Homeschooling requirements by state
Homeschooling Requirements by State
Which requirements must you follow to homeschool in your state?
Homeschooling options in your state
Required schooling ages
State required letter of intent
Qualifications required to homeschool
State mandated subjects
Assessment requirements (testing)
Immunization requirement
Introduction
Each state can decide what requirements they may have regarding education in general and this applies to homeschooling as well. You need to become familiar with the 7 categories outlined above so you will be sure that your child's education will be recognized if and when that becomes necessary.
Idaho, Alaska, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana Michigan, New Jersey and Connecticut are the states with the fewest regulations for homeschooling.
California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky and Wisconsin have some regulations for homeschooling.
Oregon, Washington, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Louisiana, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Maryland, Delaware, Maine and New Hampshire have more regulations regarding homeschooling.
Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts have the strictest regulations for homeschooling in the entire USA.
Let's have a look at the different regulations that apply to homeschooling in all the States.
Homeschooling options in your state
By options, you should understand this means what you are allowed and required to provide regarding your children's education.
Some states will have very few regulations regarding your right to homeschool your own children, but not any other options.
Other states will give other options such as the ability to have your own private homeschool. This could apply to a religious group, for example, where some parents will be educating children who are not their own.
Some states may include the option to hire private tutors in your child's daily education instead of having parents as the primary educator.
Yet another option is a Private School Satellite Program in states such as California where a group of parents are acknowledged as a private school and the parents are the teachers.
Required Schooling Ages
Depending on your state, children can be required to be actively participating in a regular education schedule between the ages of 6 and 18 or perhaps only between ages 7 to 16. Keeping records of attendance and filing a intent to homeschool letter each year may be required by your state. A parent issued diploma may be sufficient to prove that a child has completed their high school while other states require yearly testing.
State Required Letter of Intent
Your state may require you to notify them of your intention to homeschool your children. In the letter of intent you may need to send the school board, they will ask you to provide general details about yourself, your children and your plan to homeschool. Many states have no such requirement while others only ask for a general letter. However, there are states that require you to use their specific form.
A general form is available for you to download below as well as the forms for each of the states that require a specific form be used.
States that do not require any Notice, Affidavit or Letter of Intent
There are other homeschooling requirements. This only means that a specific letter is not required.
Alabama
Alaska
California
Delaware
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Michigan
Mississippi
Missouri
Nebraska
New Jersey
South Carolina
Texas
Wyoming
States that require a general letter.
Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, West Virginia
Download this free template
for a general letter you can fill in yourself for any of the states listed above that require a general letter.
States that require you use the state approved form for notifying the school board of your intentions.
Click on your state link to download or print the free form.
Pennsylvania (Elementary) (Secondary)
Qualifications required to homeschool
In most states, parents must have and provide proof of their own high school diploma or GED in order to be recognized as a teacher.
Under the Home Education Law, parents are only allowed to teach their own children.
If you do not have a high school diploma or GED, you may still supervise the homeschooling of your children as long as you are monitored by a certified school teacher for the first two years.
State mandated subjects
Although you are free to include any subject you choose, many states do require that certain subjects be part of the curriculum.
However, there are some exceptions to that rule where the state has no mandated subjects like Alabama, Utah, Florida, Alaska and a few others.
Of the states that do require that you teach certain subjects.
Here is a partial list.
English / language arts (reading, writing and spelling)
Mathematics
Science
History
Social Studies
History
Civics
Assessment requirements (testing)
An annual assessment is required by some states which can consist of a standardized test. But that is not the case for all states.
Colleges actually put more weight on SAT/ACT scores which is what homeschooled students should prepare for if they which to attend a post secondary institution.
Immunization requirements
Check with your state school board if you are required to be immunized even if your children are not enrolled in public school. About half the states do require immunization for homeschooled children.