THESA Eligibility Requirements

Note: THESA (Texas Home Educators’ Sports Association, Inc.) is an  athletic program designed for Junior High and High School homeschooled students.  Junior High includes grades 6 through 8;  High School includes grades 9 through 12. 

1.  A player shall become ineligible to play on any THESA‐sponsored sport on the  next September 1st following that player’s 19th birthday (anyone age 19 or older on  September 1 of the current school year.) 

2.  For Junior High teams, no Junior High player shall be eligible who is age 15 as of  September 1 of the current school year.  The minimum age requirement is 11 as of  September 1 of the current school year. (12 years old for football.) Note: A High School player is ineligible to play on a Junior High team. 

3.  For High School teams, a player shall generally become ineligible after four (4) years of  Varsity team participation.  Players must be 14 years old on the date of September 1  (August 1 for basketball) of the current school year to play on a Varsity team; an exception can be granted with Sport Coordinator approval and Board notification, should it be determined that the player is ready to either compete at that level or is necessary to “make” a team.  Eighth-grade students who are at least 12 years old on the date of August 1 of the fall semester are eligible to play on a sub‐varsity level team with approval from the Board or Sport Coordinator.   (Exception: Eighth-grade players may participate in post‐season Varsity activities in  the event there are not sufficient numbers of Varsity players for the post-season  event without affecting their 4 years of Varsity eligibility.)  Any player requesting to participate for more than 4 years on a High School varsity-level team requires Sport Coordinator approval and Board notification.  Seniors who do not qualify for a Varsity team may participate on a sub‐varsity team upon approval from the coach and Sports Coordinator. It should be further recognized by the parents and coaches that some regional or state sanctioning bodies, and their associated schools, may deem eligibility to begin the year a player first plays on a High School team, making an eighth grader ineligible to play his senior year if such a student wishes to later play for a public or private school governed by these rules.

4.  A player must be living at home with a parent or guardian. 

5.  A player must be homeschooled.  “Homeschooling” is defined to mean that a student’s education is parent‐directed:  the parents define the course materials, curricula, schedules, and other requirements for the student with the intent for the student to graduate high school.  As such, parents can choose many options for completion of their established educational requirements for their student, including selecting co‐op classes, dual‐credit college classes, tutors, correspondence courses, videos, online courses, and similar resources for their student’s education.  Players who attend small, private institutions without athletic teams may be eligible to participate under certain conditions.* THESA encourages the player’s education requirements to meet or exceed local and state regulations for academics and, if the player wishes to participate in collegiate athletics, to meet all NCAA educational requirements during High School. 

*This guideline will stand for all athletes unless the specific sport's governing body (TAIAO, NCHC, etc) has different guidelines regarding private institutions without athletic teams’ participation.

6.  A player is ineligible if that player has received a high school diploma.

6a) Co-op Ceremony Participation: Student-athlete(s) who are not graduating but are participating in ceremonies to celebrate the completion of their classes in a homeschool co-op. If these individuals receive a diploma, they are not eligible. If they are only receiving a “Certificate of Completion” for that specific homeschool coop, student-athlete(s) may wear a cap and gown for this ceremony as long as it is announced at the ceremony and in the ceremony program that the designated student(s) will be receiving a “Certificate of Completion” on that day. Announcing the student’s graduation year during this is extremely helpful. Students or family members posting photos on social media must specify the year the student graduates to avoid confusion or being required to sit out.*

*This guideline will stand for all athletes unless the specific sport's governing body (TAIAO, NCHC, etc) has different guidelines regarding high school diplomas and/or coop ceremony participation.

7.  A player may be deemed ineligible if that player enrolls or is enrolled at any time in more than 9 hours of dual credit college courses during any semester.  A  course that is classified as dual credit allows a student to earn both high school credit and college credit at the same time. 

8.  A player cannot play on another homeschool, public, private, or Christian school team in the same sport at the same time as playing on a THESA‐sponsored team. 

9.  If a player started the season on another homeschool, public, private, or Christian school team, no transfer shall be allowed during the season without the approval of the THESA board. 

10.  A player must be a registered THESA athlete through our online registration system.

11.  Exceptions to any eligibility requirement may be made only by express approval of the THESA Board. No exceptions will be permitted to the upper age limitations. 

12.  Players must be in academic good standing at all times during the sports season to participate on a THESA team. 

13.  Players starting on a higher level team may not participate on a lower level team(i.e., a Varsity starter may not participate on a sub‐varsity team; a JV starter may not participate on a Freshman team).   An exception is when the sub‐varsity team needs additional players for the contest due to a shortage of sub‐varsity team members and for the development of players at a different position. 

14.  Players must be in adequate physical condition to participate on any THESA  team.  A yearly physical examination signed by a physician is highly recommended.   (See Athlete Handbook.) 

In addition, please see the Athlete Handbook for more details. 

By registering as a THESA athlete, you are certifying that you meet all of the eligibility requirements to be a THESA athlete and will immediately notify your coach if you become ineligible for any reason.

Updated September 2025