My husband is being tranferred through his work to Austin, Tx. We currently live in Virginia. We will be moving in November. We will have a 8, 1, and 2 month old. I am freaking out a little. It is about a 1500 mile move. Is anyone from texas? What are the homeschool laws. I am having a hard time finding information. It seems there really arent any. Is this true. I would love any advice about areas that are good for children. Any information you have would be great! Unfortunatly due to my pregnancy I will not be able to scout anything out before we go. I grew up in Arizona so I have an idea about the weather and such. Thank you so much for any help.
We moved from Ohio to Texas in 2013… We are in North Dallas, so not close to Austin, but Texas has very laxed laws. All I had to do is write a letter withdrawing my kids from school…That’s it!!! No testing or record keeping!! You do have to teach citizenship (how to be a good citizen). But thats it! TX has lots of homeschoolers so you should be able to find many co-ops pretty quick!!! 
Good luck with the move!!!
I live north of Ft. Worth Texas. I have been homeschooling for 3 years. It’s true that Texas is very lax about homeschooling. I just had to write a letter of withdraw for my kids and that’s all. No records at all. I keep all my stuff just in case but nothing is required. We love the Austin area!! Good luck!! Oh and it gets HOT in the summer. I’ve heard that it’s worse than desert areas cause it’s not a dry heat!
I live in New Braunfels which is just a little south of Austin and moved from CT. You’re going to LOVE it out here! THSC and HSLDA have a lot of useful information on their websites. Good luck on your move!
I live about an hour away from Austin (which in Texas is pretty close…it’s such a wide space people don’t think anything of driving an our or two to do something.) Austin reminds me of California, where I grew up, mainly in it’s culture, and if I get in the hills around the lake it kinda feels like the California mountains too (like the foothills). There’s a lot for kids to do there. Museums, parks, a great lake we love to swim at, etc. I believe they have a good homeschool community there. I know there’s a “homeschool day” at the capital where homeschoolers get to visit and there’s activities planned, I think for free. Texas in general is a very pro-homeschool state.
I have heard that if you can get a place right outside Austin (just outside the city limits) that property Taxes are a lot cheaper. We thought we might be moving there this year (my husband had a contract job there that could have turned into full time but didn’t), so lots of friends were giving us advice. My friend says there are areas 20 minutes from the city where you can get lower Taxes.
We may be making the opposite trek than you. My husband has an interview soon for a company in Virginia (they’re actually having him fry out, so that’s a good sign I think).
One good thing about homeschooling in regards to the heat, is you could do what I wish all schools would do here—homeschool in the summer when it’s hot and take your breaks in the Spring and fall when the weather cools.
I would do that if I didn’t have two kids still in public school (I only homeschool one).
But then again, in Austin you have a nice lake so you can take them there as much as you want in the summer.
Fall doesn’t really get cooler until late October anyways. April through May are the best months, and in winter you’ll have some nice occassional “summer” days in the 80’s. Not sure how that compares to Arizona. I imagine the heat won’t be as much of an issue for you, but the humidity may. At least you’re moving somewhere with some trees and hills.
Thought I’d add this…one of my favorite blogs about Austin (great for finding things to do):
Thank you everyone. I appreciate all of the responses. I am starting to get excited. I think this will be a great move for our family. Thank you for all of the information and advice.
My advice is to become a member of Texas Home School Coalition.
They have great advice, great conferences, and great support!
I hope this link cut and pastes correctly…
If it does not, then google Texas Home School Coalition.
Hopefully, Texas continues to allow for our Home School Freedoms.
Just funny…he didn’t get to interview for the job in Virginia before he was offered one by another company in, guess what, Austin Texas…so we’ll be moving there this summer too.
Thats fantastic! I am starting to get really excited about our move. There seems like so much to do with children there and the housing is much more affordable. It is crazy about the flooding going on. I am hoping that isnt an all the time thing. I hope you and your family continue to stay dry and safe. Best of luck on your move!
Thanks! Best of luck on your move too.
Luckily, flooding isn’t an all the time thing. In fact, we’ve been in a drought for a long time. We do have smaller flash floods from downpours (like that will strand cars but not like this where people got trapped and died). I’ve never seen flooding this bad like we had it this year here. Where I live it was fine but not far away
Most people my age love Austin. I would say that it’s one of the most desirable cities to live in in Texas. It’s very hippie and democratic, which is pretty opposite from the rest of the state. The food there is incredible. There are farmers markets galore. Boutiques that will make you drool. It’s a dream. The worst part about it is that it’s so crowded due to so many people moving there, so traffic can be a nightmare. I would recommend living as close to your husband’s office as possible. It’s funny you mentioned the cost of housing because Austin may be one of the most expensive places in Texas to live. But if you are fromVirginia then I imagine it does look cheap! There’s so much to do, you won’t have trouble finding information online. We lived with an Aunt for a summer before we had kids in the new Mueller development which I would highly recommend if you can get in. It’s in town and beautiful. Texas is a different country though. I’m Texan so I’m proud, but I know it can be obnoxious to others. You may not need this advice, but here goes anyway- try to think about the cultural differences as endearing. We think Texas is the best place on earth and nothing else compares. We are red neck and ignorant about our politics and religion. You can’t change it, so just be prepared and try to laugh it off. I hope you enjoy your stay!!
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