Homeschoolers score major rankings at Texas esports championships

Texas homeschool students have placed two of their teams in the top five at a statewide gaming contest – all within one year of their group’s existence.

“The accomplishment is especially significant as the first-ever homeschool esports team in the Coastal Bend, and the first to join a statewide high school esports league,” noted Kristin Haston for the ABC affiliate in Corpus Christi.

The Texas Scholastic Esports Federation (TexSEF) organized the three-day championships, which finished May 3 at Baylor University. 

More than 1,000 athletes participated at the event, according to the group’s press release on its Facebook page. 

Eight homeschool students competed, with the group placing fifth in both the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Super Smash Bros Ultimate Crew Battles competitions. 

Developing ‘college, career and military readiness’ through gaming 

Homeschool participants cited multiple benefits of team competition, from forming new friendships to advancing individual gamesmanship. 

“This group? Really weird. Very interesting people,” joked Kai Davis. “They’re pretty cool. They’re also really good at this game – very passionate.” 

This passion extends to the students’ parents, as the group wouldn’t have started without homeschool mom and coach Rachel Lebowitz. 

“Rather than traveling out of town to compete, the family decided to bring esports home by founding a team in Corpus Christi for homeschooled students,” Haston wrote. 

For the next school year, the Coastal Christian Homeschool Esports Team (CCHS) is inviting students ages 11-18 – including those from homeschools, private and charter schools – to participate in team tryouts this August. 

The group is affiliated with Coastal Christian Homeschool, which explains its faith-based approach to learning on its website: “Our athletes are not only physically trained by our volunteer coaches, but are also mentored spiritually in a Christian environment.” 

Participants may also enjoy advantages in future careers from their gaming experience, TexSEF notes. 

“We believe that esports can be an accessible, inclusive and equitable path to college, career and military readiness,” the nonprofit explains on its webpage, “for all Texas students.”