If you've reached the decision mid-year — mid-semester, sometimes mid-week — the first question is usually "wait, can I actually do this right now?" Yes. Texas doesn't make you wait for a natural break in the calendar.
The short answer: you can start today
Homeschools in Texas are legally treated as private schools, under Texas Education Code § 25.086(a)(1) and the Texas Supreme Court's ruling in Leeper v. Arlington ISD (1994). There's no state calendar that says homeschooling can only begin at semester breaks or the start of a school year. The day you're ready to start is the day you can start.
What to actually send
You're not asking permission — you're notifying the school so your child's attendance record gets closed out correctly. The Texas Education Agency's own guidance describes what satisfies this: a signed and dated letter from the parent or guardian stating that the student is being homeschooled and the date homeschooling began. That's the whole requirement.
In practice, most families:
- Send it to the principal, the registrar or attendance clerk, and anyone else on record for the school — email with a read receipt or a certified letter both work.
- State plainly that, effective a given date, the child is withdrawn and will be homeschooled as a private school under Texas law.
- Keep a copy for their own files, with the date, since that's your proof of when homeschooling officially began.
What you don't have to do: show up in person, present your curriculum for review, or get anyone's sign-off. TEA is explicit that none of that is required to withdraw.
Why send a letter at all, if it's not required upfront?
Because attendance tracking doesn't know your intentions — it only knows a child stopped showing up. If a school district doesn't have a reason on file, an unexplained absence can turn into a truancy inquiry. A dated withdrawal letter is what closes that door before it opens. If a district ever does follow up asking for assurance that your child is being homeschooled, this same letter (or one like it) is your answer — and TEA is clear that it isn't something you have to send again every year. One letter, on file, and you're done with that part for good.
A few things worth doing at the same time, even though they're optional
None of this is legally required, but each one takes ten minutes now and saves a scramble later:
- Request your child's records from the school while it's a routine, easy ask — a transcript or grade record is simple to get today and can be a hassle to track down years later.
- Note the actual withdrawal date somewhere you'll find it again. It's the answer to "when did homeschooling start" for the rest of your homeschooling life, including if you ever re-enroll in public school.
- Start a simple ongoing record of what you cover from day one, even though Texas doesn't require it. It's easier to build the habit on day one than to reconstruct six months later.
Want the rest of what Texas actually requires once you've withdrawn? Read Texas Homeschool Requirements: The Real Rules, or grab the free one-page cheat sheet — two minutes, no card.
Once you've withdrawn, the next question is "now what?"
Kitchen Table School's teacher, Mrs. M, starts with a real placement check so you know exactly where your child stands the day you begin — no guessing, no waiting for a report card. Upload the curriculum you already own and she teaches straight from its actual pages, with receipts, from day one. Free to try, no card.
Start with the free assessment