Homeschool Suppliers: What Texas Law Actually Requires Before You Buy

One of the first questions parents ask after deciding to pull their child from public school is where to buy curriculum. There are thousands of homeschool suppliers, boxed programs, online platforms, and workbook publishers competing for your attention. Before you spend a dollar, it's worth understanding what Texas law actually requires — because it determines whether a given supplier's materials make you legally compliant.

The good news: Texas has one of the least prescriptive curriculum requirements in the country. The even better news: almost any supplier's materials will satisfy it. Here's what to know.

What Texas Law Requires From Your Curriculum

Texas homeschool law does not maintain a list of approved curricula. The TEA does not certify, endorse, or review homeschool programs. You are free to buy from any supplier — or use no purchased materials at all — as long as your educational program meets the three-part test established by Texas Education Agency v. Leeper (893 S.W.2d 432, 1994):

1. Visual format. Your curriculum must exist in a visual format. This includes textbooks, printed workbooks, worksheets, video lessons, and interactive software. Audio-only programs (like podcast-based learning) technically don't satisfy this requirement on their own — though pairing them with visual notes or printed materials resolves that easily.

2. Five core subjects. Your program must cover reading, spelling, grammar, mathematics, and a study of good citizenship. The citizenship requirement functions similarly to civics — it includes U.S. and Texas history, government, and democratic principles. The Pledge of Allegiance is specifically mentioned as an example of good citizenship instruction.

3. Bona fide instruction. The program must be a genuine educational effort — not a pretextual arrangement designed merely to justify keeping a child home. This is the easiest criterion to meet and the hardest for a school to challenge, since any sincere teaching effort qualifies.

That's the complete legal standard. There is no minimum number of instructional hours per day, no required scope and sequence, no mandatory standardized testing, and no state-issued curriculum framework that homeschoolers must follow.

Types of Homeschool Suppliers and What They Offer

The homeschool curriculum market has expanded enormously in the past decade. Here's a practical overview of the main categories:

All-in-one boxed curriculum. These programs bundle an entire school year's worth of materials across all subjects into one package. Suppliers like Abeka, BJU Press, and Sonlight offer comprehensive boxed sets that typically cover all five Leeper subjects in a single purchase. They're structured, sequential, and require minimal planning from the parent. Prices range from a few hundred to over a thousand dollars per year depending on grade level and whether you're purchasing new or used.

Subject-specific online platforms. Services like Khan Academy (free), Math-U-See, and IXL cover individual subjects with online practice and video instruction. These work well as supplements or as primary curriculum for specific subjects. They satisfy the "visual curriculum" requirement and can be mixed and matched across different providers.

Unit studies and literature-based approaches. Suppliers like Gather 'Round and Notgrass History build curriculum around a central theme or text, integrating multiple subjects. These are popular with families who prefer connected, project-based learning over traditional textbook sequences.

Classical and classical-Christian curricula. Programs like Classical Conversations, Memoria Press, and Veritas Press take a liberal arts approach organized around the classical trivium. They tend to be more parent-intensive and community-reliant but are well-suited to families who want academic rigor and a structured progression.

Digital-native programs. Online academies like Acellus (Power Homeschool), Time4Learning, and k12 offer video-based instruction with built-in assessments. These work particularly well for families where the parent cannot or does not want to do direct teaching, since the program guides the student independently.

Free and low-cost resources. Easy Peasy All-in-One Homeschool is a widely used free program. State library systems, Open Educational Resources (OER), and free printable curriculum sites cover the core subjects adequately for families working with tight budgets.

What to Buy Before You Submit Your Withdrawal Letter

Here's something most withdrawal guides don't mention: under Texas law, you should ideally have your curriculum identified before you send the withdrawal letter — not after.

The Leeper decision requires that your homeschool be a genuine, bona fide private school from the moment your child's public school enrollment ends. If you keep your child home while still "researching curriculum," you're technically in a gray area — the compulsory attendance exemption applies only once a real home school program exists.

In practice, you don't need to have the books in hand the day you send the letter. But you should be able to confirm, at minimum, that you have identified a curriculum that covers the five required subjects and that instruction will begin on or before the effective date of your withdrawal. If a school questions the timing of your withdrawal, being able to name the program you're using (without disclosing details the district has no right to demand) strengthens your position.

Many families find it practical to order or access curriculum — or at least download the free materials from a provider like Easy Peasy or Khan Academy — before the withdrawal takes effect. That way, the program genuinely exists from day one.

You Don't Have to Disclose Your Curriculum to the School

One of the most common intimidation tactics used by school administrators during the withdrawal process is demanding to review the parent's proposed curriculum before processing the withdrawal.

The TEA Commissioner's guidance explicitly states that parents are not required to present their curriculum for review. The district's acceptance of your withdrawal letter does not depend on curriculum approval. If an administrator requests this, the correct response is to decline politely and reference the TEA's guidance that "it is not necessary for the parents to make a personal appearance with school officials, present curriculum for review, or comply with any other requirements in order to successfully withdraw their student."

If the district later sends a "Letter of Assurance" request (which is legally permitted), you can confirm in writing that your program covers the five Leeper subjects — without naming the specific supplier, sharing lesson plans, or revealing anything else.

Budgeting for Curriculum

The Leeper framework is deliberately supplier-agnostic, which means you can run a fully legal Texas homeschool at nearly any budget level.

• $0 per year: Khan Academy for math and English, Easy Peasy for everything else, library books for reading. Covers all five required subjects.
• $100–400 per year: Subject-specific workbooks from a teacher supply store or used curriculum from a homeschool co-op exchange, supplemented by free online resources.
• $400–1,000 per year: A quality all-in-one program like Time4Learning or a mid-range boxed curriculum.
• $1,000+ per year: Comprehensive classical or full-service online academy programs, often including live instruction.

If the upcoming TEFA voucher program (Texas Education Freedom Accounts, launching 2026–2027) applies to your family, the $2,000 annual benefit can offset curriculum costs significantly. Even a $400 curriculum package would be covered entirely.

The Withdrawal Comes First

Whichever supplier you choose, the legal foundation for your Texas homeschool is the withdrawal itself — not the curriculum purchase. A properly executed withdrawal letter, delivered with proof of receipt, is what transitions your child from public school enrollment to your private home school. The curriculum confirms that your program is bona fide once it's underway.

The Texas Legal Withdrawal Blueprint walks through the withdrawal process in the order it needs to happen — including what to have in place before you send the letter, how to respond if the district asks about your program, and the exact language to use so administrators can't use curriculum questions as a reason to delay processing your exit.

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