled in public school?

    1. If your child has never been enrolled in a public school at any time, there is no reason to send a withdrawal letter to your local district. You don’t need to officially withdraw when your child was never enrolled.
    2. THSC highly recommends that you don’t reach out to the local public school at all. There is no need to do so!
    3. In Texas, you are free to begin homeschooling your child in the way you see fit and don’t need any outside approval from school officials.
    4. No government agency has to approve your intent to homeschool. You, as the parent, are in charge.

Do I need to wait for a specific time to withdraw my child?

    1. Many parents assume that they must wait until the summer to withdraw their child from public school and start homeschooling, but this is not the case.
    2. Once you make the decision to homeschool your child, you are free to withdraw at any time of the year—whether it is in July before the new school year begins or in the middle of the current school year!
    3. You should make sure that you follow the proper guidelines outlined in this article to withdraw your child, including sending a withdrawal letter to the school, but this is not a procedure that has any kind of deadline or time limit attached.

What if we move to a new town?

    1. Let’s say that you followed all procedures and withdrew your child from a school district in Dallas in order to homeschool in August. In December, your family moved to Houston. You are under no obligation to contact the Houston school district or re-withdraw, since your child was never enrolled in the Houston school district.

How do I send a withdrawal letter to my child’s school?

How to Write a Withdrawal Letter

    1. THSC has you covered! We created a withdrawal letter generator that makes it easy for you to create withdrawal letters for each child that include all the required information.
    2. Check out our withdrawal letter generator here.

 What if my school says I can’t withdraw my child?

    1. The school district is not allowed to stop you from homeschooling. Don’t be intimidated! They do not have the right to claim that you cannot withdraw.
    2. If your school district has given different instructions for withdrawing your student or has said you cannot withdraw them, don’t worry! We are in your corner! Contact THSC if you encounter any difficulties with this.
    3. If you’re a THSC member, call THSC and we’ll work directly with your school, saving you the hassle of wrestling with red tape.
    4. If you’re not a member, join today and become a part of the team Keeping Texas Families Free. THSC will be on your side in any difficulty you might face.
Withdraw from Public School

Does my homeschool count as a real school?

Are you a parent? Yes? Then you are qualified!

    • There is no list of qualifications that parents must have to homeschool their children in the state of Texas.

Are there ANY requirements for homeschools?

    • Your homeschool curriculum must:
      • -be bona fide (i.e., not a sham).
      • -be in visual form (e.g., books, workbooks, video monitor).
      • -include the five basic subjects of reading, spelling, grammar, mathematics, and good citizenship.

What is good citizenship?

      1. Good citizenship is like civics. Learning about U.S. and Texas history, government, memorizing the Pledge of Allegiance, and participating in activities along those lines will also help meet this requirement.
      2. THSC provides several ways to help you meet this requirement and THSC members are provided with a downloadable good citizenship course that also meets these requirements.

Now you are practically an expert in how to withdraw your child from the Texas public school system! It wasn’t that bad, now was it?

If you have questions, reach out to THSC! We are experienced in navigating the issues that may arise as you withdraw your student, and we want to help you begin your homeschooling journey with confidence.

No question is too large or too small! We are happy to help!

THSC believes that parents should be empowered to raise and educate the next generation of leaders. As a THSC member, we support your family and other homeschool families to do just that!

Have you joined? If not, check out our membership benefits that are Keeping Texas Families Free.