{"name":"US Homeschool Laws by State","license":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/","attribution":"Homeschool Fox, homeschoolfox.com","version":"2026-10-29","last_verified_at":"2026-10-29","count":51,"states":[{"abbreviation":"AL","name":"Alabama","compulsory_age_range":"6-17","notice":{"required":true,"type":"school_district","frequency":"once","form_label":"the church school enrollment form","form_note":"Your superintendent's office supplies the form. The church school's administrator countersigns it, and then you return it to the superintendent yourself (Ala. Code 16-28-7)."},"requirements":{"hours_per_year":null,"core_hours_per_year":null,"secondary_hours_per_year":null,"days_per_year":null,"hours_per_day":null,"subjects":[]},"assessment":{"type":"none","frequency":"none","description":null},"portfolio":{"required":false,"records_required":false,"description":null},"reporting":{"frequency":"none"},"esa":{"program_name":"CHOOSE Act","amount_cents":200000,"homeschool_access":"open","eligibility":"Alabama homeschool families can claim $2,000 per child (capped at $4,000 per family). Private school students separately get up to $7,000. The general pool is income-tested at 300% of the federal poverty level; first priority is reserved for students with special needs and dependents of active-duty service members. Funds are routed through ClassWallet.\n\nThe CHOOSE Act is structured as a refundable income tax credit, so participation pulls the family into a state-administered approval and reporting process even though Alabama keeps its homeschool legal status intact. Approved expenses are limited to a curated list (curriculum, tutoring, therapies, technology), and you cannot pay yourself or another family member to teach your own child. Confirm what counts as a qualified expense before any large purchase.","url":"https://chooseact.alabama.gov/"},"tax_credit_summary":null,"umbrella_summary":"Alabama's church school path is how most Alabama homeschoolers have operated for decades. \"Church school\" is defined in § 16-28-1 and exempted from compulsory-attendance requirements under § 16-28-3 (the parallel private-tutor / qualified-instructor route lives in § 16-28-5). Enrolling your child in a church school — sometimes called a \"cover school\" — makes your child a student of that nonpublic school rather than an independent homeschooler. You still file the enrollment yourself: § 16-28-7 has the parent file the church school enrollment form with the local superintendent, countersigned by the school's administrator.\n\nIn practice, you teach at home as before; the church school keeps the official enrollment roll and the attendance register, and § 16-28-7 leaves church schools out of the enrollment reporting it puts on public schools, private schools and private tutors. Each cover school sets its own rules — annual enrollment fee, attendance log, curriculum expectations, end-of-year reporting — so the burden varies a lot between schools. Some are hands-off, others ask for portfolios or testing. Pick one whose fee, paperwork burden, and statement of faith match your family before enrolling.","filing_deadlines":{},"required_documents":[],"special_notes":"Alabama has three routes. Most families enroll their child in a church school (a cover school) under § 16-28-1 and § 16-28-3, and the parent files the enrollment form with the local superintendent, countersigned by the school's administrator (§ 16-28-7). A home-based private school files its own enrollment reports with the superintendent. Instruction by a private tutor under § 16-28-5 is the only route with a subject list, 140 days a year, and three hours a day between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., taught by someone the state has certified. No statute sets subjects, days, hours, testing or records for church school students.","withdrawal_process":"Most Alabama families enroll their child in a church school (a cover school). You file the enrollment form with the local superintendent yourself, on a form the superintendent provides, countersigned by the church school's administrator (§ 16-28-7). If your child is in public school, complete the church-school enrollment and notify the current school so attendance reflects the change. Keep a copy of what you filed.","gotchas":[{"title":"Not knowing which Alabama route you are on","body":"Alabama has three routes and the paperwork differs. Enroll in a church school and you file the enrollment form with your district yourself, countersigned by the school. Run a home-based private school and the school files enrollment reports. Go the private tutor route and you take on state certification, a subject list, 140 days and a fixed three hours a day, which most parents cannot meet.","applies_to":["overview","letter_of_intent"]},{"title":"Assuming the cover school filed for you","body":"Under § 16-28-7 the church school enrollment form is filed \"by the parent, guardian, or other person in charge or control of the child\", countersigned by the school's administrator and returned by the parent. Some cover schools help with it, and that is their practice rather than the law. Confirm each August that your form reached the superintendent, and keep the copy.","applies_to":["letter_of_intent"]},{"title":"Taking the cover school's subject list for state law","body":"Alabama names no subjects for church school students. § 16-28-7 bars the state from licensing or regulating church schools, so a subject list you are handed is your cover school's rule and not the state's. The one place the statute mentions subjects is the private tutor route in § 16-28-5, which points at \"the several branches of study required to be taught in the public schools of this state\" and binds only families on that path.","applies_to":["overview"]}],"source_urls":[{"url":"https://hslda.org/legal/alabama","name":"HSLDA"},{"url":"https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/code-of-alabama?section=16-28-7","name":"Code of Alabama 16-28-7"},{"url":"https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/code-of-alabama?section=16-28-1","name":"Code of Alabama 16-28-1"}],"sports":{"access_level":"conditional","statute_citation":"Ala. SB 186 / HB 287 (2014); AHSAA bylaw amendment (2016)","athletic_association":"Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA)","conditions":"AHSAA amended its bylaws in 2016 to allow homeschool and other non-traditional students to participate in interscholastic athletics with public schools. Numerous AHSAA bylaw requirements apply; the source does not enumerate them. General public school CLASS access remains district-discretionary and is a separate question.","source_url":"https://hslda.org/post/public-school-access-for-homeschoolers-in-alabama","verified_on":"2026-08-08","confidence":"medium"},"editorial":{"schema_version":"1","last_verified_at":"2026-09-25"}},{"abbreviation":"AK","name":"Alaska","compulsory_age_range":"7-16","notice":{"required":false,"type":"none","frequency":"none"},"requirements":{"hours_per_year":null,"core_hours_per_year":null,"secondary_hours_per_year":null,"days_per_year":null,"hours_per_day":null,"subjects":[]},"assessment":{"type":"none","frequency":"none","description":null},"portfolio":{"required":false,"records_required":false,"description":null},"reporting":{"frequency":"none"},"esa":{"program_name":null,"amount_cents":null,"eligibility":null,"url":null},"tax_credit_summary":null,"umbrella_summary":null,"filing_deadlines":{},"required_documents":[],"special_notes":"No notification or approval required. One of the most homeschool-friendly states.","withdrawal_process":"Alaska requires no notice or approval to homeschool. If your child is enrolled in public school, send the school a dated withdrawal letter so attendance records close cleanly, and keep a copy. There is nothing to file with the state.","gotchas":[{"title":"Letting a decade go by with nothing written down","body":"Alaska asks for no notice, no testing, and no reports, which is why families reach ninth grade with nothing to build a transcript from. Keep a simple log and a folder of work samples anyway. Colleges ask, and so does the next state if you ever move.","applies_to":["overview","record_keeping"]},{"title":"Mixing up a correspondence allotment with homeschooling","body":"Alaska's state-funded correspondence programs come with enrollment, an assigned contact teacher, and rules about what the allotment can buy. Families sometimes describe both as homeschooling and then get surprised by the spending restrictions. Independent homeschooling in Alaska has none of that, and none of the money either.","applies_to":["overview"]}],"source_urls":[{"url":"https://hslda.org/legal/alaska","name":"HSLDA"},{"url":"https://education.alaska.gov/alaskan_schools/schooloptions","name":"State Department of Education"}],"sports":{"access_level":"conditional","statute_citation":"Alaska Stat. § 14.30.365 (effective 2013-07-01)","athletic_association":null,"conditions":"Grades 9-12 only. Must be full-time (5+ classes grades 9-11; 4+ grade 12) in an accredited home school program located entirely in-state that does not itself offer interscholastic activities. Must provide transcripts, proof of enrollment, disciplinary and medical records; must claim the same school for eligibility all year; must meet all other district eligibility requirements.","source_url":"https://hslda.org/post/public-school-access-for-homeschoolers-in-alaska","verified_on":"2026-08-08","confidence":"high"},"editorial":{"schema_version":"1","last_verified_at":"2026-09-19"}},{"abbreviation":"AZ","name":"Arizona","compulsory_age_range":"6-16","notice":{"required":true,"type":"county","frequency":"once"},"requirements":{"hours_per_year":null,"core_hours_per_year":null,"secondary_hours_per_year":null,"days_per_year":null,"hours_per_day":null,"subjects":["reading","grammar","math","social studies","science"]},"assessment":{"type":"none","frequency":"none","description":null},"portfolio":{"required":false,"records_required":false,"description":null},"reporting":{"frequency":"none"},"esa":{"program_name":"Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA)","amount_cents":null,"homeschool_access":"status_change","eligibility":"Universal — any K-12 student who lives in Arizona qualifies regardless of income. Most families receive about 90% of the state's per-pupil funding (roughly $7,000–$8,000 per year); students with documented disabilities receive substantially more. Lifelong homeschoolers and private-school students are fully eligible.\n\nThe big tradeoff is legal status: by Arizona law, ESA students are not classified as homeschoolers. If you have a homeschool affidavit on file, you must withdraw it through your county superintendent's office before joining the ESA program. Participants then file quarterly expense reports, must purchase from approved providers, and accept that the ESA contract — not the homeschool affidavit — is the legal proof of education for the child.","url":"https://www.azed.gov/esa","reporting":{"cadence":"quarterly","required_when_zero":true,"what_to_submit":"Every ESA purchase for the quarter, itemized against the state's approved expense categories, with receipts. A quarter with no spending must still be filed as a zero report.","consequences":"Missing the deadline starts an escalation the state publishes in days. A reminder letter goes out 10 days after the report was due, the ESA card is suspended at 40 days, and the account is terminated with funds forfeited at 70 days.","deadline_keys":["esa_q1_report","esa_q2_report","esa_q3_report","esa_q4_report"]}},"tax_credit_summary":null,"umbrella_summary":null,"filing_deadlines":{"esa_q1_report":"September 20","esa_q2_report":"December 20","esa_q3_report":"March 20","esa_q4_report":"June 20"},"required_documents":[],"special_notes":"File affidavit of intent within 30 days of beginning homeschool.","withdrawal_process":"If your child is enrolled in an Arizona public school, file an affidavit of intent to homeschool with your county school superintendent within 30 days of starting, and notify the school so attendance records show the withdrawal. The affidavit is your legal record; keep a copy. If you take the ESA instead, you withdraw the homeschool affidavit and operate under the ESA contract rather than as a homeschooler.","gotchas":[{"title":"Letting the 30-day affidavit window pass","body":"Arizona gives you 30 days from the day you begin homeschooling to file the affidavit of intent with your county school superintendent. The form is short. The window is the part families miss, usually because they started in the middle of a term.","applies_to":["letter_of_intent"]},{"title":"Assuming the ESA works like the affidavit","body":"The affidavit is a one-time filing. Arizona's ESA is a separate program with its own application, spending rules, quarterly expense reporting, and receipt retention. Taking ESA funds also means withdrawing from the district, so read the agreement before you sign it.","applies_to":["overview"]},{"title":"Treating the five subjects as a full curriculum","body":"Arizona names reading, grammar, math, social studies, and science. That is a floor. Nothing stops you adding science labs, a second language, or art, and those hours belong in your records too.","applies_to":["subjects"]},{"title":"Sending the affidavit to your school district","body":"Arizona's affidavit of intent goes to the county school superintendent, not your local school district (A.R.S. 15-802(B)(2)). Districts have no role in homeschooling here, and a form left with one is not on file. Find your county school superintendent's office and send it there within 30 days of starting.","applies_to":["overview","letter_of_intent"]}],"source_urls":[{"url":"https://hslda.org/legal/arizona","name":"HSLDA"},{"url":"https://www.azed.gov/homeschooling","name":"State Department of Education"}],"sports":{"access_level":"full","statute_citation":"Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 15-802.01","athletic_association":null,"conditions":"A child residing in the attendance area who is instructed at home shall be allowed to try out for interscholastic activities in the same manner as an enrolled pupil. Written verification of passing grades; satisfactory progress toward promotion; same registration, fees, insurance, transportation and behavior standards. Students previously enrolled that year are ineligible for the remainder of the year.","source_url":"https://hslda.org/post/public-school-access-for-homeschoolers-in-arizona","verified_on":"2026-08-08","confidence":"high"},"editorial":{"schema_version":"1","last_verified_at":"2026-09-21"}},{"abbreviation":"AR","name":"Arkansas","compulsory_age_range":"5-17","notice":{"required":true,"type":"school_district","frequency":"annual"},"requirements":{"hours_per_year":null,"core_hours_per_year":null,"secondary_hours_per_year":null,"days_per_year":null,"hours_per_day":null,"subjects":[]},"assessment":{"type":"none","frequency":"none","description":null},"portfolio":{"required":false,"records_required":false,"description":null},"reporting":{"frequency":"none"},"esa":{"program_name":"Arkansas Education Freedom Account (LEARNS)","amount_cents":720800,"homeschool_access":"open","eligibility":"Universal as of 2025-26 — every K-12 Arkansas resident qualifies. Funding is $7,208 per student per year for 2026-27 (up from $6,864 in 2025-26), paid in quarterly $1,802 installments to a ClassWallet account. Families still file the standard Arkansas Notice of Intent to Homeschool between June 1 and August 15, so homeschool legal status is preserved.\n\nThe trade is mandatory annual testing: every EFA student must take a national norm-referenced test each year, with scores submitted to the Arkansas Department of Education by June 30. Arkansas had repealed its homeschool testing requirement in 2015; the EFA brings it back as a condition of taking the money. Spending also has caps — no more than 25% of the annual disbursement on travel and no more than 25% on extracurriculars/PE/field trips.","url":"https://learns.ade.arkansas.gov/"},"tax_credit_summary":null,"umbrella_summary":null,"filing_deadlines":{},"required_documents":[],"special_notes":"Notice of intent due each year by August 15. For a child enrolled in public school, file at least 5 school days before withdrawal. Those 5 school days are the waiting period, and the child attends school during them; the superintendent or school board can waive it. HB1429 (2021) cut the wait from 14 days. Statewide homeschool testing was removed in 2015, though EFA/LEARNS participants must test annually.","withdrawal_process":"Arkansas requires a Notice of Intent to Homeschool filed with your local superintendent. For a child currently enrolled in public school, file the notice at least five school days before withdrawal. Those five school days are the waiting period, and your child keeps attending during them. The superintendent can waive the wait. The annual filing deadline is August 15 for the year ahead. Notify the school so attendance reflects the change, and keep a copy of the notice.","gotchas":[{"title":"Withdrawing before the waiting period runs","body":"Arkansas asks you to file at least five school days before you pull a child out. Those five school days are the waiting period, and the state expects your child in class during them. A superintendent can waive it. Families who stop sending their child the day they file spend those five days on the attendance roster.","applies_to":["overview","letter_of_intent"]},{"title":"The August 15 notice comes around annually","body":"The notice of intent is due annually by August 15. It is a short form, and filing it late is the most common Arkansas compliance issue by a wide margin.","applies_to":["letter_of_intent"]},{"title":"Thinking Arkansas still requires testing","body":"Statewide homeschool testing ended in 2015, and plenty of older pages still describe it as current. Families taking EFA or LEARNS funds do test annually, so check which bucket you are in before you plan your year.","applies_to":["overview"]}],"source_urls":[{"url":"https://hslda.org/legal/arkansas","name":"HSLDA"},{"url":"https://dese.ade.arkansas.gov/Offices/office-of-school-choice-and-parent-empowerment/home-schools/","name":"State Department of Education"}],"sports":{"access_level":"conditional","statute_citation":"Ark. Code Ann. § 6-15-509","athletic_association":"Arkansas Activities Association (AAA)","conditions":"As of March 2023 districts must permit local homeschooled students to participate in sports and other AAA-regulated activities. Reporting and notification deadlines apply, plus submission of test results.","source_url":"https://hslda.org/post/public-school-access-for-homeschoolers-in-arkansas","verified_on":"2026-08-08","confidence":"high"},"editorial":{"schema_version":"1","last_verified_at":"2026-09-25"}},{"abbreviation":"CA","name":"California","compulsory_age_range":"6-18","notice":{"required":true,"type":"state","frequency":"annual"},"requirements":{"hours_per_year":null,"core_hours_per_year":null,"secondary_hours_per_year":null,"days_per_year":null,"hours_per_day":null,"subjects":["math","language arts","social studies","science","visual/performing arts","health","physical education"]},"assessment":{"type":"none","frequency":"none","description":null},"portfolio":{"required":false,"records_required":true,"description":null},"reporting":{"frequency":"none"},"esa":{"program_name":null,"amount_cents":null,"eligibility":null,"url":null},"tax_credit_summary":"California does not have a homeschool-specific tax credit or deduction — but California families using a 529 plan need to know about a recapture rule that catches many homeschoolers off guard. ScholarShare (California's 529 plan) does NOT conform to the federal expansion that allows tax-free 529 withdrawals for K-12 tuition. If you withdraw 529 funds for K-12 expenses, California treats the earnings portion as taxable income and adds a 2.5% additional state tax on top.\n\nThe practical impact: federal-level 529 K-12 use can still be tax-free, but the California-side benefit you accumulated while saving (deductions if any plus tax-deferred growth) gets recaptured at withdrawal time. Run the numbers with a CPA before pulling 529 money for homeschool curriculum, tuition, or supplemental classes. Saving for college only? No issue. Using the 529 as a homeschool sinking fund? Likely not the right vehicle in California. Note: this affects 529 K-12 withdrawals specifically; 529 college withdrawals remain tax-free under California rules.","umbrella_summary":"California treats homeschoolers as private schools. Most California families pick one of four legal vehicles, and one of them — the Private School Satellite Program (PSP) — works exactly like an umbrella school. A PSP is an established private school that lets families enroll as satellite students; the PSP files the Private School Affidavit under § 33190 and keeps the attendance register required by § 48222 on your behalf.\n\nDay to day you still teach your own child and pick your own curriculum. What changes is that the PSP carries the legal weight: the state-mandated attendance and recordkeeping requirements live with the school rather than with you, and a PSP director can issue a transcript or diploma at the end of high school. Most PSPs charge an annual fee (commonly $100–$500), and many require members to submit a withdrawal letter, an annual enrollment form, and sometimes work samples or testing. The alternatives — filing your own PSA, enrolling in a public charter independent-study program, or using a credentialed private tutor under § 48224 — each shift the paperwork and oversight differently.\n\nNew for 2026-27: the Safe Learning Environments Act (effective July 1, 2026) applies to private schools, PSPs included — employees, volunteers, and board members become mandatory reporters, schools need written professional-boundary and social-media policies plus annual child-abuse-prevention training, and a statewide misconduct database arrives by July 2027. None of it touches a family teaching their own children under their own PSA, but if you're choosing a PSP, ask how they're handling it.","filing_deadlines":{},"required_documents":[],"special_notes":"California has no homeschool statute. Most families use one of four legal pathways: (1) file your own Private School Affidavit (PSA) and run a home-based private school; (2) enroll in a Private School Satellite Program (PSP), which files the PSA and keeps records for you; (3) enroll in a public charter or district independent study program (ISP); or (4) be taught by a California-credentialed private tutor (Ed Code 48224: at least 3 hours a day between 8am and 4pm, 175 days a year). The PSA's statutory filing window is October 1 to 15, though the state system accepts filings from August 1 to June 30. Choose the pathway first; it decides who files and who keeps your records.","withdrawal_process":"Because California has no homeschool statute, how you withdraw depends on your pathway. If you file your own PSA or join a PSP, notify your child's current public school in writing that they now attend a private school; the PSA or PSP is the legal record. If you move to a charter or district independent study program, that program handles the transfer. Send the notice before you stop attending to avoid a truancy referral, and keep a copy.","gotchas":[{"title":"Reading California advice without knowing your pathway","body":"California has no homeschool statute. Families use one of four legal pathways, and nearly every requirement depends on which one you are on. Advice that does not name a pathway is advice you cannot act on, because the affidavit, the records, and the oversight all differ between them.","applies_to":["overview"]},{"title":"Missing the October 1 to 15 affidavit window","body":"The Private School Affidavit is filed online between October 1 and 15 each year. Outside that window the form is still available but you are filing late. Families starting mid-year often assume they file immediately rather than waiting for the window.","applies_to":["letter_of_intent"]},{"title":"Treating a charter independent study program as homeschooling","body":"A public charter or district independent study program brings public school rules with it: enrollment, funding, assigned oversight, and testing. The funds and support are real, and so is the tradeoff. It is a different legal status from running your own private school, not a version of it.","applies_to":["overview"]},{"title":"Skipping the private school recordkeeping","body":"Filing your own affidavit means you are operating a private school, and California expects private schools to keep an attendance register, a list of courses offered, and records of staff qualifications. These are simple to maintain from day one and awkward to assemble later.","applies_to":["record_keeping"]}],"source_urls":[{"url":"https://hslda.org/legal/california","name":"HSLDA"},{"url":"https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/ps/homeschool.asp","name":"State Department of Education"}],"sports":{"access_level":"barred","statute_citation":"CIF Rule 305","athletic_association":"California Interscholastic Federation (CIF)","conditions":"No state law grants access; CIF Rule 305 prohibits homeschoolers from playing on public school teams.","source_url":"https://hslda.org/post/public-school-access-for-homeschoolers-in-california","verified_on":"2026-08-08","confidence":"high"},"editorial":{"schema_version":"1","last_verified_at":"2026-10-05"}},{"abbreviation":"CO","name":"Colorado","compulsory_age_range":"6-17","notice":{"required":true,"type":"school_district","recipient_label":"a Colorado school district of your choice","frequency":"annual"},"requirements":{"hours_per_year":688,"core_hours_per_year":null,"secondary_hours_per_year":null,"days_per_year":172,"hours_or_days":false,"hours_per_day":4,"hours_per_day_basis":"average","subjects":["reading","writing","speaking","math","history","civics","literature","science","constitution"]},"assessment":{"type":"choice","frequency":"at_specified_grades","description":"Colorado requires a nationally standardized achievement test or an evaluation by a qualified person when your child reaches grades 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11. A qualified person is a Colorado-licensed teacher, a teacher at an independent or parochial school, a licensed psychologist, or someone with a graduate degree in education. Results go to the school district that received your notice, or to a Colorado independent or parochial school, in which case you tell that district the school's name.","allows_portfolio":false},"portfolio":{"required":false,"records_required":true,"description":"Colorado law doesn't require a formal portfolio, but families must keep attendance data, the results of each test or evaluation, and immunization records. These are produced only if the superintendent has probable cause to question compliance."},"reporting":{"frequency":"at_specified_grades","grades":[3,5,7,9,11]},"esa":{"program_name":null,"amount_cents":null,"eligibility":null,"url":null},"tax_credit_summary":null,"umbrella_summary":null,"filing_deadlines":{},"required_documents":[],"special_notes":"File written notification 14 days before starting. You don't have to file the notice before\nyour child turns 6 or start the program before 7, and you can stop both after 16 (C.R.S.\n22-33-104.5(3)(e)). Testing or evaluation required in grades 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11. SB26-023\n(2026-27) tightened part-time public-school programs for homeschoolers: programs must collect\na copy of your notice of intent at enrollment and can no longer fund or reimburse private\npurchases. Education ReEnvisioned BOCES cannot operate programs in 2026-27, so confirm any\nERBOCES-authorized enrichment program before counting on it.","withdrawal_process":"Colorado requires written notification to a school district 14 days before you begin home-based education, including for a child you're withdrawing from public school. File the notice, then notify the current school so attendance reflects the transfer, and keep a copy. The notice can go to any Colorado district (not only your own), and you re-file each year you continue.","gotchas":[{"title":"Filing on the first day instead of 14 days ahead","body":"Colorado wants written notification 14 days before you begin, which catches families who decide over a weekend to start Monday. File first, wait out the two weeks, then start.","applies_to":["letter_of_intent"]},{"title":"Missing that 688 hours and 172 days are the same rule","body":"Colorado's figure comes from 172 days averaging four hours. Hit the hours across 120 long days and you have satisfied one half of it. Track both numbers from the start of the year and the question never comes up.","applies_to":["hours"]},{"title":"Losing track of which testing year you are in","body":"Colorado asks for a test or an evaluation in grades 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11. Because it skips years, families forget which one is next. Write the five grades on your student's file at the start and check it each August.","applies_to":["overview","record_keeping"]}],"source_urls":[{"url":"https://hslda.org/legal/colorado","name":"HSLDA"},{"url":"https://ed.cde.state.co.us/choice/homeschool","name":"State Department of Education"}],"sports":{"access_level":"conditional","statute_citation":"Colo. Rev. Stat. §§ 22-33-104.5(6), 22-32-116.5","athletic_association":null,"conditions":"Statute grants the same rights and participation on an equal basis — but permits two homeschool-specific disadvantages: participation fees may be up to 150% of those charged enrolled students, and districts may reserve up to twice the starting positions (team sports) or half of team membership (individual sports) for enrolled students.","source_url":"https://hslda.org/post/public-school-access-for-homeschoolers-in-colorado","verified_on":"2026-08-08","confidence":"high"},"editorial":{"schema_version":"1","last_verified_at":"2026-10-06"}},{"abbreviation":"CT","name":"Connecticut","compulsory_age_range":"5-18","notice":{"required":false,"type":"none","frequency":"none"},"requirements":{"hours_per_year":null,"core_hours_per_year":null,"secondary_hours_per_year":null,"days_per_year":null,"hours_per_day":null,"subjects":["reading","writing","spelling","english grammar","geography","arithmetic","united states history","citizenship"]},"assessment":{"type":"none","frequency":"none","description":null},"portfolio":{"required":false,"records_required":false,"description":null},"reporting":{"frequency":"none"},"esa":{"program_name":null,"amount_cents":null,"eligibility":null,"url":null},"tax_credit_summary":null,"umbrella_summary":null,"filing_deadlines":{},"required_documents":[],"special_notes":"No notification required. Must provide equivalent instruction under C.G.S. 10-184. The CSDE C-14 guidelines suggest a Notice of Intent and an annual portfolio review, but these are suggested procedures, not legal requirements. Heads up: Public Act 26-37 (HB 5468), signed May 26, 2026, phases in CT's first homeschool oversight in three steps — an in-person withdrawal form starting SY2027-28; a prohibition, effective July 1, 2027, on withdrawing a child for parent-managed learning if any adult in the household is on the DCF abuse and neglect registry or under active investigation; and an annual intent-to-educate form due to your district by October 1, starting SY2028-29. The act adds no portfolio, testing, or assessment requirement. Nothing that touches families is in effect yet.","withdrawal_process":"Connecticut requires no notice to homeschool today; if your child is enrolled in public school, send the district a dated letter that your child now receives equivalent instruction at home so attendance closes, and keep a copy. Heads up: under Public Act 26-37, withdrawal changes in two steps. From the 2027-28 school year you must appear in person at the district office and sign a withdrawal form. From July 1, 2027 the district must check DCF records and cannot let you withdraw for parent-managed learning if any adult living with the child is on the abuse and neglect registry or under active investigation, and it must notify DCF automatically when a child is withdrawn to homeschool. Neither is in effect yet.","gotchas":[{"title":"Treating the C-14 guidelines as law","body":"Connecticut's Department of Education publishes suggested procedures, including a notice of intent and an annual portfolio review. Districts often present them as requirements. Today they are suggestions, and C.G.S. 10-184 asks only for equivalent instruction.","applies_to":["overview","record_keeping"]},{"title":"Not watching the 2026 law phase in","body":"Public Act 26-37 brings Connecticut its first real homeschool oversight, in three steps: an in-person withdrawal form starting 2027-28, a DCF registry check from July 1 2027, and an annual intent-to-educate form due October 1 starting 2028-29. None of it is in effect yet. The act adds no portfolio, testing, or assessment requirement, and there is no grandfathering once the annual form starts, so families already homeschooling will file like everyone else.","applies_to":["overview","record_keeping"]},{"title":"Not knowing the DCF check can block a withdrawal","body":"From July 1 2027, Public Act 26-37 bars withdrawing a child from public school for parent-managed learning if any adult living with the child is on the DCF child abuse and neglect registry or is under active investigation. Districts must also notify DCF automatically whenever a child is withdrawn to homeschool. The registry includes neglect findings, not only confirmed abuse, so this reaches further than most families expect. If you are planning a withdrawal near that date, sort this out before you rely on it.","applies_to":["overview"]},{"title":"Assuming no notice means no records","body":"Connecticut asks you to provide equivalent instruction in eight named subjects. Nobody collects proof, and the standard still applies. A subject-tagged log is the simplest way to show it if the question ever arrives.","applies_to":["subjects","record_keeping"]}],"source_urls":[{"url":"https://hslda.org/legal/connecticut","name":"HSLDA"},{"url":"https://portal.ct.gov/sde/homeschooling/homeschooling-in-connecticut","name":"State Department of Education"}],"sports":{"access_level":"district_discretion","statute_citation":null,"athletic_association":null,"conditions":"No state law grants homeschool students the right to participate; individual schools and districts decide.","source_url":"https://hslda.org/post/public-school-access-for-homeschoolers-in-connecticut","verified_on":"2026-08-08","confidence":"medium"},"editorial":{"schema_version":"1","last_verified_at":"2026-09-21"}},{"abbreviation":"DE","name":"Delaware","compulsory_age_range":"5-16","notice":{"required":true,"type":"state","frequency":"annual"},"requirements":{"hours_per_year":null,"core_hours_per_year":null,"secondary_hours_per_year":null,"days_per_year":null,"hours_per_day":null,"subjects":[]},"assessment":{"type":"none","frequency":"none","description":null},"portfolio":{"required":false,"records_required":false,"description":null},"reporting":{"frequency":"annual"},"esa":{"program_name":null,"amount_cents":null,"eligibility":null,"url":null},"tax_credit_summary":null,"umbrella_summary":null,"filing_deadlines":{},"required_documents":[],"special_notes":"Register with DOE when opening homeschool. Annual enrollment report due Sep 30, attendance report due Jul 31. Three options available.","withdrawal_process":"Delaware homeschooling is registered with the Department of Education through its online system. Enroll your home school, notify the current school so attendance reflects the change, and keep your registration. An annual enrollment report (due Sep 30) and attendance report (due Jul 31) follow.","gotchas":[{"title":"Missing one of the two annual dates","body":"Delaware runs on two: the enrollment report by September 30 and the attendance report by July 31. Families remember the fall one and lose the summer one, because by July the school year feels finished.","applies_to":["letter_of_intent","annual_report"]},{"title":"Picking a Delaware option without reading all three","body":"All three types file the same two reports under 14 Del. C. 2704. The difference is who files and who approves. A multi-family homeschool reports through one liaison for every family. A single-family homeschool coordinated with the district needs the local superintendent to approve your curriculum and sign off in writing. The type your friend uses may not fit your household.","applies_to":["overview"]}],"source_urls":[{"url":"https://hslda.org/legal/delaware","name":"HSLDA"},{"url":"https://education.delaware.gov/families/k12/homeschools-and-private-schools/","name":"State Department of Education"}],"sports":{"access_level":"district_discretion","statute_citation":null,"athletic_association":null,"conditions":"No state law grants homeschool students the right to participate; individual schools and districts decide.","source_url":"https://hslda.org/post/public-school-access-for-homeschoolers-in-delaware","verified_on":"2026-08-08","confidence":"medium"},"editorial":{"schema_version":"1","last_verified_at":"2026-09-25"}},{"abbreviation":"DC","name":"District of Columbia","compulsory_age_range":"5-18","notice":{"required":true,"type":"state","frequency":"annual"},"requirements":{"hours_per_year":null,"core_hours_per_year":null,"secondary_hours_per_year":null,"days_per_year":null,"hours_per_day":null,"subjects":["language arts","math","science","social studies","art","music","health","physical education"]},"assessment":{"type":"none","frequency":"none","description":"The District requires no assessment. OSSE may ask, at its discretion, to review a child's portfolio to confirm thorough, regular instruction, no more than twice in a school year and at a time and place you both agree on (5-A DCMR 5206.1). The section ends: \"Nothing in this section shall be interpreted to require a regular periodic review of all portfolios.\" Standardized testing is voluntary; 5-A DCMR 5209 lets a home-schooled child sit the public schools' tests free of charge."},"portfolio":{"required":true,"records_required":true,"description":"Under 5-A DCMR 5205.1, families keep a portfolio of the student's current work showing thorough, regular activity in a range of subjects. 5205.2 says it \"should be maintained for at least one year.\" OSSE doesn't collect it. It may ask in writing to review the portfolio, no more than twice in a school year, at a time and place you both agree on (5206.1)."},"reporting":{"frequency":"none"},"esa":{"program_name":null,"amount_cents":null,"eligibility":null,"url":null},"tax_credit_summary":null,"umbrella_summary":null,"filing_deadlines":{},"required_documents":[],"special_notes":"Notify OSSE 15 business days before starting, then file an annual continuation notice by Aug 15. Maintain a portfolio of current work, which the rule says \"should be maintained for at least one year.\" OSSE may request a portfolio review up to twice per school year, in writing, at a time and place you both agree on. DC does not impose a minimum day count or daily attendance logs.","withdrawal_process":"Washington, D.C. requires notice to OSSE at least 15 business days before you begin, then an annual continuation notice by August 15. Notify the current school so attendance reflects the change, and keep a copy. Maintain a portfolio; OSSE may request a review up to twice a year, in writing, at a time you both agree on.","gotchas":[{"title":"Counting 15 business days as two weeks","body":"OSSE wants notice 15 business days before you start, which runs to three calendar weeks once weekends land in the middle. Families who count on a calendar rather than a work week file late.","applies_to":["letter_of_intent"]},{"title":"The continuation notice is its own filing","body":"The initial notice is not the end of it. DC wants a continuation notice by August 15 each year you keep homeschooling. Missing it is the single most common DC filing gap.","applies_to":["letter_of_intent"]},{"title":"Being unready for a portfolio request","body":"OSSE can ask to review your portfolio twice in a school year. The request comes in writing and you agree on the time and place, which is enough notice to organize what you have and nowhere near enough to create a year of work you never kept.","applies_to":["record_keeping"]}],"source_urls":[{"url":"https://hslda.org/legal/district-of-columbia","name":"HSLDA"},{"url":"https://osse.dc.gov/service/homeschooling-district-columbia","name":"State Department of Education"},{"url":"https://osse.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/osse/publication/attachments/DCMR%205200%20Homeschooling.pdf","name":"OSSE home schooling regulation (5-A DCMR Chapter 52)"}],"sports":{"access_level":"district_discretion","statute_citation":null,"athletic_association":"DC State Athletic Association (DCSAA)","conditions":"No law grants the right; schools decide. A petition route exists: homeschool students may petition the DC State Athletic Association to participate. Requires written authorization from the member school's principal AND athletic director, plus a granted waiver of the student eligibility requirements.","source_url":"https://hslda.org/post/public-school-access-for-homeschoolers-in-the-district-of-columbia","verified_on":"2026-08-08","confidence":"medium"},"editorial":{"schema_version":"1","last_verified_at":"2026-10-05"}},{"abbreviation":"FL","name":"Florida","compulsory_age_range":"6-16","notice":{"required":true,"type":"school_district","frequency":"once"},"requirements":{"hours_per_year":null,"core_hours_per_year":null,"secondary_hours_per_year":null,"days_per_year":null,"hours_per_day":null,"subjects":[]},"assessment":{"type":"choice","frequency":"annual","description":"Florida requires one annual evaluation filed with the superintendent. Families pick from five options: a certified teacher's portfolio review, a nationally normed test, the state assessment, an evaluation by a licensed psychologist, or another measure agreed to with the district.","allows_portfolio":true},"portfolio":{"required":true,"records_required":true,"description":"Florida law (§ 1002.41) requires a portfolio containing a contemporaneous log of educational activities — listing reading materials by title — plus samples of the student's writings, worksheets, and creative work. Keep it for two years; the superintendent can request it with 15 days' written notice."},"reporting":{"frequency":"annual"},"esa":{"program_name":"Florida Tax Credit Scholarship: Personalized Education Program (FTC-PEP)","amount_cents":null,"homeschool_access":"status_change","eligibility":"Open to any K-12 Florida resident not currently enrolled in a full-time public or private school. Awards average around $8,000 per student, with grade-banded floors and a 100,000-student annual cap (priority goes to families under 185% of poverty and to existing scholarship renewals). Administered by Step Up For Students.\n\nThe key catch: PEP participants cannot also be registered as a home education program with the school district. To take the funds you must withdraw from Florida's homeschool route entirely and operate as a PEP student instead. Each year you must submit a Student Learning Plan in EMA before funding releases, plus prior-year assessment results for renewal. Families weighing PEP vs. continuing as a Home Education Program should think of it as a status change, not a stack of homeschool extras.","url":"https://www.stepupforstudents.org/scholarships/personalized-education-program/"},"tax_credit_summary":null,"umbrella_summary":"Beyond filing notice as a home education program under § 1002.41, Florida lets families enroll their child in a non-public private school operating under § 1002.42. Once enrolled, your child is legally a student of that private school rather than a home education program, and the school takes over the recordkeeping that would otherwise fall on the parent. Section 1002.42 sets no annual evaluation, so the one the home education program requires falls away.\n\nIn practice the family teaches at home as before; the umbrella school keeps the official enrollment record and files the annual private school survey with the Florida Department of Education on its own behalf. Each umbrella sets its own rules — annual fee, curriculum expectations, evaluation method, transcript and diploma services — so the paperwork burden varies a lot between schools. Many Florida families pick this route specifically to skip the district-filed notice of intent and the annual evaluation requirement that comes with the home education program path.","filing_deadlines":{},"required_documents":[],"special_notes":"Notify superintendent within 30 days of starting. Annual evaluation required. Maintain portfolio with activity log and work samples for 2 years. Multiple homeschool options available.","withdrawal_process":"If your child is enrolled in a Florida public school, file your notice of intent with the county superintendent within 30 days of starting home education; that establishes your Home Education Program and stops the truancy clock. There's no separate withdrawal form, but keep a dated copy of the notice. If you instead choose the PEP scholarship, you operate as a PEP student rather than a Home Education Program.","gotchas":[{"title":"Keeping records for one year instead of two","body":"Florida requires the activity log and work samples to be kept for two years, the current one and the one before it. Clear out last year's folder after the annual evaluation and you are short if a question comes up.","applies_to":["record_keeping","overview"]},{"title":"Assuming the annual evaluation means a test","body":"Florida gives you options: review by a Florida certified teacher, a nationally normed standardized test, a psychologist's evaluation, or another method you and the district agree on. Picking the one that fits your student is the point, and the teacher review is usually the least disruptive.","applies_to":["annual_report"]},{"title":"Not realizing an umbrella school changes your legal status","body":"Enrolling in a private umbrella school moves you out of Florida's home education program and into private school enrollment. The day to day looks similar, but the evaluation requirement, the notice, and the record keeping rules all change with it. That is a choice worth making deliberately.","applies_to":["overview","letter_of_intent"]}],"source_urls":[{"url":"https://hslda.org/legal/florida","name":"HSLDA"},{"url":"https://www.fldoe.org/schools/school-choice/home-edu/","name":"State Department of Education"}],"sports":{"access_level":"full","statute_citation":"Fla. Stat. § 1006.15","athletic_association":null,"conditions":"Access at the assigned-attendance-area school. Conditions are the ordinary eligibility rules that also bind enrolled students: 2.0+ GPA or equivalent, residency, same behavioral/performance standards, register intent before the season, demonstrate progress per § 1002.41 evaluation.","source_url":"https://hslda.org/post/public-school-access-for-homeschoolers-in-florida","verified_on":"2026-08-08","confidence":"high"},"editorial":{"schema_version":"1","last_verified_at":"2026-09-19"}},{"abbreviation":"GA","name":"Georgia","compulsory_age_range":"6-16","notice":{"required":true,"type":"state","frequency":"annual"},"requirements":{"hours_per_year":810,"core_hours_per_year":null,"secondary_hours_per_year":null,"days_per_year":180,"hours_or_days":false,"hours_per_day":4.5,"subjects":["reading","language arts","math","social studies","science"]},"assessment":{"type":"standardized_test","frequency":"at_specified_grades","description":"Georgia requires a nationally standardized test at least once every three years, starting at the end of third grade. You may give it yourself, in consultation with a person trained in administering and interpreting norm-referenced tests (O.C.G.A. 20-2-690(c)(7)). Scores stay with the family and are not submitted to the state. Since July 2025, a school system that offers the PSAT, SAT, PreACT, ACT, ASVAB or an AP exam to its own students must make it available to home study students in grades 6 to 12 who live in the system (O.C.G.A. 20-2-324.8)."},"portfolio":{"required":false,"records_required":true,"description":"Georgia asks you to write an annual progress assessment report for each child, covering every required subject, and to keep those reports for at least three years (O.C.G.A. 20-2-690(c)(8)). Test records are kept the same way. Nothing is submitted: the statute gives no official the power to call for either, and the Department of Education says it only collects the Declaration of Intent."},"reporting":{"frequency":"none"},"esa":{"program_name":"Georgia Promise Scholarship","amount_cents":null,"homeschool_access":"closed","eligibility":"Georgia's Promise Scholarship pays roughly $6,500 per student per year, but it is functionally a public-school-exit program rather than a homeschool ESA. Eligibility requires that a student either (a) was enrolled in a Georgia public school in a bottom-25% attendance zone for the two consecutive semesters before applying, or (b) is a rising kindergartener. Currently-homeschooling families do not meet either path.\n\nFor a Georgia homeschool family this means there's no direct way to take the funds. To become eligible an existing homeschooler would have to enroll their child in a qualifying public school for two semesters first — a step most homeschool families won't take. Once on Promise, recipients are reclassified out of standard homeschool registration and subject to program-specific testing, vendor approval, and reporting. Georgia's existing Section 20-2-690 home-study law remains the path for independent homeschooling.","url":"https://gsfc.georgia.gov/programs-and-regulations/georgia-promise-scholarship"},"tax_credit_summary":null,"umbrella_summary":null,"filing_deadlines":{},"required_documents":[],"special_notes":"Electronic notice of intent to DOE within 30 days, then by Sept 1 annually. Testing every 3 years from end of 3rd grade, kept at home. Georgia collects nothing else: the Department of Education takes the Declaration of Intent and no report, test score, or progress assessment. 4.5 hours/day minimum. Parent must have HS diploma or GED.","withdrawal_process":"If your child is enrolled in a Georgia public school, file the electronic Declaration of Intent with the state DOE within 30 days of starting your home study program, and notify the school so attendance records show the transfer. The Declaration is your legal record; keep a copy. After the first year, file again by September 1 each year.","gotchas":[{"title":"Sending the Declaration of Intent to the district","body":"Georgia files electronically with the state Department of Education, not with your local school district. It is due within 30 days of starting and then by September 1 each year after that.","applies_to":["letter_of_intent"]},{"title":"Forgetting the every-third-year test","body":"Georgia requires a nationally standardized test at the end of grade 3 and every three years after, so grades 6, 9, and 11. Results are kept in your records and are never submitted, and you may administer the test yourself in consultation with someone trained to interpret it. Since 2025 your local school system also has to let a home study student sit the college-entrance and AP exams it offers its own students.","applies_to":["record_keeping"]},{"title":"Counting a two-hour morning as a school day","body":"Georgia's statute sets instruction equivalent to 180 school days of at least 4.5 hours each. The 810 hours is that rule multiplied out, not a separate target. A two-hour morning falls short of one of those days.","applies_to":["hours"]}],"source_urls":[{"url":"https://hslda.org/legal/georgia","name":"HSLDA"},{"url":"https://gadoe.org/parent-family-resources/home-school/","name":"State Department of Education"}],"sports":{"access_level":"conditional","statute_citation":"O.C.G.A. § 20-2-319.6 (Dexter Mosely Act)","athletic_association":null,"conditions":"Enrollment in one qualifying course per semester of participation. 30-day advance notice with annual progress report and passing-grade verification. Age, residence and zoning requirements. 12-month ineligibility period if withdrawn from public school. District shall not deny the opportunity to try out if requirements are met.","source_url":"https://hslda.org/post/public-school-access-for-homeschoolers-in-georgia","verified_on":"2026-08-08","confidence":"high"},"editorial":{"schema_version":"1","last_verified_at":"2026-09-25"}},{"abbreviation":"HI","name":"Hawaii","compulsory_age_range":"5-18","notice":{"required":true,"type":"school","frequency":"once"},"requirements":{"hours_per_year":null,"core_hours_per_year":null,"secondary_hours_per_year":null,"days_per_year":null,"hours_per_day":null,"subjects":[]},"assessment":{"type":"choice","frequency":"annual","description":"Hawaii requires one annual progress report submitted to the child's local school principal. Families may satisfy it with a grade-level test score, a year of growth on a standardized test, a certified teacher's evaluation, or a parent-written evaluation with work samples; test scores are required in grades 3, 5, 8, and 10 unless the principal approves another means of evaluation.","allows_portfolio":true},"portfolio":{"required":false,"records_required":true,"description":"Hawaii requires no portfolio of student work. Under HAR 8-12-15 you \"shall keep\" a record of the planned curriculum for each child, and the rule says that record \"should include\" start and end dates, weekly instructional hours, subjects covered, how mastery is determined, and the textbooks or materials used. Hawaii doesn't collect it. If a child's progress falls short, the principal can ask to see it (8-12-18(d))."},"reporting":{"frequency":"annual"},"esa":{"program_name":null,"amount_cents":null,"eligibility":null,"url":null},"tax_credit_summary":null,"umbrella_summary":null,"filing_deadlines":{},"required_documents":[],"special_notes":"Submit a notice of intent to your child's local school principal, once. HAR 8-12-13(c) says it need not be resubmitted annually as long as your progress reports go in, though a child moving to a new school files again. A progress report is due to the principal every year, and in grades 3, 5, 8 and 10 it has to be a test score unless the principal approves another means of evaluation. Keep the planned-curriculum record under HAR 8-12-15.","withdrawal_process":"Hawaii requires notice to your local school principal (Form 4140) before you begin. File the notice, notify the current school so attendance reflects the change, and keep a copy. Testing (grades 3, 5, 8, and 10) and an annual progress report follow.","gotchas":[{"title":"Sending the notice to the district office","body":"Hawaii routes notice to the principal of the school your child would otherwise attend. It is a school-level filing, which surprises families used to district-level paperwork elsewhere.","applies_to":["letter_of_intent"]},{"title":"Forgetting a testing grade","body":"Hawaii wants a progress report every single year. In grades 3, 5, 8 and 10 the report has to be a test score rather than your own evaluation, unless the principal approves another means. Families who remember the testing grades often forget the eight other years, which are the easy ones: a parent-written evaluation with work samples satisfies them.","applies_to":["annual_report"]},{"title":"Leaving the curriculum record until you need it","body":"Hawaii asks you to keep a record of your planned curriculum alongside the annual progress report. Writing it in advance takes an hour. Reconstructing what you meant to teach after the year is over takes considerably longer.","applies_to":["annual_report","record_keeping"]}],"source_urls":[{"url":"https://hslda.org/legal/hawaii","name":"HSLDA"},{"url":"https://www.hawaiipublicschools.org/enrolling-in-school/homeschool/","name":"State Department of Education"}],"sports":{"access_level":"district_discretion","statute_citation":null,"athletic_association":null,"conditions":"No state law grants homeschool students the right to participate; the school decides. Hawaii operates a single statewide school district, so this is a school-level decision rather than a district one.","source_url":"https://hslda.org/post/public-school-access-for-homeschoolers-in-hawaii","verified_on":"2026-08-08","confidence":"medium"},"editorial":{"schema_version":"1","last_verified_at":"2026-09-25"}},{"abbreviation":"ID","name":"Idaho","compulsory_age_range":"7-16","notice":{"required":false,"type":"none","frequency":"none"},"requirements":{"hours_per_year":null,"core_hours_per_year":null,"secondary_hours_per_year":null,"days_per_year":null,"hours_per_day":null,"subjects":[]},"assessment":{"type":"none","frequency":"none","description":null},"portfolio":{"required":false,"records_required":false,"description":null},"reporting":{"frequency":"none"},"esa":{"program_name":null,"amount_cents":null,"eligibility":null,"url":null},"tax_credit_summary":"Idaho's Parental Choice Tax Credit (HB 93, signed February 2025) is a refundable income-tax credit of up to $5,000 per eligible student — or up to $7,500 for a student with disabilities — for nonpublic-education expenses. Homeschooling families qualify: eligible costs include curriculum, textbooks, tutoring, and standardized tests, and because the credit is refundable it pays out even when it exceeds your tax liability.\n\nPriority goes to families at or below 300% of the federal poverty level. The credit is application-based and first-come, first-served through the Idaho State Tax Commission, and the application windows have shifted as the program is refined — confirm the current dates at tax.idaho.gov before applying. (Idaho's earlier Empowering Parents microgrant was ended in the 2025 legislative session; prior recipients have a limited window to spend remaining funds.)","umbrella_summary":null,"filing_deadlines":{},"required_documents":[],"special_notes":"No notification, no registration, no testing, and no subject list. Idaho Code 33-202 asks only that a child be \"instructed in subjects commonly and usually taught in the public schools of the state of Idaho\". That is a general standard with no list of subjects. The State Department of Education says: \"the state of Idaho does not have a set curriculum to be followed for homeschool education.\"","withdrawal_process":"Idaho requires no notice or registration. If your child is enrolled in public school, send the school a dated withdrawal letter so attendance records close cleanly, and keep a copy. There is nothing to file with a district or the state.","gotchas":[{"title":"Reading 'no requirements' as 'no expectations'","body":"Idaho asks for no notice and collects nothing, but the statute still expects instruction in the subjects commonly taught in public schools. Nobody checks. The standard is what a truancy question would be measured against.","applies_to":["overview"]},{"title":"Reaching high school with no paper trail","body":"Idaho's light regulation makes it easy to arrive at eleventh grade with no grades, no credit tally, and no course list. Start a credit sheet in ninth grade. Rebuilding four years from memory for a college application is the version of this nobody enjoys.","applies_to":["record_keeping"]}],"source_urls":[{"url":"https://hslda.org/legal/idaho","name":"HSLDA"},{"url":"https://www.sde.idaho.gov/about-us/departments/school-choice/home-school/","name":"State Department of Education"}],"sports":{"access_level":"conditional","statute_citation":"Idaho Code § 33-203(4) and (9)","athletic_association":null,"conditions":"Explicitly NOT required to take a public school class to participate in sports. Where an activity carries academic qualifications, the student must demonstrate average or grade-level performance by standardized test or portfolio, valid for the current and following school year.","source_url":"https://hslda.org/post/public-school-access-for-homeschoolers-in-idaho","verified_on":"2026-08-08","confidence":"high"},"editorial":{"schema_version":"1","last_verified_at":"2026-09-25"}},{"abbreviation":"IL","name":"Illinois","compulsory_age_range":"6-17","notice":{"required":false,"type":"none","frequency":"none"},"requirements":{"hours_per_year":null,"core_hours_per_year":null,"secondary_hours_per_year":null,"days_per_year":null,"hours_per_day":null,"subjects":["language arts","math","science","social studies","fine arts","health","physical education"]},"assessment":{"type":"none","frequency":"none","description":null},"portfolio":{"required":false,"records_required":false,"description":null},"reporting":{"frequency":"none"},"esa":{"program_name":null,"amount_cents":null,"eligibility":null,"url":null},"tax_credit_summary":"Illinois offers a homeschool-eligible Education Expense Credit under 35 ILCS 5/201(m). Track receipts for qualified educational expenses — curriculum, books, lab supplies — during the year. The credit pays 25% of expenses above a $250 per-family floor, capped at $750 total per return. Children must be under 21 and Illinois residents enrolled at least half-time in K-12 instruction.\n\nCredit is non-refundable (it offsets income tax owed but doesn't generate a refund), so its real value depends on your tax liability. Claim on Schedule ICR with your IL-1040. Save receipts for at least three years in case the Department of Revenue asks for documentation.","umbrella_summary":null,"filing_deadlines":{},"required_documents":[],"special_notes":"No notification required. Instruction in English on required subjects.","withdrawal_process":"Illinois requires no notice or registration, but if your child is enrolled in public school, send the school a dated letter stating your child now attends a private (home) school so attendance records close cleanly. Keep a copy. There is nothing to file with the district or the state.","gotchas":[{"title":"Overlooking the English requirement","body":"Illinois asks little, and the one firm piece is that instruction in the required branches happens in English. Families teaching primarily in another language should read that line carefully.","applies_to":["overview","subjects"]},{"title":"There is nothing to show a sports league","body":"Illinois has no registration, so there is no letter, no ID, and nothing to show a curious relative or a sports league. Families who want documentation usually keep their own dated records and a simple annual summary.","applies_to":["overview","record_keeping"]},{"title":"Skipping the subjects that feel optional","body":"The Illinois list runs to language arts, math, science, social studies, fine arts, health, and physical education. Fine arts and PE are the two that quietly go untaught, and they are on the list with the rest.","applies_to":["subjects"]}],"source_urls":[{"url":"https://hslda.org/legal/illinois","name":"HSLDA"},{"url":"https://www.isbe.net/Pages/Homeschool.aspx","name":"State Department of Education"}],"sports":{"access_level":"conditional","statute_citation":"IHSA Home School Fact Sheet (association rule; no statute cited)","athletic_association":"Illinois High School Association (IHSA)","conditions":"Part-time enrollment required: must enroll at the member high school and take and pass at least one course there per semester; 25 credit hours weekly minimum; graduation credit from the member school; full IHSA eligibility bylaws; applicable tuition and fees.","source_url":"https://hslda.org/post/public-school-access-for-homeschoolers-in-illinois","verified_on":"2026-08-08","confidence":"high"},"editorial":{"schema_version":"1","last_verified_at":"2026-09-21"}},{"abbreviation":"IN","name":"Indiana","compulsory_age_range":"7-18","notice":{"required":false,"type":"none","frequency":"none"},"requirements":{"hours_per_year":null,"core_hours_per_year":null,"secondary_hours_per_year":null,"days_per_year":180,"hours_per_day":null,"subjects":[]},"assessment":{"type":"none","frequency":"none","description":null},"portfolio":{"required":false,"records_required":true,"description":null},"reporting":{"frequency":"none"},"esa":{"program_name":"Indiana Education Scholarship Account (INESA)","amount_cents":800000,"homeschool_access":"open","eligibility":"Targeted at students with documented disabilities (IEP, Service Plan, or Choice Special Education Plan) and their siblings. The disabled student receives up to $20,000; eligible siblings up to $8,000. Household income must be under 400% of the federal free/reduced-lunch threshold. Indiana homeschool families can use INESA without enrolling in an accredited school — funds are managed by the parent through ClassWallet.\n\nThe program is one of the more homeschool-friendly ESAs structurally — Indiana keeps homeschool legal status intact, and you choose your own curriculum, providers, and pace. The catch is documentation: eligibility hinges on a current public-school disability determination, which means routing the child through public-school evaluation even if you intend to homeschool. Approved expenses are still curated, and you cannot pay yourself or another family member to teach.","url":"https://www.in.gov/doe/eoq/esa"},"tax_credit_summary":"Indiana offers a $1,000-per-dependent income tax deduction for private school tuition and homeschool expenses under IN Code 6-3-2-22. Both private school families and homeschoolers qualify, and the deduction stacks across multiple children — three homeschool kids gets you $3,000 off your Indiana taxable income.\n\nQualifying expenses include curriculum, textbooks, software, tutoring, supplies, and other education costs paid out of pocket. Keep receipts for documentation. The deduction is taken on Schedule 6 of the Indiana IT-40 and reduces Indiana taxable income before the state's flat tax rate applies, so the cash value is the deduction amount times your state rate (~3.05% for 2025-26).","umbrella_summary":null,"filing_deadlines":{},"required_documents":[],"special_notes":"No notification required unless withdrawing from public school. 180 days of instruction required. Must maintain attendance records. Instruction in English.","withdrawal_process":"Indiana requires no notice to start homeschooling, but if your child is enrolled in public school, notify the school of the withdrawal so it isn't recorded as truancy; the school may report the withdrawal to the state. Keep your own dated record of the withdrawal and begin your 180-day attendance log immediately.","gotchas":[{"title":"No filing, and still 180 days on record","body":"Indiana asks for no filing to start, and it does require 180 days of instruction with attendance records you keep. The state can request them. Families who track nothing because nothing gets submitted have the requirement backwards.","applies_to":["overview","hours","record_keeping"]},{"title":"Withdrawing without telling anyone","body":"There is no notice to begin homeschooling in Indiana, but a child already enrolled needs a formal withdrawal so the school stops counting absences. Send it in writing and keep the copy.","applies_to":["overview"]}],"source_urls":[{"url":"https://hslda.org/legal/indiana","name":"HSLDA"},{"url":"https://www.in.gov/doe/students/homeschool-information/","name":"State Department of Education"}],"sports":{"access_level":"district_discretion","statute_citation":null,"athletic_association":null,"conditions":"No state law grants the right; individual schools and districts decide whether to allow participation.","source_url":"https://hslda.org/post/public-school-access-for-homeschoolers-in-indiana","verified_on":"2026-08-08","confidence":"high"},"editorial":{"schema_version":"1","last_verified_at":"2026-09-21"}},{"abbreviation":"IA","name":"Iowa","compulsory_age_range":"6-16","notice":{"required":false,"type":"none","frequency":"none"},"requirements":{"hours_per_year":null,"core_hours_per_year":null,"secondary_hours_per_year":null,"days_per_year":null,"hours_per_day":null,"subjects":["reading","language arts","math","science","social studies"]},"assessment":{"type":"none","frequency":"none","description":"Under Independent Private Instruction (IPI), Iowa requires no assessment. Families on Competent Private Instruction (CPI) with reporting, the option that allows dual enrollment, complete an annual assessment by May 31 (a standardized test, a portfolio evaluation, or a report card or transcript from an accredited correspondence school) and send the results to the district by August 1."},"portfolio":{"required":false,"records_required":false,"description":"Iowa doesn't prescribe a specific portfolio format. Families using CPI with an evaluator keep work samples that the evaluator reviews; IPI families aren't required to submit records."},"reporting":{"frequency":"none"},"esa":{"program_name":"Iowa Students First Education Savings Account","amount_cents":null,"homeschool_access":"closed","eligibility":"Universal as of 2025-26 — every K-12 Iowa resident qualifies for $8,148 per year in 2026-27 (up from $7,826 in 2025-26). But the program is structured around enrollment in an accredited nonpublic school: students must attend at least 75% of a full-time schedule, and tuition is paid directly through the Odyssey portal. Pure homeschoolers cannot participate.\n\nFor an Iowa homeschool family this means the ESA is essentially a private-school voucher in ESA clothing. To take the funds you'd give up homeschool legal status entirely and enroll in a participating accredited private school — a fundamentally different educational path. If that's not what you want, the program isn't for you, and Iowa's existing IPI / CPI homeschool routes remain the right fit.","url":"https://educate.iowa.gov/pk-12/educational-choice/education-savings-accounts"},"tax_credit_summary":"Iowa's Tuition and Textbook Credit under Iowa Code 422.12(2) is homeschool-eligible — though the credit is for the textbook side, not tuition (homeschool families don't pay tuition). The credit is 25% of the first $2,000 in qualifying expenses per dependent, capped at $500 per child.\n\nQualifying expenses include textbooks, instructional materials, supplies, and certain extracurricular fees. Curriculum costs typically qualify; standardized testing fees and tutoring services generally do too. Claim on Iowa form IA 1040 line 65 and keep receipts. The credit is non-refundable — it offsets Iowa income tax owed but won't generate a refund beyond your liability.","umbrella_summary":null,"filing_deadlines":{},"required_documents":[],"special_notes":"Iowa has five homeschool options, and the requirements on this page follow Independent Private Instruction (IPI) under Iowa Code 299A.1(2)(b): teach mathematics, reading and language arts, science, and social studies, and give the superintendent or the Department of Education a report only if one asks in writing. Competent Private Instruction (CPI) with reporting, the option families choose for dual enrollment, adds Form A with the district by September 1, at least 148 days of instruction with 37 in each quarter, and an annual assessment reported by August 1. HF 2754 (signed 2026-05-12) removed the old limits on IPI providers, who may now teach more than four unrelated students and charge tuition or fees. It also added Iowa Code 299A.13 and 299A.14: a parent-issued diploma or transcript must be accepted for college admission, employment, and occupational licensing the same as an accredited school's, with no HSED required, and parents may sign placement and grade-verification paperwork themselves.","withdrawal_process":"Under Independent Private Instruction (IPI) you file nothing with the district, but notify your child's current school so attendance closes. Competent Private Instruction with reporting, the option for dual enrollment, files Form A with the district by September 1. Either way, send the withdrawal notice before you stop attending and keep a copy.","gotchas":[{"title":"Not knowing which Iowa option you are under","body":"Iowa has five options, and the paperwork runs from none to a good deal. Independent Private Instruction files nothing and proves nothing to the district. Competent Private Instruction with reporting files Form A, keeps at least 148 days, and submits an annual assessment, and it is the option that opens dual enrollment. Choose it when you want what it unlocks, since the assessment comes with the form.","applies_to":["overview"]},{"title":"Assuming the 2026 change affects your filing","body":"HF 2754 lifted the old limits on independent private instruction providers, so they may now teach more than four unrelated students and charge tuition. It changed the provider rules, and it left your household filing obligations where they were.","applies_to":["overview"]}],"source_urls":[{"url":"https://hslda.org/legal/iowa","name":"HSLDA"},{"url":"https://educate.iowa.gov/pk-12/educational-choice/homeschooling","name":"State Department of Education"}],"sports":{"access_level":"conditional","statute_citation":"Iowa Code §§ 256.46, 299A.8; Iowa Admin. Code §§ 281-31.5 to -31.6","athletic_association":null,"conditions":"Dual enrollment required. Available only to students homeschooling under options OTHER THAN Independent Private Instruction or Opt Out.","source_url":"https://hslda.org/post/public-school-access-for-homeschoolers-in-iowa","verified_on":"2026-08-08","confidence":"high"},"editorial":{"schema_version":"1","last_verified_at":"2026-09-19"}},{"abbreviation":"KS","name":"Kansas","compulsory_age_range":"7-18","notice":{"required":true,"type":"state","frequency":"once"},"requirements":{"hours_per_year":1116,"core_hours_per_year":null,"secondary_hours_per_year":null,"days_per_year":186,"hours_or_days":true,"hours_per_day":null,"subjects":[]},"assessment":{"type":"none","frequency":"none","description":null},"portfolio":{"required":false,"records_required":false,"description":null},"reporting":{"frequency":"none"},"esa":{"program_name":null,"amount_cents":null,"eligibility":null,"url":null},"tax_credit_summary":null,"umbrella_summary":null,"filing_deadlines":{},"required_documents":[],"special_notes":"Register once as a non-accredited private school with the State Board of Education. K.S.A. 72-3120(a)(2) asks that instruction run \"for a period of time which is substantially equivalent to the period of time public school is maintained in the school district\", so the yardstick is your own district's calendar. The Department of Education states that yardstick as \"at least 186 days of not less than 6 hours per day, or 1116 hours per year for grades 1-11\": days or hours, not both. Kansas sets no subjects and requires no testing.","withdrawal_process":"Kansas homeschools operate as non-accredited private schools. Register your school's name and address with the State Board of Education, then notify your child's current school so attendance reflects the change. Keep your registration confirmation.","gotchas":[{"title":"Thinking of it as registering a homeschool","body":"Kansas has you register as a non-accredited private school with the State Board of Education, naming the school and a competent instructor. The framing matters: your records, your school year, and your instruction are the school's, and that is the standard the statute measures.","applies_to":["overview","letter_of_intent"]},{"title":"Reading the 186 days and the 1,116 hours as one requirement","body":"Kansas measures a school term either way. K.S.A. 72-3115(a) sets 186 days for grades 1 through 11, and (b) lets a district adopt an hours policy of 1,116 hours instead. The Department of Education joins them with \"or\", and your duty is only to run \"substantially equivalent\" time to your own district. Pick the measure your district uses and count against that one.","applies_to":["hours"]}],"source_urls":[{"url":"https://hslda.org/legal/kansas","name":"HSLDA"},{"url":"https://www.ksde.gov/student-success/learning-alternatives/nonaccredited-private-schools","name":"State Department of Education"}],"sports":{"access_level":"conditional","statute_citation":"Kan. Stat. § 72-7121","athletic_association":null,"conditions":"You must live in the district and be enrolled in a nonpublic school — your homeschool satisfies that. You also need to show satisfactory progress toward the next grade level, verified by a parent affidavit or transcript, pay the same fees as other students, and meet the same tryout requirements. Participation is at the school matching your residence.","source_url":"https://hslda.org/post/public-school-access-for-homeschoolers-in-kansas","verified_on":"2026-08-08","confidence":"high"},"editorial":{"schema_version":"1","last_verified_at":"2026-09-25"}},{"abbreviation":"KY","name":"Kentucky","compulsory_age_range":"6-18","notice":{"required":true,"type":"school_district","frequency":"annual"},"requirements":{"hours_per_year":null,"core_hours_per_year":null,"secondary_hours_per_year":null,"days_per_year":null,"hours_per_day":null,"subjects":[]},"assessment":{"type":"none","frequency":"none","description":null},"portfolio":{"required":false,"records_required":true,"description":null},"reporting":{"frequency":"none"},"esa":{"program_name":null,"amount_cents":null,"eligibility":null,"url":null},"tax_credit_summary":null,"umbrella_summary":null,"filing_deadlines":{},"required_documents":[],"special_notes":"Kentucky sets no school term, hours, or subjects for an ordinary homeschool. The Department of Education's homeschool packet says it plainly: \"While there is not a minimum school term required for non-certified homeschools, the KDE recommends that all homeschools meet the day and hour of instruction minimums outlined above.\" Those minimums, 1,062 hours across at least 170 attendance days, bind a homeschool that has voluntarily sought certification under KRS 156.160(2), which few families do. What every family owes is the notice to the local superintendent within the first two weeks of the school year (or within two weeks of withdrawing from public school), and attendance and scholarship records kept and open to inspection under KRS 159.040.","withdrawal_process":"If your child is enrolled in a Kentucky public school, send a written notice to your local superintendent within the first two weeks of your school year, or within two weeks of withdrawing if you leave mid-year, and notify the current school so attendance reflects the change. Keep a copy. KRS 159.040 asks you to keep attendance and scholarship records and have them open to inspection, so start them the day you begin.","gotchas":[{"title":"Taking the certified school's calendar for your own","body":"The 1,062 hours across 170 days that circulates as Kentucky's homeschool minimum comes from KRS 158.070 by way of KRS 158.080, which reaches private and parochial schools that have voluntarily certified under KRS 156.160(2). KDE says there is no minimum school term for a non-certified homeschool, which is what nearly every family is. The older 185-day figure is staler still: it belonged to year-round schools and SB 81 deleted it in 2023.","applies_to":["overview"]},{"title":"The notice window opens after you start","body":"Kentucky wants a short notice to your local superintendent within the first two weeks of your school year, and again each year. If you withdraw from public school mid-year, the two weeks run from the withdrawal. Put the date on your calendar the day you start.","applies_to":["letter_of_intent"]},{"title":"Assuming the records get submitted","body":"Kentucky asks you to keep attendance and grades, and it does not ask you to send them anywhere. Have them on hand. That distinction is why families under-keep them for years and then scramble.","applies_to":["record_keeping"]}],"source_urls":[{"url":"https://hslda.org/legal/kentucky","name":"HSLDA"},{"url":"https://www.education.ky.gov/federal/Pages/Homeschool.aspx","name":"State Department of Education"},{"url":"https://codes.findlaw.com/ky/title-xiii-education/ky-rev-st-sect-158-070/","name":"KRS 158.070 (student instructional year)"},{"url":"https://education.ky.gov/federal/Documents/Kentucky%20Homeschool%20Information%20Packet.pdf","name":"KDE Homeschool Information Packet"}],"sports":{"access_level":"district_discretion","statute_citation":null,"athletic_association":null,"conditions":"No state law grants homeschool students the right to participate; individual schools and districts decide.","source_url":"https://hslda.org/post/public-school-access-for-homeschoolers-in-kentucky","verified_on":"2026-08-08","confidence":"medium"},"editorial":{"schema_version":"1","last_verified_at":"2026-10-19"}},{"abbreviation":"LA","name":"Louisiana","compulsory_age_range":"5-18","notice":{"required":true,"type":"state","frequency":"annual"},"requirements":{"hours_per_year":null,"core_hours_per_year":null,"secondary_hours_per_year":null,"days_per_year":180,"hours_per_day":null,"subjects":[]},"assessment":{"type":"none","frequency":"none","description":null},"portfolio":{"required":false,"records_required":false,"description":null},"reporting":{"frequency":"none"},"esa":{"program_name":"LA GATOR Scholarship Program","amount_cents":null,"homeschool_access":"status_change","eligibility":"Phased rollout reaches families up to 400% FPL in Phase 2 (2026-27); Phase 1 prioritized students from low-performing schools and families ≤250% FPL. Award is income-tiered, roughly $5,243–$7,626 per student (up to ~$15,253 for students with documented disabilities). Funds may be used for curriculum, tutoring, therapy, testing, and tuition at participating private schools through the Odyssey vendor portal.\n\nThe legal-status tradeoff is the central catch for Louisiana homeschoolers. A student receiving GATOR funds cannot remain enrolled in BESE-approved Home Study or in the non-public-school-not-seeking-approval path — the two cannot be held concurrently. GATOR participants are subject to state-mandated norm-referenced testing, vendor approval through Odyssey, and program reporting. For families currently using Louisiana's existing home-study route, taking GATOR means stepping out of that legal track for the duration of participation; for families willing to accept the testing and vendor restrictions, the dollars are real.","url":"https://doe.louisiana.gov/topic-pages/louisiana-school-choice/la-gator"},"tax_credit_summary":"Louisiana's deduction for home-schooled children's educational expenses under R.S. 47:297.11 lets a family deduct 50 percent of qualified expenses per child, capped at $6,000 per child per year and at the family's taxable income. Three children can cut Louisiana taxable income by up to $18,000.\n\nThe statute names textbooks and curricula as qualified expenses. The Department of Revenue says the taxpayer must be approved by BESE for home-schooling, so the deduction fits BESE-approved home study. A family on the nonpublic school route, which does not seek state approval, does not meet that test. Claim it on Schedule E of Form IT-540, attach the School Expense Deduction Worksheet, and keep every receipt. There is no income limit; the cash value is the deduction times your Louisiana tax rate.","umbrella_summary":null,"filing_deadlines":{},"required_documents":[],"special_notes":"Louisiana has two homeschool routes, and the requirements on this page follow the one more families use: a nonpublic school not seeking state approval, which files an enrollment submission with the Louisiana Department of Education each year. BESE-approved home study (R.S. 17:236.1) is an application renewed every year and approved when the program offers a sustained curriculum at least equal to the public schools'. The Department holds both routes to 180 days of instruction.","withdrawal_process":"What you file after leaving a Louisiana public school depends on your route. A nonpublic school not seeking state approval, the route more families use, files an enrollment submission with the Department of Education. BESE-approved home study needs an application within 15 days of starting, then a renewal each year. Either way, notify your child's current public school so attendance reflects the change, and keep a copy of what you file.","gotchas":[{"title":"Assuming every Louisiana homeschool applies for approval","body":"Louisiana has two routes. BESE-approved home study is an application the state grants and renews each year, closer to a license than a notice. A nonpublic school not seeking state approval, the route more Louisiana families use, files an enrollment submission with the Department of Education instead. Know which route you are on before you plan the year's paperwork.","applies_to":["overview","letter_of_intent"]},{"title":"Letting the home study renewal slide","body":"Under BESE-approved home study, approval lapses if the annual application does not go in. Families who filed once and assumed the status carried forward are the ones who find out in October that they are unapproved.","applies_to":["overview"]},{"title":"Counting days and skipping the evidence","body":"The Department holds both Louisiana routes to 180 days: home study programs \"must maintain 180 instructional days\", and a nonpublic school not seeking approval must \"operate a minimum session of not less than one hundred eighty days.\" For home study, the renewal also rests on R.S. 17:236.1's test of a sustained curriculum at least equal to the public schools': subject outlines, book lists, work samples. Build that as you go.","applies_to":["record_keeping"]}],"source_urls":[{"url":"https://hslda.org/legal/louisiana","name":"HSLDA"},{"url":"https://doe.louisiana.gov/topic-pages/louisiana-school-choice/home-study","name":"State Department of Education"}],"sports":{"access_level":"full","statute_citation":"La. R.S. 17:176.2 (effective 2024-08-01)","athletic_association":null,"conditions":"A public school SHALL NOT disqualify a student from extracurricular activities or interscholastic athletics solely because the student is enrolled in an approved home study program, so long as the student lives in the attendance zone. Same tryout/application process, minimum GPA and disciplinary standards as enrolled participants.","source_url":"https://hslda.org/post/public-school-access-for-homeschoolers-in-louisiana","verified_on":"2026-08-08","confidence":"high"},"editorial":{"schema_version":"1","last_verified_at":"2026-09-25"}},{"abbreviation":"ME","name":"Maine","compulsory_age_range":"6-17","notice":{"required":true,"type":"both","frequency":"annual"},"requirements":{"hours_per_year":null,"core_hours_per_year":null,"secondary_hours_per_year":null,"days_per_year":175,"hours_per_day":null,"subjects":["english","math","science","social studies","health","physical education","fine arts","library skills","maine studies","computer proficiency"]},"assessment":{"type":"choice","frequency":"annual","description":"Maine requires one annual assessment. Your first notice of intent needs only a statement that the program will include one. Each year after that, you enclose the assessment with the letter of intent you file by September 1. The options are a standardized achievement test given through your school unit or another arrangement the commissioner approves, a test your school unit develops, a review and acceptance of your child's progress by someone who holds a current Maine teacher's certificate, a portfolio review by a homeschool support group that includes a certified Maine teacher or administrator, or a review by a local advisory board the superintendent selects. A test given through the school unit, a test the unit develops, and the advisory board review all need the unit's agreement before you file the notice.","allows_portfolio":true},"portfolio":{"required":false,"records_required":true,"description":"Maine requires no portfolio of student work. You must keep a copy of every notice of intent and every annual assessment you file until home instruction ends, and show them to the commissioner if asked."},"reporting":{"frequency":"annual"},"esa":{"program_name":null,"amount_cents":null,"eligibility":null,"url":null},"tax_credit_summary":null,"umbrella_summary":null,"filing_deadlines":{},"required_documents":[],"special_notes":"Annual notice of intent and annual assessment, with several ways to meet the assessment. Your first notice is due within 10 calendar days of starting home instruction. Each year after that, a letter of intent to continue, with the prior year's assessment enclosed, is due by September 1. The statute sends it to both the commissioner and the school unit; one filing through the Department's Home Instruction Portal covers both, and a paper notice goes to the superintendent's office only.","withdrawal_process":"Maine requires written notice within 10 calendar days of starting, for both the local school unit and the Department of Education commissioner. One filing through the Department's Home Instruction Portal reaches both, and a paper notice goes to the superintendent's office only. Notify the current school so attendance reflects the change, and keep a copy. An annual assessment follows, and you enclose it with the next year's letter of intent, due by September 1.","gotchas":[{"title":"Mailing the Department a duplicate notice","body":"The statute sends Maine's notice to both the commissioner and your school unit, and the Department handles that for you. One filing through the Home Instruction Portal \"serves as notification to both\". A paper notice goes to the resident superintendent's office only, and the Department asks families not to send it a duplicate.","applies_to":["letter_of_intent"]},{"title":"Missing the September 1 renewal","body":"Your first notice is due within 10 calendar days of starting. After that the deadline changes: each year's letter of intent to continue, with the prior year's assessment enclosed, is due by September 1. Families who keep counting 10 days from their start date file late.","applies_to":["letter_of_intent"]},{"title":"Leaving the assessment choice until spring","body":"Maine gives you several ways to satisfy the annual assessment, including a standardized test, a certified teacher review, or a local advisory board review. Each has its own lead time. Pick yours in the fall.","applies_to":["annual_report"]}],"source_urls":[{"url":"https://hslda.org/legal/maine","name":"HSLDA"},{"url":"https://www.maine.gov/doe/schools/schoolops/homeinstruction","name":"State Department of Education"}],"sports":{"access_level":"conditional","statute_citation":"Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 20-A §§ 5021, 5021.5","athletic_association":"Maine Principals' Association (MPA)","conditions":"Superintendent approval is NOT required for a home instruction student to try out for extracurricular activities. Caveat from case law: a federal court held that if a homeschooler plays on a PRIVATE school team, the state sports association may disqualify that team from interscholastic competition.","source_url":"https://hslda.org/post/public-school-access-for-homeschoolers-in-maine","verified_on":"2026-08-08","confidence":"high"},"editorial":{"schema_version":"1","last_verified_at":"2026-10-06"}},{"abbreviation":"MD","name":"Maryland","compulsory_age_range":"5-18","notice":{"required":true,"type":"school_district","frequency":"annual"},"requirements":{"hours_per_year":null,"core_hours_per_year":null,"secondary_hours_per_year":null,"days_per_year":null,"hours_per_day":null,"subjects":["english","math","science","social studies","art","music","health","physical education"]},"assessment":{"type":"portfolio","frequency":"annual","description":"Maryland doesn't require standardized testing. Instead, the local school system reviews the portfolio at the end of each semester, at a time the family and the reviewer agree on, to confirm the student is receiving regular, thorough instruction. COMAR allows no more than three reviews in a school year."},"portfolio":{"required":true,"records_required":true,"description":"Under COMAR 13A.10.01, the portfolio includes materials used for instruction — texts and reading lists — plus student work samples such as writings, worksheets, creative projects, and assessments. It stays at home and is shown at the scheduled review."},"reporting":{"frequency":"none"},"esa":{"program_name":null,"amount_cents":null,"eligibility":null,"url":null},"tax_credit_summary":null,"umbrella_summary":"Maryland's homeschool regulations (COMAR 13A.10.01.01) give families four supervision routes. The first is local school system supervision: you file with the county superintendent and have a county reviewer look over your portfolio at the end of each semester, with no more than three reviews a year. The other three put you under a supervising nonpublic school or institution instead: an MSDE-approved nonpublic school, a church-exempt nonpublic school, or a bona fide church organization's education ministry. Under all four you still file the MSDE notification with your county superintendent, because COMAR 13A.10.01.05A keeps that filing in force.\n\nDay to day you still teach your own child and pick your own curriculum. What changes is who handles the regulatory side: the supervising school verifies its list of home-instruction students with your local superintendent each year (COMAR 13A.10.01.05C), and COMAR asks it for conferences and progress reports rather than the county's portfolio reviews. Most umbrellas charge an annual enrollment fee and have their own portfolio standards, sample-submission cadence, and curriculum or testing expectations. MSDE publishes a list of approved umbrella programs; many Maryland families pick this path specifically to step out of county-level reviews.","filing_deadlines":{},"required_documents":[],"special_notes":"Notify the superintendent 15 days before starting, then verify each year before the school year begins that you're continuing. The county reviews the portfolio at the end of each semester, with no more than three reviews in a school year. Regular and thorough instruction required. Four homeschool options available.","withdrawal_process":"If your child is enrolled in a Maryland public school, file the home-instruction notification with the county superintendent at least 15 days before you begin. You file it even under a supervising nonpublic school, since COMAR 13A.10.01.05A keeps that requirement in force. Then notify the current school so attendance reflects the change. Keep a copy. Portfolio reviews follow on the county's schedule, or your supervising school's conferences and progress reports instead. Before each school year after the first, verify with your superintendent or supervising school that you're continuing.","gotchas":[{"title":"Expecting one review a year","body":"The county reviews your portfolio at the end of each semester, and COMAR allows up to three reviews in a school year. Families expecting one spring check find themselves assembling a portfolio at midyear.","applies_to":["record_keeping"]},{"title":"Filing on the day you start","body":"Notice goes to the superintendent 15 days before you begin. It is a short lead time and an easy one to lose when a mid-year decision comes together fast.","applies_to":["letter_of_intent"]},{"title":"Not comparing the umbrella options","body":"Maryland's four paths change who reviews your portfolio, and an umbrella program can move the review out of the district entirely. That is worth comparing before your first review rather than after.","applies_to":["overview"]}],"source_urls":[{"url":"https://hslda.org/legal/maryland","name":"HSLDA"},{"url":"https://www.marylandpublicschools.org/about/Pages/DSFSS/SSSP/HomeInstruct/index.aspx","name":"State Department of Education"}],"sports":{"access_level":"unclear","statute_citation":null,"athletic_association":"Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association (MPSSAA)","conditions":null,"source_url":"https://hslda.org/post/public-school-access-for-homeschoolers-in-maryland","verified_on":"2026-08-08","confidence":"low"},"editorial":{"schema_version":"1","last_verified_at":"2026-09-25"}},{"abbreviation":"MA","name":"Massachusetts","compulsory_age_range":"6-16","notice":{"required":true,"type":"school_district","frequency":"annual","approval_required":true},"requirements":{"hours_per_year":null,"core_hours_per_year":null,"secondary_hours_per_year":null,"days_per_year":null,"hours_per_day":null,"subjects":["spelling","reading","writing","english grammar","geography","arithmetic","drawing","music","united states history","citizenship","health","physical education"]},"assessment":{"type":"none","frequency":"none","description":"Massachusetts has no statewide assessment rule. Under *Care \u0026 Protection of Charles* (the 1987 case DESE cites as controlling), your local superintendent or school committee approves a plan that covers subjects, materials, duration, methods, and evaluation. Common evaluation methods include a standardized test, dated work samples or a portfolio, or a written progress report — which specific one applies is worked out with your district."},"portfolio":{"required":false,"records_required":false,"description":null},"reporting":{"frequency":"none"},"esa":{"program_name":null,"amount_cents":null,"eligibility":null,"url":null},"tax_credit_summary":null,"umbrella_summary":null,"filing_deadlines":{"education_plan":"Before starting homeschooling (school committee approval required)"},"required_documents":[{"due":"Before starting homeschooling","type":"education_plan","label":"Education Plan","frequency":"annual","description":"Proposed education plan submitted to your school committee or superintendent for approval before homeschooling begins.","per_student":false}],"special_notes":"Must seek approval from local school committee before starting. No statutory hour or day minimum — under Care \u0026 Protection of Charles, districts may consider duration but can't impose rigid quotas. Many families use 900 hours / 180 days as a non-binding planning benchmark drawn from public-school standards.","withdrawal_process":"Massachusetts requires the superintendent or school committee to approve your education plan before you begin, so withdraw only once approval is in hand to avoid a truancy gap. Submit the plan, get written approval, then notify the current school so attendance reflects the change, and keep copies of both. Under Care \u0026 Protection of Charles, approval cannot be withheld unreasonably.","gotchas":[{"title":"Starting before the school committee approves","body":"Massachusetts is an approval state, and the education plan goes to your local school committee before instruction begins. Approval can take weeks. Submit early in the summer if you are starting in September.","applies_to":["overview","letter_of_intent"]},{"title":"Accepting a rigid hour quota","body":"Massachusetts sets no statutory hour or day minimum. Under Care and Protection of Charles a district may consider duration, and it cannot impose a fixed quota. Many families use 900 hours and 180 days as a planning benchmark, and it helps to know that is a benchmark you chose.","applies_to":["overview"]},{"title":"Writing a plan longer than it needs to be","body":"The education plan covers your subjects, materials, and how you will evaluate progress. A detailed plan invites detailed follow-up. Complete and plain gets approved more smoothly than exhaustive.","applies_to":["letter_of_intent"]}],"source_urls":[{"url":"https://hslda.org/legal/massachusetts","name":"HSLDA"},{"url":"https://www.doe.mass.edu/homeschool/","name":"State Department of Education"}],"sports":{"access_level":"district_discretion","statute_citation":null,"athletic_association":"Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA)","conditions":"MIAA permits participation provided the student complies with the individual school's policy. Trial-court rulings compelling access apply only to specific districts, not statewide.","source_url":"https://hslda.org/post/public-school-access-for-homeschoolers-in-massachusetts","verified_on":"2026-08-08","confidence":"high"},"editorial":{"schema_version":"1","last_verified_at":"2026-10-29"}},{"abbreviation":"MI","name":"Michigan","compulsory_age_range":"6-18","notice":{"required":false,"type":"none","frequency":"none"},"requirements":{"hours_per_year":null,"core_hours_per_year":null,"secondary_hours_per_year":null,"days_per_year":null,"hours_per_day":null,"subjects":["reading","spelling","math","science","history","civics","literature","writing","english grammar"]},"assessment":{"type":"none","frequency":"none","description":null},"portfolio":{"required":false,"records_required":false,"description":null},"reporting":{"frequency":"none"},"esa":{"program_name":null,"amount_cents":null,"eligibility":null,"url":null},"tax_credit_summary":null,"umbrella_summary":null,"filing_deadlines":{},"required_documents":[],"special_notes":"No notice under the home-education route, MCL 380.1561(3)(f): you teach an organized educational program in nine subjects. The standard of subjects \"comparable to those taught in the public schools\" belongs to the separate state-approved nonpublic-school route, MCL 380.1561(3)(a).","withdrawal_process":"Michigan requires no notice under the home-education option, but if your child is enrolled in public school, send the school a dated withdrawal letter so attendance records close and you avoid a truancy referral. Keep a copy. Michigan's separate nonpublic-school option does involve notice and teacher-certification expectations; the home-education option above does not.","gotchas":[{"title":"Applying the nonpublic-school \"comparable\" test to home education","body":"MCL 380.1561(3)(f) asks home-educating parents for an organized educational program in reading, spelling, mathematics, science, history, civics, literature, writing, and English grammar. The line about subjects comparable to the public schools sits in (3)(a), the nonpublic-school route. Under (3)(f) you pick the method, materials, and schedule, and you still teach all nine subjects.","applies_to":["overview","subjects"]},{"title":"Confusing the homeschool and nonpublic school routes","body":"Michigan families can operate under the homeschool provision or as a nonpublic school, and the second carries reporting the first does not. Know which one you are claiming before a district asks.","applies_to":["overview"]}],"source_urls":[{"url":"https://hslda.org/legal/michigan","name":"HSLDA"},{"url":"https://www.michigan.gov/mde/services/flexible-learning/options/nonpub-home","name":"State Department of Education"}],"sports":{"access_level":"district_discretion","statute_citation":null,"athletic_association":null,"conditions":"A public school may grant a homeschool student access to interscholastic sports, but home education students have no right to participate. PE courses available as an alternative.","source_url":"https://hslda.org/post/public-school-access-for-homeschoolers-in-michigan","verified_on":"2026-08-08","confidence":"high"},"editorial":{"schema_version":"1","last_verified_at":"2026-09-19"}},{"abbreviation":"MN","name":"Minnesota","compulsory_age_range":"7-17","notice":{"required":true,"type":"school_district","frequency":"annual"},"requirements":{"hours_per_year":null,"core_hours_per_year":null,"secondary_hours_per_year":null,"days_per_year":null,"hours_per_day":null,"subjects":["reading","writing","literature","fine arts","math","science","history","geography","economics","government","citizenship","health","physical education"]},"assessment":{"type":"standardized_test","frequency":"annual","description":"Minnesota requires an annual nationally norm-referenced achievement test, with the specific test agreed on between you and the superintendent. Results stay with the family — they aren't submitted to the district."},"portfolio":{"required":false,"records_required":true,"description":"Under Minn. Stat. 120A.24, subd. 2, families keep documentation showing each required subject is being taught: class schedules, instructional materials, and how you measure the child's progress. Records come out only if a child re-enrolls in public school or a county attorney opens a case."},"reporting":{"frequency":"none"},"esa":{"program_name":null,"amount_cents":null,"eligibility":null,"url":null},"tax_credit_summary":"Minnesota gives homeschool families two stackable tax mechanisms — the K-12 Education Credit (Minn. Stat. 290.0674) and the K-12 Education Subtraction (Minn. Stat. 290.01 subd. 19b). Both are homeschool-eligible.\n\nThe Credit is income-tested and refundable, paying up to $1,500 per child for qualifying expenses (curriculum, instructional materials, tutoring, music lessons, computer hardware/software, and certain extracurriculars). Phase-out begins around $33,500 of household income.\n\nThe Subtraction has no income limit. It reduces Minnesota taxable income by up to $1,625 per child in grades K-6 and up to $2,500 per child in grades 7-12 for the same categories of expenses. Most homeschool families qualify for the Subtraction even if they income out of the Credit. Claim both on Schedule M1ED — they stack on the same expenses up to each program's caps. Keep receipts for at least three and a half years.","umbrella_summary":null,"filing_deadlines":{},"required_documents":[],"special_notes":"Minnesota requires an annual nationally norm-referenced achievement test (Minn. Stat. 120A.22, subd. 11). You keep the results and don't submit them. By October 1 each year you send the superintendent a letter of intent to continue (120A.24, subd. 1(b)).","withdrawal_process":"File your initial report with the superintendent by October 1, or within 15 days of withdrawing mid-year. Under Minn. Stat. 120A.24, subd. 1(a) it gives the child's name, birth date, and address, the annual tests you plan to use, each instructor's name, and evidence of each instructor's qualification. Notify the current school so attendance reflects the change, and keep a copy. Each following year you file a brief letter of intent to continue by October 1.","gotchas":[{"title":"Treating the test as the whole year's paperwork","body":"Minnesota asks for two separate things each year: a standardized test you keep at home, and a letter of intent to your superintendent by October 1. The scores go to a school only if your child enrolls in public school, so keep them with your schedules and materials.","applies_to":["letter_of_intent","record_keeping"]},{"title":"Skimming a 13-subject list","body":"Minnesota names 13 subjects, including economics, government, and citizenship alongside the usual core. It is long enough that reading it once in September and setting up a subject for each beats trying to recall it in April.","applies_to":["subjects"]}],"source_urls":[{"url":"https://hslda.org/legal/minnesota","name":"HSLDA"},{"url":"https://education.mn.gov/mde/fam/nphs/home/","name":"State Department of Education"}],"sports":{"access_level":"conditional","statute_citation":"Minn. Stat. § 123B.49, Subd. 4(a)","athletic_association":null,"conditions":"The board must allow resident home-school students to fully participate in extracurricular activities on the same basis as public school students. Co-curricular activities are excluded.","source_url":"https://hslda.org/post/public-school-access-for-homeschoolers-in-minnesota","verified_on":"2026-08-08","confidence":"medium"},"editorial":{"schema_version":"1","last_verified_at":"2026-10-29"}},{"abbreviation":"MS","name":"Mississippi","compulsory_age_range":"6-17","notice":{"required":true,"type":"county","recipient_label":"your county school attendance officer","frequency":"annual"},"requirements":{"hours_per_year":null,"core_hours_per_year":null,"secondary_hours_per_year":null,"days_per_year":null,"hours_per_day":null,"subjects":[]},"assessment":{"type":"none","frequency":"none","description":null},"portfolio":{"required":false,"records_required":false,"description":null},"reporting":{"frequency":"none"},"esa":{"program_name":"Equal Opportunity for Students with Special Needs (ESA)","amount_cents":null,"homeschool_access":"closed","eligibility":"Targeted to special education only. Eligibility is limited to Mississippi students who have had an active Individualized Education Program (IEP) within the last three years. The award is roughly $8,007 per student per year (FY2026), but it does not reach a homeschooling family: the Department of Education's ESA FAQ says \"An eligible school does not include a home instruction program under Section 37-13-91\", the parent agrees not to file the homeschool certificate of enrollment, and the allowable-expense rules repeat that \"the student cannot be home schooled or enrolled in a public school and receive these funds.\" Taking it means enrolling in an eligible private school instead. There is no general-population ESA in Mississippi as of June 2026 — the proposed Magnolia Student Accounts legislation (HB2) died in committee in the 2026 session.\n\nFor an IEP-holding homeschool family the program is genuinely accessible, but the strings are non-trivial: participants must use the program's vendor list for therapies and curriculum, file annual progress documentation, and re-verify the qualifying disability on a set cadence. Funds left at year end revert to the state. Families without an active IEP have no path into this program; for them, Mississippi's existing homeschool law (Certificate of Enrollment by August 15) remains the operative framework.","url":"https://mdek12.org/specialeducation/esa/"},"tax_credit_summary":null,"umbrella_summary":null,"filing_deadlines":{"certificate_of_enrollment":"August 15"},"required_documents":[],"special_notes":"No statutory hour or day minimum — homeschool exemption in § 37-13-91(3)(c) is silent on instructional time. Certificate of Enrollment due to the district attendance officer by August 15 each year (SB 2103 moved it from September 15 starting in 2026).","withdrawal_process":"Mississippi requires a Certificate of Enrollment filed with your county school attendance officer by August 15 each year (SB 2103, 2026, moved it up from September 15). If your child is leaving public school, file the certificate and notify the current school so attendance reflects the change. Keep a copy.","gotchas":[{"title":"The certificate is due every August 15","body":"Mississippi's certificate of enrollment goes to your district attendance officer by August 15 each year, a month earlier than it was before SB 2103 (2026). It is one page and it is annual, and both the new date and the annual part are what families forget.","applies_to":["letter_of_intent"]},{"title":"Looking for an hour requirement that isn't there","body":"The Mississippi homeschool exemption says nothing about instructional time. No hours, no days. Families still find charts online listing a Mississippi hour figure, and it has no basis in the statute.","applies_to":["overview"]}],"source_urls":[{"url":"https://hslda.org/legal/mississippi","name":"HSLDA"},{"url":"https://mdek12.org/ocsa/home-school/","name":"State Department of Education"}],"sports":{"access_level":"district_discretion","statute_citation":null,"athletic_association":null,"conditions":"No state law grants homeschool students the right to participate; individual schools and districts decide.","source_url":"https://hslda.org/post/public-school-access-for-homeschoolers-in-mississippi","verified_on":"2026-08-08","confidence":"medium"},"editorial":{"schema_version":"1","last_verified_at":"2026-09-25"}},{"abbreviation":"MO","name":"Missouri","compulsory_age_range":"7-17","notice":{"required":false,"type":"none","frequency":"none"},"requirements":{"hours_per_year":1000,"core_hours_per_year":600,"core_hours_at_home_per_year":400,"secondary_hours_per_year":null,"days_per_year":null,"hours_per_day":null,"subjects":["reading","math","social studies","language arts","science"],"subjects_basis":"core_hours_pool"},"assessment":{"type":"none","frequency":"none","description":"Missouri doesn't require standardized testing. RSMo 167.012.2 asks you to keep \"a record of evaluations of the child's academic progress\", with no frequency, evaluator, or standard set. That can be a report card, a brief write-up of progress, saved quizzes or tests, or a standardized test if you prefer."},"portfolio":{"required":true,"records_required":true,"description":"Missouri law asks for three records kept at home: a plan book or daily log of subjects and activities, a portfolio of the child's work samples, and a record of evaluations of academic progress. RSMo 167.012.2(1)(b) accepts \"other written or credible evidence equivalent\" to those three instead, and none of it applies to a pupil 16 or older. Records aren't submitted unless there's a formal investigation."},"reporting":{"frequency":"none"},"esa":{"program_name":"MOScholars (with Family Paced Education option)","amount_cents":null,"homeschool_access":"status_change","eligibility":"Targeted, not universal. Eligibility is limited to students with an IEP or families at or below 300% of the free-and-reduced-lunch threshold. Awards are set as a share of the state adequacy target rather than a flat figure: up to 175% of it for a student with a current IEP, 160% for limited English proficiency, 125% for a student eligible for free or reduced lunch, and no more than the target for everyone else. The money is funded by tax-credit donations to qualifying Educational Assistance Organizations and disbursed to the parent's MOScholars account for approved expenses.\n\nUnder SB 727, Missouri created a separate legal category called \"Family Paced Education\" (FPE) so home-educating families could receive the funds. By statute, **an FPE school is not a homeschool** — taking the money means moving your child out of independent home education and into FPE certification, which carries the MOScholars program's own vendor rules and reporting on top of Missouri's homeschool requirements. The day-to-day looks similar but the legal status differs. For families who already meet the eligibility cutoffs and don't mind the certification overhead, the dollars are real; for families who value Missouri's notably hands-off homeschool law, the trade is meaningful.","url":"https://treasurer.mo.gov/MOScholars/ParentsStudents"},"tax_credit_summary":null,"umbrella_summary":null,"filing_deadlines":{},"required_documents":[],"special_notes":"1,000 instructional hours per school year (July 1 to June 30): at least 600 in the core subjects (reading, language arts, math, social studies, science) or academic courses related to them, and 400 of those 600 core hours at your regular home location. The remaining 400 hours can be any subject. RSMo 167.012.3 exempts a pupil 16 or older from the hour and record requirements entirely. If you're withdrawing a child from public school, send a written withdrawal letter to the district first to head off a truancy or educational-neglect inquiry, and keep a copy. Sample letters: FHE-MO (fhe-mo.org), HSLDA (members only), or from your Homeschool Fox account once you sign up.","withdrawal_process":"Missouri requires no notice to homeschool, but if your child is enrolled in public school, withdraw in writing before you stop sending them. Send a short dated letter to the principal or district stating that you're establishing a home school under RSMo 167.012, keep a copy, and start logging hours the same day. Since 2025, RSMo 167.042 requires the district to drop your child from its rolls promptly once you notify it in writing. Sending the letter pre-empts a truancy or educational-neglect referral while attendance records still show your child enrolled.","gotchas":[{"title":"Clearing 1,000 hours but falling short on core","body":"The total is the easy number to hit. Missouri also wants 600 of those hours in reading, language arts, math, social studies, and science, or academic courses related to them, with 400 of the core hours taught at your regular home location. Families who log a lot of co-op and field trip time can pass 1,000 and still be short on core.","applies_to":["hours","overview"]},{"title":"Assuming no notice means no records","body":"Missouri asks you to file nothing with anyone, which is exactly why families skip record keeping. The law still expects three things kept at home: a daily log of subjects and activities, a portfolio of work samples, and a record of evaluations of progress. Other credible evidence can stand in for them. They only matter if someone asks, and by that point you cannot build them backward.","applies_to":["overview","record_keeping"]},{"title":"Pulling a child out without a written withdrawal","body":"No notice is required to start homeschooling in Missouri, but a child already enrolled is still on an attendance roster. Send a short dated letter to the district before you stop sending them, and keep a copy. This is what heads off a truancy referral while the school's records still show your child enrolled.","applies_to":["overview"]},{"title":"Tracking on a calendar year","body":"Missouri's school year runs July 1 through June 30. Families who count hours January to December end up splitting one year's instruction across two reporting years, which makes the 1,000 and 600 totals impossible to show cleanly.","applies_to":["hours"]}],"source_urls":[{"url":"https://hslda.org/legal/missouri","name":"HSLDA"},{"url":"https://fhe-mo.org/","name":"Families for Home Education (FHE-MO)"},{"url":"https://dese.mo.gov/mosis-subjects/homeschool","name":"State Department of Education"}],"sports":{"access_level":"conditional","statute_citation":"Mo. Rev. Stat. § 167.790","athletic_association":null,"conditions":"Homeschool and FPE school students who meet the state's requirements have a right to participate in public school athletic or fine arts activities in the district where they live.","source_url":"https://hslda.org/post/public-school-access-for-homeschoolers-in-missouri","verified_on":"2026-08-08","confidence":"medium"},"editorial":{"schema_version":"1","last_verified_at":"2026-09-25"}},{"abbreviation":"MT","name":"Montana","compulsory_age_range":"7-16","notice":{"required":true,"type":"county","frequency":"annual"},"requirements":{"hours_per_year":720,"core_hours_per_year":null,"secondary_hours_per_year":1080,"secondary_hours_start_grade":4,"days_per_year":null,"hours_per_day":null,"subjects":["english language arts","mathematics","social studies","science","health","arts","career education"]},"assessment":{"type":"none","frequency":"none","description":null},"portfolio":{"required":false,"records_required":true,"description":"Montana requires no portfolio of work, but MCA 20-5-109(2)(b) does require a home school to \"maintain records on pupil attendance and make the records available to the county superintendent on request\", so the attendance log is a duty rather than a suggestion. HB 778 (2025) removed the immunization records a home school used to keep."},"reporting":{"frequency":"none"},"esa":{"program_name":null,"amount_cents":null,"eligibility":null,"url":null},"tax_credit_summary":null,"umbrella_summary":null,"filing_deadlines":{},"required_documents":[],"special_notes":"Annual notification to county superintendent required each school fiscal year (July 1-June 30). 720 hours required for grades 1-3; 1,080 hours required for grades 4-12. Keep attendance records available to the county superintendent on request; HB 778 (2025) removed the immunization-record requirement for home schools.","withdrawal_process":"Montana requires annual notification to the county superintendent each school year (July 1 to June 30). For a child leaving public school, file the notice and notify the current school so attendance reflects the change. Keep a copy, and maintain attendance records — since HB 778 (2025) a home school no longer provides immunization records to the county.","gotchas":[{"title":"Missing the jump at grade 4","body":"Montana asks for 720 hours in grades 1 through 3 and 1,080 hours from grade 4 on. That is a 360-hour increase in a single year, and families who set one target for the household undershoot for the older children.","applies_to":["hours"]},{"title":"Notification renews on the fiscal year","body":"Notification to your county superintendent is due each school fiscal year, running July 1 to June 30. It is annual, and the fiscal-year framing trips up families who think in terms of the calendar.","applies_to":["letter_of_intent"]},{"title":"Keeping immunization records you no longer owe","body":"Older guidance and some county packets still say to keep attendance and immunization records. HB 778 (2025) rewrote MCA 20-5-109 so the immunization requirement applies only to other nonpublic schools; a home school keeps attendance records available on request and nothing more.","applies_to":["record_keeping"]}],"source_urls":[{"url":"https://hslda.org/legal/montana","name":"HSLDA"},{"url":"https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0200/chapter_0050/part_0010/section_0090/0200-0050-0010-0090.html","name":"Montana Code Annotated 20-5-109"},{"url":"https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0200/chapter_0010/part_0030/section_0010/0200-0010-0030-0010.html","name":"Montana Code Annotated 20-1-301"}],"sports":{"access_level":"conditional","statute_citation":"Mont. Code Ann. § 20-5-112","athletic_association":null,"conditions":"A district or athletic association may not prohibit or restrict participation solely on the basis of public school enrollment or hours physically attended. Academic eligibility must be attested in writing by the educator providing instruction and verified by the principal; the verification may NOT include any form of student assessment, and the principal may not dictate philosophy, curriculum, materials, time, place, method or evaluation.","source_url":"https://hslda.org/post/public-school-access-for-homeschoolers-in-montana","verified_on":"2026-08-08","confidence":"high"},"editorial":{"schema_version":"1","last_verified_at":"2026-09-25"}},{"abbreviation":"NE","name":"Nebraska","compulsory_age_range":"6-18","notice":{"required":true,"type":"state","frequency":"annual"},"requirements":{"hours_per_year":1032,"core_hours_per_year":null,"secondary_hours_per_year":1080,"secondary_hours_start_grade":9,"days_per_year":null,"hours_per_day":null,"subjects":["language arts","math","science","social studies","health"]},"assessment":{"type":"none","frequency":"none","description":null},"portfolio":{"required":false,"records_required":false,"description":null},"reporting":{"frequency":"none"},"esa":{"program_name":null,"amount_cents":null,"eligibility":null,"url":null},"tax_credit_summary":null,"umbrella_summary":null,"filing_deadlines":{},"required_documents":[],"special_notes":"1,032 hours required for elementary, 1,080 for high school. File Forms A and B with the State Department of Education by July 15 of each year the school operates. Nebraska collects no grades, progress reports, or year-end filing.","withdrawal_process":"Nebraska homeschooling runs through an exemption filed with the State Department of Education (Forms A and B are due by July 15 for the year ahead, or promptly if you start after that). File the exemption, notify the current school so attendance reflects the change, and keep a copy.","gotchas":[{"title":"Setting one hour target for the whole family","body":"Nebraska asks for 1,032 hours at the elementary level and 1,080 for high school. The gap is small enough to ignore and large enough to leave a high schooler short if you track a single number.","applies_to":["hours"]},{"title":"Sending the filing to your district","body":"Nebraska files with the State Department of Education under the Rule 12 or Rule 13 exemption, not with your local district. Families who start with a call to the district lose a week getting redirected.","applies_to":["letter_of_intent"]}],"source_urls":[{"url":"https://hslda.org/legal/nebraska","name":"HSLDA"},{"url":"https://www.education.ne.gov/fos/exempt-schools/","name":"State Department of Education"}],"sports":{"access_level":"conditional","statute_citation":"Neb. Rev. Stat. § 79-2,136","athletic_association":"Nebraska School Activities Association (NSAA)","conditions":"Part-time enrollment required: exempt (homeschool) students participating in extracurricular activities must be enrolled in at least five credit hours per semester at the school district, with at least 20 credits per semester total under NSAA guidelines.","source_url":"https://hslda.org/post/public-school-access-for-homeschoolers-in-nebraska","verified_on":"2026-08-08","confidence":"high"},"editorial":{"schema_version":"1","last_verified_at":"2026-10-26"}},{"abbreviation":"NV","name":"Nevada","compulsory_age_range":"6-18","notice":{"required":true,"type":"school_district","frequency":"once"},"requirements":{"hours_per_year":null,"core_hours_per_year":null,"secondary_hours_per_year":null,"days_per_year":null,"hours_per_day":null,"subjects":["language arts","math","science","social studies"],"subjects_basis":"over_time"},"assessment":{"type":"none","frequency":"none","description":null},"portfolio":{"required":false,"records_required":false,"description":null},"reporting":{"frequency":"none"},"esa":{"program_name":null,"amount_cents":null,"eligibility":null,"url":null},"tax_credit_summary":null,"umbrella_summary":null,"filing_deadlines":{},"required_documents":[],"special_notes":"One-time notice of intent within 10 days of withdrawal or 30 days of establishing residency. Must include educational plan.","withdrawal_process":"Nevada requires a one-time notice of intent filed with the school district, due within 10 days of withdrawal (or within 30 days of establishing residency), and it must include an educational plan. File the notice, notify the current school so attendance reflects the change, and keep a copy. It's one-time; no annual renewal.","gotchas":[{"title":"Sending a bare notice","body":"Nevada's notice of intent includes an educational plan of instruction covering the required subjects. A one-paragraph letter comes back. Write the plan before you file.","applies_to":["letter_of_intent"]},{"title":"Missing which clock applies to you","body":"Nevada gives you 10 days from withdrawing a child from public school, or 30 days from establishing residency in the state. Which one applies depends on how you arrived at homeschooling, and families new to Nevada often assume the shorter window.","applies_to":["letter_of_intent"]}],"source_urls":[{"url":"https://hslda.org/legal/nevada","name":"HSLDA"},{"url":"https://doe.nv.gov/offices/craleo/nevada-homeschooling","name":"State Department of Education"}],"sports":{"access_level":"conditional","statute_citation":"Nev. Rev. Stat. §§ 392.074, 385B.150, 388A.471","athletic_association":"Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association (NIAA)","conditions":"A homeschooled child MUST be allowed to participate in interscholastic activities and events, including sports. Requires notice of intent filed for the current school year, participation through the zoned school in the district of residence, proof of identity, and the same eligibility rules, fees, insurance, physicals, conduct standards and discipline as enrolled students.","source_url":"https://hslda.org/post/public-school-access-for-homeschoolers-in-nevada","verified_on":"2026-08-08","confidence":"high"},"editorial":{"schema_version":"1","last_verified_at":"2026-09-25"}},{"abbreviation":"NH","name":"New Hampshire","compulsory_age_range":"6-18","notice":{"required":false,"type":"school_district","frequency":"on_withdrawal"},"requirements":{"hours_per_year":null,"core_hours_per_year":null,"secondary_hours_per_year":null,"days_per_year":null,"hours_per_day":null,"subjects":[]},"assessment":{"type":"none","frequency":"none","description":"New Hampshire no longer requires an annual evaluation. RSA 193-A:6, which had required one, was repealed by 2026 N.H. Laws ch. 297 effective July 1, 2026. Families who find an evaluation useful can still arrange one privately; nothing is filed with anybody."},"portfolio":{"required":false,"records_required":false,"description":"New Hampshire no longer requires a portfolio. The reading-log and work-sample rule lived in RSA 193-A:6, repealed by 2026 N.H. Laws ch. 297 effective July 1, 2026, and RSA 193-A:4, V(c) now bars the state from treating the absence of records as a failure to educate. Keeping work samples is still worth doing for your own records and for a future transcript — it just isn't a legal duty."},"reporting":{"frequency":"none"},"esa":{"program_name":"Education Freedom Account (EFA)","amount_cents":null,"homeschool_access":"status_change","eligibility":"Universal as of 2025-26. Any New Hampshire K-12 student qualifies regardless of household income. The base grant is roughly $5,200 per year (the per-pupil adequacy amount) with differentiated aid for low-income students, special education, and English learners. Application runs through the program administrator (currently the Children's Scholarship Fund NH).\n\nThe key string for homeschoolers: state law requires that any family currently operating under RSA 193-A home education must terminate that home-education program before enrolling in the EFA. EFA students are reclassified as non-public / private school students for the duration of participation, and expenses must come from approved categories (curriculum, tutoring, therapies, approved testing). Funds left on the table at year end roll over but ultimately revert if the student leaves the program. Most NH homeschool families view the EFA as a private-school voucher rather than a homeschool stipend — taking it means giving up home-education legal status entirely.","url":"https://nh.scholarshipfund.org/apply/nh-education-freedom-accounts/"},"tax_credit_summary":null,"umbrella_summary":"New Hampshire's Participating Agency route is gone. Under the pre-2026 RSA 193-A:5, families could file their notice of intent and annual evaluation with a state-recognised intermediary - typically a private school or homeschool association - instead of the local district. 2026 N.H. Laws ch. 297 rewrote that section as an \"Optional Certificate of Completion\" and repealed the evaluation requirement outright, so there is no longer any paperwork for a Participating Agency to receive.\n\nHomeschool associations and umbrella-style groups still operate in New Hampshire and many families find them useful for community, co-op classes and record-keeping support. What they no longer do is stand between you and the state, because after July 2026 there is almost nothing to file. Anything you send is confidential under RSA 193-A:4, VI.","filing_deadlines":{},"required_documents":[],"special_notes":"2026 N.H. Laws ch. 297 rewrote RSA 193-A effective July 1, 2026. The annual evaluation, the two-year portfolio and the required subject list are all gone. A declaration of home education is now optional under RSA 193-A:3 — except on withdrawal from a public school, or to access public school programs under RSA 193:1-c, where one is still required.","withdrawal_process":"Withdrawal is the one case where New Hampshire still requires a declaration of home education. RSA 193-A:3 makes the declaration optional in general, but not \"upon withdrawal from a public school\" — so if your child is leaving public school, file it. Notify the school so attendance reflects the change, and keep a copy. Nothing follows it: the annual evaluation and the two-year portfolio were repealed by 2026 N.H. Laws ch. 297 effective July 1, 2026.","gotchas":[{"title":"Assuming the old annual obligations still apply","body":"Until July 2026 New Hampshire required an annual evaluation and a two-year portfolio. 2026 N.H. Laws ch. 297 repealed both. Guidance written before that date - including some still published online - describes duties that no longer exist.","applies_to":["overview"]},{"title":"Assuming no declaration is ever needed","body":"RSA 193-A:3 makes the declaration optional, with two exceptions that catch most families leaving public school: one is still required on withdrawal from a public school, and to access public school programs under RSA 193:1-c.","applies_to":["overview","record_keeping"]},{"title":"Throwing out your records because they are no longer required","body":"New Hampshire no longer asks for a portfolio, but a high school transcript still has to be built from something, and a family moving to a records-keeping state arrives with nothing. The duty is gone; the reason to keep work samples is not.","applies_to":["record_keeping"]}],"source_urls":[{"url":"https://hslda.org/legal/new-hampshire","name":"HSLDA"},{"url":"https://www.education.nh.gov/who-we-are/division-of-education-and-analytic-resources/bureau-educational-opportunities/home-education","name":"State Department of Education"}],"sports":{"access_level":"full","statute_citation":"N.H. Rev. Stat. § 193:1-c","athletic_association":null,"conditions":"Home educated pupils shall have access to curricular courses and cocurricular programs (which include athletics) offered by the district in which the pupil resides. Districts may adopt participation policies provided they are NOT more restrictive than those applied to public school students.","source_url":"https://hslda.org/post/public-school-access-for-homeschoolers-in-new-hampshire","verified_on":"2026-08-08","confidence":"high"},"editorial":{"schema_version":"1","last_verified_at":"2026-09-21"}},{"abbreviation":"NJ","name":"New Jersey","compulsory_age_range":"6-16","notice":{"required":false,"type":"none","frequency":"none"},"requirements":{"hours_per_year":null,"core_hours_per_year":null,"secondary_hours_per_year":null,"days_per_year":null,"hours_per_day":null,"subjects":[]},"assessment":{"type":"none","frequency":"none","description":null},"portfolio":{"required":false,"records_required":false,"description":null},"reporting":{"frequency":"none"},"esa":{"program_name":null,"amount_cents":null,"eligibility":null,"url":null},"tax_credit_summary":null,"umbrella_summary":null,"filing_deadlines":{},"required_documents":[],"special_notes":"No notification required. Must provide equivalent instruction.","withdrawal_process":"New Jersey requires no notice or registration, but if your child is enrolled in public school, send the district a dated letter stating your child now receives equivalent instruction at home so attendance records close. Keep a copy. You only need to show equivalent instruction if the district later asks.","gotchas":[{"title":"Waiting for a form that does not exist","body":"New Jersey has no notice, no registration, and no form. Families call the district looking for one and sometimes get handed paperwork the district has no authority to require. Equivalent instruction is the whole standard.","applies_to":["overview"]},{"title":"Having nothing to show if asked","body":"New Jersey collects nothing, and a district can raise a question about whether instruction is equivalent. A subject-tagged log and a folder of work per year answers that in an afternoon. With no records at all it becomes weeks of reconstruction.","applies_to":["record_keeping"]}],"source_urls":[{"url":"https://hslda.org/legal/new-jersey","name":"HSLDA"},{"url":"https://www.nj.gov/education/safety/nontraditional/faq_homeschool.shtml","name":"State Department of Education"}],"sports":{"access_level":"district_discretion","statute_citation":null,"athletic_association":"New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA)","conditions":"NJSIAA's 2011 bylaw amendment permits but does not require districts to allow participation. Districts may allow homeschool students to compete provided the student resides in the district. Requires school board and principal approval, demonstrated academic qualification and equivalent education, and compliance with all team requirements.","source_url":"https://hslda.org/post/public-school-access-for-homeschoolers-in-new-jersey","verified_on":"2026-08-08","confidence":"high"},"editorial":{"schema_version":"1","last_verified_at":"2026-09-21"}},{"abbreviation":"NM","name":"New Mexico","compulsory_age_range":"5-18","notice":{"required":true,"type":"state","frequency":"annual"},"requirements":{"hours_per_year":1140,"hours_basis":"public_school_rule","core_hours_per_year":null,"secondary_hours_per_year":null,"days_per_year":null,"hours_per_day":null,"subjects":["reading","language arts","math","social studies","science"]},"assessment":{"type":"none","frequency":"none","description":null},"portfolio":{"required":false,"records_required":false,"description":null},"reporting":{"frequency":"none"},"esa":{"program_name":null,"amount_cents":null,"eligibility":null,"url":null},"tax_credit_summary":null,"umbrella_summary":null,"filing_deadlines":{},"required_documents":[],"special_notes":"New Mexico counts hours, not days. The Public Education Department answers \"For how many hours must I home school my students each year?\" with Section 22-2-8.1(A): a minimum of 1,140 instructional hours a year, or 550 for half-day kindergarten. There is no day count in New Mexico law for any kind of school. Notify the department within 30 days of establishing the home school, then renew every year on or before August 1, and the person teaching must hold at least a high school diploma or its equivalent.","withdrawal_process":"New Mexico requires notice to the Public Education Department within 30 days of establishing your homeschool, then annually. Notify your child's current public school so attendance reflects the change, and keep a copy. The parent must hold at least a high-school diploma or equivalent.","gotchas":[{"title":"Counting to the old 990 or a day total","body":"New Mexico used to set 990 hours for grades K-6 and 1,080 from grade 7, across 180 days. HB 130 (2023) replaced the tiered figures with a flat 1,140 instructional hours and left no day count anywhere in the school code, and the Public Education Department now answers the home school hours question with that figure. Count hours against 1,140 and ignore any day target you see quoted.","applies_to":["hours"]},{"title":"Missing the 30-day notification window","body":"New Mexico wants notification to the state within 30 days of establishing your homeschool. It goes to the Public Education Department rather than your district.","applies_to":["letter_of_intent"]}],"source_urls":[{"url":"https://hslda.org/legal/new-mexico","name":"HSLDA"},{"url":"https://web.ped.nm.gov/bureaus/options-for-parents-and-families/home-schooling/","name":"State Department of Education"}],"sports":{"access_level":"conditional","statute_citation":"N.M. Stat. Ann. § 22-8-23.8","athletic_association":"New Mexico Activities Association (NMAA)","conditions":"Eligible to participate in up to THREE school district athletic activities at the public school in the student's attendance zone. Districts must verify academic eligibility.","source_url":"https://hslda.org/post/public-school-access-for-homeschoolers-in-new-mexico","verified_on":"2026-08-08","confidence":"high"},"editorial":{"schema_version":"1","last_verified_at":"2026-09-25"}},{"abbreviation":"NY","name":"New York","compulsory_age_range":"6-16","notice":{"required":true,"type":"school_district","frequency":"annual"},"requirements":{"hours_per_year":900,"core_hours_per_year":null,"secondary_hours_per_year":990,"secondary_hours_start_grade":7,"days_per_year":180,"hours_or_days":false,"hours_per_day":null,"subjects":["math","science","english","social studies","health","music","visual arts","physical education","library skills"],"subject_scopes":{"library skills":"grades 7-8"}},"assessment":{"type":"choice","frequency":"annual","description":"New York requires an annual assessment with the fourth-quarter report. Options are a commercially published standardized test (composite at or above the 33rd percentile or a year of growth) or, in grades 1–3 and every other year in 4–8, a written narrative by a certified teacher, peer-review panel, or superintendent-approved evaluator who interviews the child and reviews a portfolio.","allows_portfolio":true},"portfolio":{"required":false,"records_required":true,"description":"Under 8 NYCRR 100.10, families file an Individualized Home Instruction Plan at the start of the year and four quarterly reports covering hours, subjects, materials, and a grade or narrative. Keep a portfolio of work for any evaluator review under the narrative assessment option."},"reporting":{"frequency":"quarterly"},"esa":{"program_name":null,"amount_cents":null,"eligibility":null,"url":null},"tax_credit_summary":"New York does not have a homeschool-specific tax credit or deduction — but New York families using the state's 529 plan need to understand a recapture rule that catches many homeschoolers off guard. New York does NOT conform to the federal 529 K-12 expansion. If you withdraw New York 529 funds for K-12 expenses, the state recaptures the New York income tax deduction you took on those contributions in prior years.\n\nThe practical impact: federal-level 529 K-12 use can still be tax-free, but the New York-side benefit you accumulated while saving (the $5,000 single / $10,000 married New York deduction per year) gets clawed back at withdrawal time. Run the numbers with a CPA before pulling 529 money for homeschool curriculum, supplemental classes, or other K-12 use. Saving for college only? No issue. Using the 529 as a homeschool sinking fund? Likely not the right vehicle in New York. Note: this affects 529 K-12 withdrawals specifically; 529 college withdrawals remain tax-free under New York rules.","umbrella_summary":null,"filing_deadlines":{"ihip":"Within 4 weeks of receiving the district's IHIP form, or by August 15, whichever is later","q1_report":"The date you set in your IHIP","q2_report":"The date you set in your IHIP","q3_report":"The date you set in your IHIP","q4_report":"The date you set in your IHIP","notice_of_intent":"July 1 (for next school year)","annual_assessment":"With the fourth quarterly report"},"required_documents":[{"due":"Within 4 weeks of receiving the district's IHIP form, or by August 15, whichever is later","type":"ihip","label":"Individualized Home Instruction Plan (IHIP)","frequency":"annual","description":"Annual plan listing the syllabi, curriculum materials, textbooks, or plan of instruction for each required subject, the four quarterly report dates, and who teaches.","grade_tiers":{"7-8":["math","science","english","social studies","health","music","visual arts","physical education","library skills","career education","home economics"],"K-6":["math","science","english","social studies","health","music","visual arts","physical education","library skills"],"9-12":["math","science","english","social studies","health","physical education","art or music","foreign language","career education"]},"per_student":true},{"due":"On or before the dates you set in your IHIP","type":"quarterly_report","label":"Quarterly Progress Report","frequency":"quarterly","description":"Report giving the total hours of instruction for the quarter, the material covered in each IHIP subject, a grade or written narrative for each subject, and an explanation for any subject below 80 percent of the planned material.","per_student":true}],"special_notes":"900 hours for grades 1-6, 990 for 7-12, across the substantial equivalent of 180 days. The hours and the days are both required, not alternatives. IHIP and quarterly reports required. Annual assessment.","withdrawal_process":"Send a letter of intent to your district superintendent. For a child currently enrolled, file by July 1 for the next school year, or as soon as you decide mid-year, and notify the school in writing so attendance reflects the change. Within about two weeks the district sends the IHIP form; you return your completed IHIP within four weeks. The IHIP plus the four quarterly reports keep you compliant. Keep copies of everything.","gotchas":[{"title":"Treating the IHIP as a formality","body":"New York wants an individualized home instruction plan (IHIP) for each child. It lists the materials for each required subject, who teaches, and the four dates you pick for quarterly reports. It is due four weeks after the district sends you the form, or by August 15, whichever is later. The district reviews it closely, and a vague one comes back for revision.","applies_to":["overview","annual_report"]},{"title":"Missing one of the four quarterly dates","body":"You choose your four quarterly report dates in the IHIP, spaced at even intervals, and the annual assessment goes in with the fourth report. Each report is its own filing. The district checks them against the dates you set, so put all four on the calendar when you write the plan.","applies_to":["annual_report"]},{"title":"Using 900 hours for a seventh grader","body":"The requirement rises from 900 to 990 hours at grade 7. A household with children on both sides of that line is tracking two different annual targets, and the higher one is easy to forget until June.","applies_to":["hours"]},{"title":"Filing the notice of intent late","body":"Notice is due by July 1 for the school year ahead. If you start mid-year or move into a district after the year begins, notice is due within 14 days of starting. The district then has 10 business days to send the IHIP form, and your four weeks to return it start when the form arrives.","applies_to":["letter_of_intent"]}],"source_urls":[{"url":"https://hslda.org/legal/new-york","name":"HSLDA"},{"url":"https://www.nysed.gov/nonpublic-schools/home-instruction","name":"State Department of Education"}],"sports":{"access_level":"barred","statute_citation":"N.Y. Comm'r Regs. § 135.4(c)(7)(ii)(b)(2); Bradstreet v. Sobol, 650 N.Y.S.2d 402 (App. Div. 3d Dep't 1996)","athletic_association":null,"conditions":"An appellate court ruled against homeschoolers seeking access to public school interscholastic sports. Grades 9-12 eligibility requires enrollment in the first 15 days of the semester, registration in three regular courses, meeting PE requirements and 80% attendance — conditions a homeschooler cannot satisfy.","source_url":"https://hslda.org/post/public-school-access-for-homeschoolers-in-new-york","verified_on":"2026-08-08","confidence":"high"},"editorial":{"schema_version":"1","last_verified_at":"2026-09-25"}},{"abbreviation":"NC","name":"North Carolina","compulsory_age_range":"7-16","notice":{"required":true,"type":"state","recipient_label":"the North Carolina Division of Non-Public Education","frequency":"once","form_label":"the online Notice of Intent","form_note":"Create an account in DNPE's online system and complete the Notice of Intent there, on a computer rather than a phone. DNPE confirms by email, and processing takes 3 to 5 business days."},"requirements":{"hours_per_year":null,"core_hours_per_year":null,"secondary_hours_per_year":null,"days_per_year":null,"hours_per_day":null,"subjects":[]},"assessment":{"type":"standardized_test","frequency":"annual","description":"North Carolina requires a nationally standardized test each year covering English grammar, reading, spelling, and math. In grade 9 the test can measure verbal and quantitative skills instead. Parents give the test, keep the results on file for at least a year, and produce them if DNPE asks."},"portfolio":{"required":false,"records_required":true,"description":"Aside from keeping test results on file, North Carolina requires only attendance records and immunization records. These are kept at the homeschool and shown on inspection."},"reporting":{"frequency":"none"},"esa":{"program_name":"ESA+ (Education Student Accounts Plus)","amount_cents":900000,"homeschool_access":"open","eligibility":"Targeted, not universal. ESA+ is for students with documented disabilities (IEP or qualifying medical/psychological diagnosis). The base award is $9,000 per year, with a higher tier (~$17,000) for students with the most significant needs (autism, hearing/visual impairment, multiple disabilities). Applications open each spring through NCSEAA. North Carolina also runs a separate Opportunity Scholarship for non-disability families, but that program is a private-school voucher and is not homeschool-eligible.\n\nThe regulatory strings for homeschoolers are lighter than most universal ESAs but still real. ESA+ keeps your home school intact: G.S. 115C-591(4) counts a Part 3 home school as a nonpublic school for the program, and the parental agreement asks only that you release the local school system from its duty to educate the student. Funds may only be spent on approved categories (tuition at a participating school, curriculum, tutoring by approved providers, therapies, technology). Disability documentation must be re-verified, and unspent funds revert to the state. For families with a child whose therapies and curriculum already cost more than the homeschool path, ESA+ can be a fit. For typical homeschoolers, NC's existing homeschool law is already light-touch and most families don't take the funds.","url":"https://k12.ncseaa.edu/the-education-student-accounts/"},"tax_credit_summary":null,"umbrella_summary":null,"filing_deadlines":{},"required_documents":[],"special_notes":"Annual standardized test required, with results kept for one year. Register with the Division of Non-Public Education, in the Department of Administration, once when the school opens. Instruction runs on a regular schedule for at least nine calendar months of the year; North Carolina sets no day count and no hour count.","withdrawal_process":"Before you stop sending your child, file a notice of intent to operate a home school with the NC Division of Non-Public Education (DNPE) to get your school registered, then notify the current school so attendance reflects the withdrawal. Keep your DNPE registration and a copy of the notice. The parent operating the home school must hold at least a high-school diploma or equivalent.","gotchas":[{"title":"Registering with your local district","body":"North Carolina registers with the state Division of Non-Public Education, not with your school district. Families who call the district first usually get sent in a circle before they find the right office.","applies_to":["letter_of_intent"]},{"title":"Throwing out the test results","body":"North Carolina requires an annual nationally standardized test covering English grammar, reading, spelling, and math. Results are not submitted, but they must be kept on file for at least one year and produced if the Division asks. Taking the test and discarding the report leaves you with the work and none of the proof.","applies_to":["overview","record_keeping"]},{"title":"Counting days North Carolina never asked for","body":"North Carolina sets no day count. G.S. 115C-548 asks that the school \"operate on a regular schedule\" for at least nine calendar months, and you choose the dates. The five-hours-a-day figure people repeat sits in DNPE's Recommendations column, not its Requirements. Attendance and immunization records are the two things the Division can request, so keep attendance as you go - just do not assume a 180-day target you are being measured against.","applies_to":["record_keeping"]}],"source_urls":[{"url":"https://hslda.org/legal/north-carolina","name":"HSLDA"},{"url":"https://www.doa.nc.gov/divisions/non-public-education/home-schools","name":"State Department of Education"}],"sports":{"access_level":"district_discretion","statute_citation":null,"athletic_association":null,"conditions":"No state law grants the right; individual schools and districts decide whether to allow participation.","source_url":"https://hslda.org/post/public-school-access-for-homeschoolers-in-north-carolina","verified_on":"2026-08-08","confidence":"high"},"editorial":{"schema_version":"1","last_verified_at":"2026-10-06"}},{"abbreviation":"ND","name":"North Dakota","compulsory_age_range":"7-16","notice":{"required":true,"type":"school_district","frequency":"annual"},"requirements":{"hours_per_year":700,"core_hours_per_year":null,"secondary_hours_per_year":null,"days_per_year":175,"hours_or_days":false,"hours_per_day":4,"subjects":["language arts","math","social studies","science","health","physical education","computer science"]},"assessment":{"type":"standardized_test","frequency":"at_specified_grades","description":"North Dakota requires a standardized achievement test in grades 4, 6, 8, and 10, with results filed with the resident district superintendent (NDCC 15.1-23-09, -11). A child may be exempted if the parent files a philosophical, moral, or religious objection, or independently if the parent is licensed or approved to teach, holds a baccalaureate degree, or meets a national teacher-exam cutoff. For a parent without a diploma or GED who is being monitored, a basic composite score below the 50th percentile extends monitoring by at least a year (NDCC 15.1-23-06). For any tested child, a score below the 30th percentile leads to a multidisciplinary assessment and, if no disability is found, a remediation plan (15.1-23-11)."},"portfolio":{"required":false,"records_required":true,"description":"Under NDCC 15.1-23-05, supervising parents keep an annual record of courses taken and academic progress assessments — including standardized test results — for each child. The records may be requested if the child later enrolls in public school."},"reporting":{"frequency":"at_specified_grades","grades":[4,6,8,10]},"esa":{"program_name":null,"amount_cents":null,"eligibility":null,"url":null},"tax_credit_summary":null,"umbrella_summary":null,"filing_deadlines":{},"required_documents":[],"special_notes":"File statement of intent 5 days before starting. Standardized testing in grades 4, 6, 8, and 10. 4 hours/day minimum. Any parent may opt out of the testing by filing a philosophical, moral, or religious objection with the district; a licence, a bachelor's degree, or a teacher-exam score exempts a parent too (NDCC 15.1-23-09(2)).","withdrawal_process":"North Dakota requires a statement of intent filed with the local superintendent at least five days before you begin (file as soon as you decide when withdrawing). Notify the current school so attendance reflects the change, and keep a copy. Standardized testing follows in grades 4, 6, 8, and 10, though any parent may opt out by filing a philosophical, moral, or religious objection with the district, and a parent who is licensed to teach, holds a bachelor's degree, or has met the teacher-exam cutoff is exempt as well.","gotchas":[{"title":"Filing five days out and calling it done","body":"North Dakota wants the statement of intent five days before you start. It is a short runway, and the statement is annual for most families rather than one-and-done.","applies_to":["letter_of_intent"]},{"title":"Missing a testing grade","body":"North Dakota tests in grades 4, 6, 8, and 10. Two-year gaps are long enough to lose track of, and the test needs scheduling ahead of the date you want.","applies_to":["annual_report"]},{"title":"Assuming the testing exemption needs a degree","body":"North Dakota's standardized testing in grades 4, 6, 8 and 10 has two separate exits under NDCC 15.1-23-09(2). Any parent may notify the district of a philosophical, moral, or religious objection to standardized tests, with no credential at all. Separately, a parent who is licensed to teach, holds a bachelor's degree, or has met the teacher-exam cutoff is exempt. Families read the second one and assume the first does not exist.","applies_to":["overview","annual_report"]}],"source_urls":[{"url":"https://hslda.org/legal/north-dakota","name":"HSLDA"},{"url":"https://www.nd.gov/dpi/familiescommunity/families/home-education","name":"State Department of Education"}],"sports":{"access_level":"conditional","statute_citation":"N.D. Cent. Code § 15.1-23-16","athletic_association":"North Dakota High School Activities Association (NDHSAA)","conditions":"A child receiving home education may participate in extracurricular activities either through their district of residence or through an approved nonpublic school. The same participation standards as full-time students apply, parents notify via the Statement of Intent, and NDHSAA transfer rules apply.","source_url":"https://hslda.org/post/public-school-access-for-homeschoolers-in-north-dakota","verified_on":"2026-08-08","confidence":"medium"},"editorial":{"schema_version":"1","last_verified_at":"2026-09-25"}},{"abbreviation":"OH","name":"Ohio","compulsory_age_range":"6-18","notice":{"required":true,"type":"school_district","frequency":"annual"},"requirements":{"hours_per_year":null,"core_hours_per_year":null,"secondary_hours_per_year":null,"days_per_year":null,"hours_per_day":null,"subjects":["language arts","math","science","history","government","social studies"]},"assessment":{"type":"none","frequency":"none","description":null},"portfolio":{"required":false,"records_required":false,"description":null},"reporting":{"frequency":"none"},"esa":{"program_name":"EdChoice Scholarship (and EdChoice Expansion)","amount_cents":null,"homeschool_access":"closed","eligibility":"Ohio's EdChoice program is a tuition-only voucher payable directly to chartered nonpublic schools — $6,166 per K-8 student and $8,408 per 9-12 student. The funds cannot be sent to families to spend on homeschool curriculum, therapies, or tutoring; they exist solely to pay tuition at a participating private school.\n\nFor an Ohio homeschool family this means there is no direct path to take the money. A student using EdChoice is, by definition, enrolled in a private school for the year — that's not homeschooling, and Ohio's home-education notification with the district superintendent doesn't apply during enrollment. There is no separate Ohio ESA that funds independent homeschoolers as of April 2026. Families weighing the program are really weighing a switch from homeschool to private-school enrollment for the duration; the existing § 3321.042 home-education path remains the route for independent homeschooling.","url":"https://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Other-Resources/Scholarships/EdChoice-Scholarship"},"tax_credit_summary":"Ohio offers a Home Education Expense Credit under Ohio Rev. Code 5747.72, a small but specifically homeschool-named credit. HB 96, effective 2025-09-30, made it $250 per qualifying student rather than $250 per return, so a family homeschooling three children can claim up to $750. The credit is the lesser of that figure or what you actually spent.\n\nQualifying expenses are \"books, supplementary materials, supplies, computer software, applications, or subscriptions\" used directly for home education. The same amendment excludes \"computers or similar electronic devices or accessories thereto\", so a laptop no longer counts. The credit is nonrefundable, which means it reduces what you owe and is not paid out beyond that. Keep receipts with your Ohio return.","umbrella_summary":null,"filing_deadlines":{},"required_documents":[],"special_notes":"Ohio HB 33 (effective Oct 2023) eliminated the prior 900-hour requirement, teacher qualification rules, and assessment/portfolio mandates. Notify the superintendent by Aug 30 annually (or within 5 days of starting, moving, or withdrawing); assure instruction in the 6 listed subject areas. Superintendent must acknowledge within 14 days.","withdrawal_process":"In Ohio the home-education notification is also how you withdraw. If your child is enrolled in a public or nonpublic school, file the notice with your resident district superintendent within five calendar days of withdrawing. The exemption takes effect immediately when the superintendent receives your notice, and the superintendent must send written acknowledgment within 14 days. Keep a copy of the notice and the acknowledgment.","gotchas":[{"title":"Following the 900-hour rule that no longer exists","body":"Most search results still describe Ohio's 900-hour requirement, teacher qualification rules, and assessment mandate. House Bill 33 removed all three in October 2023. Ohio now asks for annual notice and your assurance that you are teaching the listed subject areas. If a page you are reading lists 900 hours, it is out of date.","applies_to":["overview","record_keeping"]},{"title":"Filing notice once and assuming it carries forward","body":"Ohio wants notice by August 30 every year you homeschool, starting with your first. Notice is also due within five days of starting, moving, or withdrawing mid-year. Filing once and letting it lapse is the most common compliance gap in the state.","applies_to":["overview","letter_of_intent"]},{"title":"Waiting for permission to begin","body":"The superintendent acknowledges your notice within 14 days. That acknowledgement is a receipt, not an approval, and you do not need it in hand before you start teaching. If it never arrives, follow up in writing and keep the record of your original filing.","applies_to":["letter_of_intent"]},{"title":"Dropping records because the mandate went away","body":"HB 33 removed the assessment and portfolio requirements, not the reasons to keep records. You still file annual notice, and hour logs, work samples, and transcripts still matter for college applications, for scholarships, and for the day you move to a state that asks for them.","applies_to":["overview","record_keeping"]}],"source_urls":[{"url":"https://hslda.org/legal/ohio","name":"HSLDA"},{"url":"https://education.ohio.gov/topics/ohio-education-options/home-schooling","name":"State Department of Education"}],"sports":{"access_level":"full","statute_citation":"Ohio Rev. Code § 3313.5312","athletic_association":null,"conditions":"Home-educated students under ORC § 3321.042 shall be afforded the opportunity to participate in any extracurricular activity at the district school. Age/grade appropriateness per superintendent; same nonacademic and financial requirements as other participants; no additional rules or fees; cannot participate in the same activity at multiple schools.","source_url":"https://hslda.org/post/public-school-access-for-homeschoolers-in-ohio","verified_on":"2026-08-08","confidence":"high"},"editorial":{"schema_version":"1","last_verified_at":"2026-09-25"}},{"abbreviation":"OK","name":"Oklahoma","compulsory_age_range":"5-18","notice":{"required":false,"type":"none","frequency":"none"},"requirements":{"hours_per_year":null,"core_hours_per_year":null,"secondary_hours_per_year":null,"days_per_year":null,"hours_per_day":null,"subjects":[]},"assessment":{"type":"none","frequency":"none","description":null},"portfolio":{"required":false,"records_required":false,"description":null},"reporting":{"frequency":"none"},"esa":{"program_name":null,"amount_cents":null,"eligibility":null,"url":null},"tax_credit_summary":"Oklahoma's Parental Choice Tax Credit under 68 O.S. 2357.206 has a separate homeschool track at $1,000 per student per year — fully refundable, meaning it pays out as cash even if you owe no Oklahoma income tax. Private school students get a higher tier ($5,000-$7,500 income-tiered), but the homeschool side is the right comparison for tracking-app purposes.\n\nQualifying expenses include curriculum, textbooks, tutoring, instructional materials, online courses, and tuition for supplemental classes. Apply through the Oklahoma Tax Commission's online portal — applications run on a first-come basis with an annual cap, so file early in the tax year. Keep receipts; OTC may request documentation. Because the credit is refundable, it functions much more like an ESA disbursement than a typical state tax credit — the cash arrives after your Oklahoma return is filed and processed.","umbrella_summary":null,"filing_deadlines":{},"required_documents":[],"special_notes":"No registration required, and no statutory day or hour minimum. OSDE publishes a list of home-instruction guidelines that includes 180 days, six clock hours a day, and a set of subjects, but prefaces the whole list with \"These recommendations are not required by law.\" No Oklahoma statute names a subject for a child taught at home. Compulsory ages are 5-18. Oversight is minimal — OSDE states plainly that homeschools are not regulated and that no testing, inspection or approval is required.","withdrawal_process":"Oklahoma requires no notice or registration to homeschool. If your child is enrolled in public school, send the school a dated letter stating you are establishing a home school so attendance records close cleanly, and keep a copy. There is nothing to file with a district or the state.","gotchas":[{"title":"Treating OSDE's guidelines as law","body":"OSDE's home-school page lists 180 days and six clock hours a day, and families quote those numbers as requirements. The page says otherwise in its own opening line: \"These recommendations are not required by law.\" Oklahoma's binding floor is constitutional and far lower. Keeping a record is still sensible if a question ever comes up - just do not treat the 180 as a bar you are failing to clear.","applies_to":["overview"]},{"title":"Taking OSDE's subject list for state law","body":"OSDE's guidance names conservation, safety, and citizenship alongside reading and math, and families quote the list as a curriculum mandate. It sits under the same opening line as the 180 days: \"These recommendations are not required by law.\" The subjects are worth teaching. They are not required.","applies_to":["overview"]}],"source_urls":[{"url":"https://hslda.org/legal/oklahoma","name":"HSLDA"},{"url":"https://oklahoma.gov/education/services/school-choice/home-school.html","name":"State Department of Education"}],"sports":{"access_level":"unclear","statute_citation":null,"athletic_association":null,"conditions":null,"source_url":"https://hslda.org/post/public-school-access-for-homeschoolers-in-oklahoma","verified_on":"2026-08-08","confidence":"low"},"editorial":{"schema_version":"1","last_verified_at":"2026-09-21"}},{"abbreviation":"OR","name":"Oregon","compulsory_age_range":"6-18","notice":{"required":true,"type":"regional","frequency":"once"},"requirements":{"hours_per_year":null,"core_hours_per_year":null,"secondary_hours_per_year":null,"days_per_year":null,"hours_per_day":null,"subjects":[]},"assessment":{"type":"standardized_test","frequency":"at_specified_grades","description":"Oregon requires a standardized test at the end of grades 3, 5, 8, and 10, completed by August 15. You pick an exam from the state's approved list and arrange for a qualified neutral person to give it. The family pays. Scores are only submitted if the ESD asks."},"portfolio":{"required":false,"records_required":true,"description":"Oregon law doesn't require a portfolio or attendance records. Families only need to keep each round of test results in case the ESD requests them."},"reporting":{"frequency":"none"},"esa":{"program_name":null,"amount_cents":null,"eligibility":null,"url":null},"tax_credit_summary":null,"umbrella_summary":null,"filing_deadlines":{},"required_documents":[],"special_notes":"Standardized testing required in grades 3, 5, 8, and 10.","withdrawal_process":"If your child is enrolled in an Oregon public school, send a one-time notification to your Education Service District (ESD) within 10 days of withdrawing, and notify the current school so attendance reflects the change. Keep your ESD confirmation. After you register, the testing schedule (grades 3, 5, 8, and 10) applies, with one break for families leaving public school: ORS 339.035(3)(b)(B) puts the first examination at least 18 months after the withdrawal date, so a child pulled mid-year does not owe that year's test.","gotchas":[{"title":"Losing track of the testing grades","body":"Oregon tests in grades 3, 5, 8, and 10. Because the gaps run two and three years, families forget which is next. Note the four grades on your student's file the year you start.","applies_to":["overview","record_keeping"]},{"title":"Discarding the score report","body":"Oregon keeps testing results with you unless they are requested. Taking the test and losing the report leaves you with the cost and the afternoon and nothing to show for either.","applies_to":["record_keeping"]}],"source_urls":[{"url":"https://hslda.org/legal/oregon","name":"HSLDA"},{"url":"https://www.oregon.gov/ode/learning-options/HomeSchool/Pages/default.aspx","name":"State Department of Education"}],"sports":{"access_level":"conditional","statute_citation":"Or. Rev. Stat. § 339.460","athletic_association":null,"conditions":"Shall not be denied the opportunity to participate if the student meets district eligibility requirements except attendance and class requirements, AND scores at or above the 23rd percentile on a State Board of Education-approved examination taken annually, resides within attendance boundaries, and meets the same behavioral and performance standards as other participants.","source_url":"https://hslda.org/post/public-school-access-for-homeschoolers-in-oregon","verified_on":"2026-08-08","confidence":"high"},"editorial":{"schema_version":"1","last_verified_at":"2026-09-25"}},{"abbreviation":"PA","name":"Pennsylvania","compulsory_age_range":"6-18","notice":{"required":true,"type":"school_district","frequency":"annual"},"requirements":{"hours_per_year":900,"core_hours_per_year":null,"secondary_hours_per_year":990,"secondary_hours_start_grade":7,"days_per_year":180,"hours_or_days":true,"hours_per_day":null,"subjects":["english","math","science","geography","history","civics","safety","health","physical education","music","art"]},"assessment":{"type":"evaluation","frequency":"annual","description":"Pennsylvania requires a written evaluation each year, based on an interview with your child and a review of the portfolio. The evaluator can be a licensed clinical psychologist, a school psychologist, a Pennsylvania certified teacher with two years of grading experience at the level they evaluate, a nonpublic school teacher or administrator with two years of Pennsylvania teaching experience in the last 10 years at that level, or anyone else the superintendent approves in advance. The evaluator certifies that an appropriate education is occurring, and that certification goes to the superintendent by June 30."},"portfolio":{"required":true,"records_required":true,"description":"Under 24 P.S. § 13-1327.1(e), families keep a contemporaneous log of reading materials by title plus samples of the student's writings, worksheets, workbooks, and creative materials. Standardized tests in math and reading/language arts are included in the portfolio in grades 3, 5, and 8."},"reporting":{"frequency":"annual"},"esa":{"program_name":null,"amount_cents":null,"eligibility":null,"url":null},"tax_credit_summary":null,"umbrella_summary":null,"filing_deadlines":{"affidavit":"August 1","annual_evaluation":"June 30"},"required_documents":[{"due":"August 1 annually","type":"affidavit","label":"Affidavit / Unsworn Declaration","frequency":"annual","description":"Notarized affidavit filed with your superintendent, including educational objectives by subject area.","per_student":false}],"special_notes":"180 days of instruction, or 900 hours at the elementary level and 990 at the secondary level; either one satisfies 24 P.S. § 13-1327.1(c). Annual portfolio review by an evaluator required. Affidavit with educational objectives due August 1.","withdrawal_process":"File a notarized affidavit (or unsworn declaration) with your district superintendent, listing your educational objectives by subject; the affidavit is due August 1 each year and within a reasonable time when you start mid-year. Notify your child's current school in writing so attendance reflects the change. Keep a copy of the affidavit and your evaluator's annual certification (due June 30).","gotchas":[{"title":"Looking for an evaluator in May","body":"Pennsylvania requires a written evaluation by a qualified evaluator, filed with the superintendent by June 30. Good evaluators book out months ahead and the spring rush is real. Line yours up early in the year and ask what they want to see and in what format.","applies_to":["annual_report"]},{"title":"Logging hours without the reading list","body":"Pennsylvania asks for a contemporaneous log of reading materials by title alongside work samples. Reconstructing a year of book titles from memory in June is the single most common portfolio scramble in the state, and it is entirely avoidable by noting titles as you finish them.","applies_to":["record_keeping","overview"]},{"title":"Tracking both the hours and the days","body":"Pennsylvania accepts either measure: 180 days of instruction, or 900 hours at the elementary level and 990 at the secondary level (24 P.S. § 13-1327.1(c)). The Department's guide says \"Either 180 days or 900 hours of instruction are required.\" Pick one when the year starts and log against it, since the portfolio log has to show whichever you chose.","applies_to":["hours"]},{"title":"Coming home from a field trip with nothing for the portfolio","body":"Pennsylvania's portfolio is a contemporaneous log plus samples: reading materials by title, writings, worksheets and creative work. A museum day counts toward your hours the moment you log it, but it leaves your evaluator nothing to look at unless something comes back with you. Decide what that is before you go, whether it is the trail guide, a page the student wrote that evening, or the exhibit book you then log by title.","applies_to":["record_keeping"]},{"title":"Sending the affidavit unnotarized","body":"The affidavit is due August 1 and needs to include your educational objectives by subject area. It also needs notarizing, which families discover the week it is due. An unsworn declaration is accepted in place of notarization, but check which your district wants before you drive anywhere.","applies_to":["letter_of_intent"]}],"source_urls":[{"url":"https://hslda.org/legal/pennsylvania","name":"HSLDA"},{"url":"https://www.pa.gov/agencies/education/programs-and-services/instruction/elementary-and-secondary-education/home-education-and-private-tutoring","name":"State Department of Education"}],"sports":{"access_level":"full","statute_citation":"24 Pa. Stat. § 13-1327.1(f.1)","athletic_association":"Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA)","conditions":"Effective 2006-01-01. District of residence shall permit participation in activities under Section 511 including athletics, provided the child meets eligibility and try-out criteria equivalent to enrolled students. Parent responsible for transportation; student may ride the bus if space allows.","source_url":"https://hslda.org/post/public-school-access-for-homeschoolers-in-pennsylvania","verified_on":"2026-08-08","confidence":"high"},"editorial":{"schema_version":"1","last_verified_at":"2026-10-19"}},{"abbreviation":"RI","name":"Rhode Island","compulsory_age_range":"6-18","notice":{"required":true,"type":"school_district","frequency":"annual","approval_required":true},"requirements":{"hours_per_year":990,"core_hours_per_year":null,"secondary_hours_per_year":null,"days_per_year":180,"hours_or_days":false,"hours_per_day":5.5,"subjects":["reading","writing","geography","arithmetic","us history","rhode island history","principles of government","civics","health and physical education"]},"assessment":{"type":"none","frequency":"none","description":"Rhode Island's statute sets no assessment. R.I. Gen. Laws § 16-19-2 approves at-home instruction on three conditions: attendance substantially equal to the public schools, attendance registers kept and returned, and the named subjects taught in English. Your local school committee can still make a progress check a term of its approval, and RIDE says testing at regular intervals is something to settle while your plan is approved. Ask your committee what it expects before you file."},"portfolio":{"required":false,"records_required":true,"description":"Rhode Island requires no portfolio, but § 16-19-2(2) does require attendance registers, kept the same as the public schools' and returned to the school committee, the superintendent, truant officers, and RIDE. Work samples are worth keeping for your committee's own review."},"reporting":{"frequency":"none"},"esa":{"program_name":null,"amount_cents":null,"eligibility":null,"url":null},"tax_credit_summary":null,"umbrella_summary":null,"filing_deadlines":{"education_plan":"Before starting homeschooling (school committee approval required)"},"required_documents":[{"due":"Before starting homeschooling","type":"education_plan","label":"Home Instruction Plan","frequency":"annual","description":"Instruction plan submitted to your local school committee for approval, including curriculum and attendance commitment.","per_student":false}],"special_notes":"School committee approval required before you begin. The standard is attendance substantially equal to the public school term (§ 16-19-2), which public school rules set at 180 days of 5 1/2 hours of actual instruction, or 990 instructional hours (RIDE's 1,080 school hours include non-instructional time), while noting that at-home instruction need not align exactly with the public school calendar. Attendance registers must be kept and returned. Any progress check is a term of your committee's approval, not a statewide rule. § 16-19-2 names reading, writing, geography, arithmetic, US history, Rhode Island history, and the principles of American government; §§ 16-22-2 and 16-22-4 add civics and health and physical education for approved private instruction too. All of it is taught in English.","withdrawal_process":"Rhode Island requires local school committee approval before you begin, so withdraw only once approval is in hand to avoid a truancy gap. Submit your home instruction plan, get approval, then notify the current school so attendance reflects the change, and keep copies. Maintain attendance records through the year.","gotchas":[{"title":"Starting before the school committee approves","body":"Rhode Island requires school committee approval before you begin, which puts a meeting schedule between you and your start date. Submit early enough that a rescheduled meeting does not push you past September.","applies_to":["overview","letter_of_intent"]},{"title":"Counting school hours as teaching hours","body":"Rhode Island's standard is attendance substantially equal to the public schools. Their rule is 5.5 hours of actual instruction a day across 180 days, which is 990 hours. The 1,080 hour figure RIDE also publishes counts lunch, recess, and homeroom, so it overstates the teaching time.","applies_to":["hours"]},{"title":"Overlooking Rhode Island history","body":"Rhode Island names its own state history as a required subject, alongside US history, civics, and principles of American government. A general history curriculum will not cover it, and it is the subject families discover late.","applies_to":["subjects"]}],"source_urls":[{"url":"https://hslda.org/legal/rhode-island","name":"HSLDA"},{"url":"https://ride.ri.gov/students-families/education-programs/home-schooling","name":"State Department of Education"}],"sports":{"access_level":"conditional","statute_citation":"RIIL Rule 3.1.I (association rule; no statute cited)","athletic_association":"Rhode Island Interscholastic League (RIIL)","conditions":"Eligible for RIIL-sponsored activities on compliance with Rule 3.1.I: student listed on school rolls and certified to the RI Department of Education; homeschool furnishes and certifies academic grades quarterly, recorded officially by the school; the school must approve the request to compete; prior academic/disciplinary ineligibility carries over.","source_url":"https://hslda.org/post/public-school-access-for-homeschoolers-in-rhode-island","verified_on":"2026-08-08","confidence":"high"},"editorial":{"schema_version":"1","last_verified_at":"2026-09-25"}},{"abbreviation":"SC","name":"South Carolina","compulsory_age_range":"5-17","notice":{"required":false,"type":"none","frequency":"none"},"requirements":{"hours_per_year":null,"core_hours_per_year":null,"secondary_hours_per_year":null,"days_per_year":180,"hours_per_day":null,"subjects":["reading","writing","math","science","social studies","composition","literature"],"subject_scopes":{"composition":"grades 7-12","literature":"grades 7-12"}},"assessment":{"type":"none","frequency":"none","description":"South Carolina law requires testing only under Option 1. If your district approves your program under § 59-65-40, your child joins the annual statewide testing program, and a certified district employee gives the test. A child starting first grade also takes the state readiness test. The statutes for Option 2 (SCAIHS, § 59-65-45) and Option 3 (an association with at least 50 members, § 59-65-47) set no testing requirement. Your association can set its own evaluation rules, so check its handbook."},"portfolio":{"required":true,"records_required":true,"description":"Under Option 3, § 59-65-47(d) has you keep three records at home: a plan book, diary, or other record of the subjects and activities you teach; a portfolio of your child's work samples; and a semiannual progress report with attendance and progress in each required subject. Option 1 families keep the same records under § 59-65-40(A)(4), and the district can inspect them and receives the semiannual report. For Option 2, § 59-65-45 sets no records rule, so you follow SCAIHS's own."},"reporting":{"frequency":"none"},"esa":{"program_name":"Education Scholarship Trust Fund (ESTF)","amount_cents":null,"homeschool_access":"status_change","eligibility":"South Carolina's Education Scholarship Trust Fund pays roughly $7,634 per student per year (2026-27), but participation is statutorily incompatible with homeschooling. The ESTF Act explicitly bars families from receiving funds while operating under any of South Carolina's three homeschool accountability options (§ 59-65-40 district, § 59-65-45 SCAIHS, § 59-65-47 association). Recipients must instead either (a) attend a participating private school or (b) educate at home under a separate ESTF-only \"educate from home\" track that is legally distinct from homeschooling.\n\nFor a South Carolina homeschool family this means there's no way to keep your existing Option 1/2/3 status and take the funds. To participate you'd have to drop out of your accountability option and switch into the ESTF-only track or private-school enrollment, picking up state-mandated testing, vendor approval, and program reporting. Funding is also capped (15,000-student cap reached for 2026-27 and applications already closed). For most homeschool families, SC's existing accountability options remain a better fit than abandoning them for ESTF participation.","url":"https://sc-estf-program.com/en"},"tax_credit_summary":null,"umbrella_summary":"South Carolina's homeschool law is built around accountability associations. Option 2 (§ 59-65-45) runs through SCAIHS, the South Carolina Association of Independent Home Schools, which the statute names. Option 3 (§ 59-65-47) lets you join any homeschool association with at least 50 members. Under either one you answer to the association instead of your school district, and most South Carolina families homeschool under Option 2 or 3 rather than Option 1.\n\nYou still teach your own child and pick your own curriculum, and under Option 3 you keep the records at home. Section 59-65-47(d) has the parent-teacher maintain a plan book or diary, a portfolio of work samples, and a semiannual progress report with attendance. The association sets standards the Department of Education reviews each year, and it reports the number and grade level of its students to each district by January 30. SCAIHS sets its own records rules for Option 2 members. Each association sets its own fee, review method, and services such as transcripts, so compare a few before you join. Neither option carries Option 1's district application or its statewide testing.","filing_deadlines":{},"required_documents":[],"special_notes":"South Carolina has three accountability options, and the requirements on this page follow Option 3, an association with at least 50 members (§ 59-65-47). Option 2, SCAIHS membership (§ 59-65-45), matches it on every rule except records, which SCAIHS sets itself. Option 1, district approval (§ 59-65-40), adds a 4.5-hour instructional day, the annual statewide testing program, a semiannual progress report to the district, and an application the district board approves or denies. All three options require at least 180 days a year and a parent with at least a high school diploma or GED.","withdrawal_process":"South Carolina has no statewide homeschool registration; you join one of the three accountability options instead, and the option you pick handles your records. If your child is enrolled in public school, notify the school in writing once you've joined Option 1 (district), Option 2 (SCAIHS), or Option 3 (an approved association), so attendance records reflect the transfer. Keep your membership confirmation and a copy of the withdrawal notice.","gotchas":[{"title":"Not picking an accountability option first","body":"Almost every other South Carolina requirement depends on which of the three accountability options you are under. Option 1 goes through your district, Option 2 through SCAIHS, and Option 3 through an association with at least 50 members. Reading generic South Carolina advice without knowing your option leads to following rules that do not apply to you.","applies_to":["overview"]},{"title":"Mailing the district a notice of intent","body":"South Carolina has no notice of intent. Under Options 2 and 3 you file nothing with the district, and your association reports the number and grade level of its students to each district by January 30. Option 1 works as an application: the district board of trustees reviews your program at a meeting it tells you about in advance, and it can approve or deny it.","applies_to":["overview"]},{"title":"Applying Option 1's 4.5 hours to every option","body":"The 4.5-hour instructional day appears once in the chapter, in S.C. Code 59-65-40(A)(2), the district-approval track. Sections 59-65-45 (SCAIHS) and 59-65-47 (associations) have no hours clause. Each says only that \"the instructional year is at least one hundred eighty days.\" Under Option 2 or 3, count days. If your district approved your program under Option 1, you owe 4.5 hours a day, not counting lunch and recess, which comes to about 810 hours over 180 days.","applies_to":["hours"]},{"title":"Assuming the portfolio is optional","body":"Portfolio rules differ by option. Under Options 1 and 3 you keep a plan book or diary, a portfolio of work samples, and a semiannual progress report. Under Option 2, S.C. Code 59-65-45 sets no records rule, and SCAIHS decides what its members keep.","applies_to":["record_keeping"]}],"source_urls":[{"url":"https://hslda.org/legal/south-carolina","name":"HSLDA"},{"url":"https://ed.sc.gov/districts-schools/state-accountability/home-schooling/","name":"State Department of Education"}],"sports":{"access_level":"conditional","statute_citation":"S.C. Code Ann. § 59-63-100","athletic_association":null,"conditions":"May not be denied the opportunity to participate if: homeschooled for a full academic year prior to participation; meets all district eligibility requirements except attendance/enrollment; resides within the school's attendance boundaries; notifies the superintendent in writing before the season; meets the same acceptance, behavioral and performance standards as other participants.","source_url":"https://hslda.org/post/public-school-access-for-homeschoolers-in-south-carolina","verified_on":"2026-08-08","confidence":"high"},"editorial":{"schema_version":"1","last_verified_at":"2026-10-05"}},{"abbreviation":"SD","name":"South Dakota","compulsory_age_range":"6-18","notice":{"required":true,"type":"state","frequency":"once"},"requirements":{"hours_per_year":null,"core_hours_per_year":null,"secondary_hours_per_year":null,"days_per_year":null,"hours_per_day":null,"subjects":["language arts","math"]},"assessment":{"type":"none","frequency":"none","description":null},"portfolio":{"required":false,"records_required":false,"description":null},"reporting":{"frequency":"none"},"esa":{"program_name":null,"amount_cents":null,"eligibility":null,"url":null},"tax_credit_summary":null,"umbrella_summary":null,"filing_deadlines":{},"required_documents":[],"special_notes":"File a one-time notification with the Department of Education or your local district. Nothing is approved or denied: SB 177 (2021) replaced the old excusal application with a notification. One-time notification unless re-enrolling or moving. No testing required.","withdrawal_process":"South Dakota requires a one-time notification filed with the Department of Education (or your local district). It is a notification, not an application: nobody approves it, so you do not wait on a decision. File it, notify the current school so attendance reflects the change, and keep a copy. It's one-time unless you move or re-enroll; no testing required.","gotchas":[{"title":"Refiling every year out of caution","body":"South Dakota's notification is one-time. You file again when you move or re-enroll a child in school, and not otherwise. Extra filings create confusion in district records rather than goodwill.","applies_to":["letter_of_intent"]},{"title":"Reading the short subject list as the whole plan","body":"South Dakota names language arts and math, and that is the statutory list. It is one of the shortest in the country. Most families teach considerably more, and only those two are required.","applies_to":["subjects"]}],"source_urls":[{"url":"https://hslda.org/legal/south-dakota","name":"HSLDA"},{"url":"https://doe.sd.gov/oatq/homeschooling.aspx","name":"State Department of Education"}],"sports":{"access_level":"full","statute_citation":"S.D. Codified Laws § 13-36-7","athletic_association":null,"conditions":"Each public school district must allow homeschool students to participate in athletics, fine arts or activities within the district where the child lives.","source_url":"https://hslda.org/post/public-school-access-for-homeschoolers-in-south-dakota","verified_on":"2026-08-08","confidence":"medium"},"editorial":{"schema_version":"1","last_verified_at":"2026-09-21"}},{"abbreviation":"TN","name":"Tennessee","compulsory_age_range":"6-17","notice":{"required":false,"type":"none","frequency":"none"},"requirements":{"hours_per_year":null,"core_hours_per_year":null,"secondary_hours_per_year":null,"days_per_year":180,"hours_per_day":null,"subjects":[]},"assessment":{"type":"none","frequency":"none","description":"Under Tennessee's independent home-school option, students are tested at the end of grades 5, 7, and 9. Since Public Chapter 912 (2026) the parent chooses between a self-selected nationally normed test covering English language arts and math — proctored by someone not related to the student, scored by the test's publisher, at the family's expense — and the state board-approved test public school students sit that year, which at grade 9 may not be an end-of-course exam. Results go to the parent-teacher, the director of schools, and the state board under § 49-6-3050(b)(5); families registered through a church-related school follow that school's assessment policy instead."},"portfolio":{"required":false,"records_required":false,"description":"Tennessee's independent option requires attendance records, submitted at year end to the director of schools. The state does not require a formal portfolio. Church-related umbrella school families follow that school's records policy."},"reporting":{"frequency":"none"},"esa":{"program_name":"Education Freedom Scholarship Act (EFS)","amount_cents":null,"homeschool_access":"closed","eligibility":"Tennessee's EFS program pays roughly $7,530 per student per year (2026-27), but the funds flow only to EFS-registered Category I, II, or III nonpublic schools. Independent homeschoolers, whether registered under Tennessee's independent home-school option (§ 49-6-3050) or through a church-related school, are not eligible to receive funds directly.\n\nFor a Tennessee homeschool family the only path into EFS is to enroll the student in a participating Category I, II, or III school, which is a different legal status from homeschooling. That school receives the funds and applies them to tuition and approved expenses on the family's behalf, with its own attendance, curriculum, and reporting requirements on top of the EFS rules. Category IV church-related umbrella schools can't take part either, so an umbrella family would have to move to a participating school to use EFS.\n\nTennessee also offers a separate Individualized Education Account (IEA) program for students with disabilities (tn.gov/education/iea.html); this is distinct from EFS and has its own eligibility rules.","url":"https://www.tn.gov/education/efs.html"},"tax_credit_summary":null,"umbrella_summary":"Beyond Tennessee's independent home-school option (§ 49-6-3050), most Tennessee homeschoolers register through a Category IV church-related school under § 49-50-801. Once enrolled, your child is legally a student of that nonpublic school rather than an independent home-schooler — which means the school, not the state board, sets the attendance, testing, and recordkeeping policies.\n\nThe practical draw is that Category IV schools are exempt from the state board regulations that apply to independent home schools. The standardized testing required of independent home schoolers in grades 5, 7, and 9 doesn't apply; you follow the school's own assessment policy instead. In return, expect an annual enrollment fee, the school's own paperwork (attendance reports, withdrawal forms, transcripts on request), and whichever curriculum or evaluation rules that particular school sets.","filing_deadlines":{},"required_documents":[],"special_notes":"Most Tennessee homeschoolers enroll in a church-related umbrella school, about 80 percent by the state Comptroller's 2018 estimate, and the requirements on this page follow that route: 180 days a year, with the umbrella school setting its own attendance, testing, and records rules under § 49-6-3050(a)(3). An independent home school under § 49-6-3050(b) adds an annual notice of intent to the director of schools, 4 hours of instruction a day, testing in grades 5, 7, and 9 (since 2026 the parent may choose a nationally normed test instead of the state test), and attendance records submitted at year end. Public schools must let home-school students take advanced courses and college-prep exams they offer when space allows.","withdrawal_process":"If your child is enrolled in a Tennessee public school, what you file depends on your route. A church-related umbrella school handles enrollment, and the Department of Education says no Intent to Home School form is required for its students, though the district may ask for proof of enrollment. An independent home school under § 49-6-3050(b) files a notice of intent with the local director of schools before it begins. Either way, notify the school so attendance reflects the change, and keep a copy of what you send.","gotchas":[{"title":"Independent home schools submit attendance records","body":"If you register as an independent home school under § 49-6-3050(b), you submit attendance records to the director of schools at the end of the year, which turns the daily log into a filing. A church-related umbrella school collects attendance on its own schedule instead. Under either route, keep the log as you go rather than rebuilding it in May.","applies_to":["record_keeping"]},{"title":"Applying the independent school's 4-hour day to every family","body":"The 4-hour instructional day in § 49-6-3050(b)(3) binds independent home schools only. The (b) requirements open with \"Except for home schools operated under subdivision (a)(2) or (a)(3)\", the church-related umbrella routes most Tennessee families use, and the umbrella sets its own school day. Both routes teach 180 days. If you are independent, log hours and days separately so a two-hour day doesn't count as a school day.","applies_to":["hours"]},{"title":"Missing an independent testing year","body":"Independent home schools test in grades 5, 7, and 9. Since Public Chapter 912 (2026) you may choose a nationally normed test instead of the state test, as long as it covers English language arts and math, is proctored by someone not related to the student, and is scored by the publisher, at your expense. The years skip, so note all three grades now and book the proctor early. Umbrella school families follow the umbrella's testing policy instead.","applies_to":["overview"]},{"title":"Assuming a low score still sends you back to school","body":"Public Chapter 912 deleted § 49-6-3050(b)(6) in 2026, removing the consultation ladder and the director of schools' power to require enrollment after two low administrations. The state's own guidance pages have not all caught up, so keep the statute handy if a district asks an independent home school for a remediation plan.","applies_to":["overview"]}],"source_urls":[{"url":"https://hslda.org/legal/tennessee","name":"HSLDA"},{"url":"https://www.tn.gov/education/families/school-options/home-schooling-in-tn.html","name":"State Department of Education"}],"sports":{"access_level":"full","statute_citation":"Tenn. Code Ann. § 49-6-3050(b) and (e)","athletic_association":"Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA)","conditions":"Parent files notice of intent. Where the school is a TSSAA member and the student is eligible under TSSAA rules, local schools are prohibited from preventing participation. Students associated with church-related schools may also participate.","source_url":"https://hslda.org/post/public-school-access-for-homeschoolers-in-tennessee","verified_on":"2026-08-08","confidence":"high"},"editorial":{"schema_version":"1","last_verified_at":"2026-10-19"}},{"abbreviation":"TX","name":"Texas","compulsory_age_range":"6-19","notice":{"required":false,"type":"none","frequency":"none"},"requirements":{"hours_per_year":null,"core_hours_per_year":null,"secondary_hours_per_year":null,"days_per_year":null,"hours_per_day":null,"subjects":["reading","spelling","grammar","math","good citizenship"]},"assessment":{"type":"none","frequency":"none","description":null},"portfolio":{"required":false,"records_required":false,"description":null},"reporting":{"frequency":"none"},"esa":{"program_name":"Texas Education Freedom Account (TEFA)","amount_cents":200000,"homeschool_access":"open","eligibility":"Texas homeschool families qualify for a fixed $2,000 per child per year (private school students separately get up to $10,474). Eligibility tracks the public-school residency rules, with priority for low-income families and students with disabilities. Texas does not require you to register or notify a school district to homeschool, and TEFA does not change that.\n\nTaking the funds means accepting TEFA's spending constraints. All purchases must run through the TEFA marketplace from approved providers, no more than 10% can go to computer hardware or software, and you cannot use the funds to pay yourself or another family member for teaching your child. Receipts and provider records are kept by the marketplace. There is no recurring expense report for the homeschool track — participants in good standing stay enrolled automatically and only confirm they want to continue, while the Comptroller contracts an annual audit of accounts and eligibility. Verified 2026-08-06 and re-checked 2026-08-30 — the state now reports more than 274,000 applications and over 100,000 awards for the first (2026-27) year.","url":"https://educationfreedom.texas.gov/","reporting":{"cadence":"annual","required_when_zero":false,"what_to_submit":"Nothing recurring. Participants in good standing stay enrolled automatically and only confirm they want to continue. The Comptroller contracts a private entity to audit accounts and program eligibility at least annually, so keep marketplace receipts, but there is no expense report a family files on a schedule.","consequences":"No published penalty schedule, because there is no recurring filing to miss. Losing good standing or failing an audit is what puts an account at risk.","deadline_keys":[]}},"tax_credit_summary":null,"umbrella_summary":null,"filing_deadlines":{},"required_documents":[],"special_notes":"No notification required. Must pursue curriculum in bona fide manner.","withdrawal_process":"Texas requires no notice to homeschool, but if your child is enrolled in public school, send a dated letter of withdrawal to the school stating that you are educating in a bona fide manner under the Leeper decision; keep a copy. Sending the letter before you stop attending pre-empts a truancy referral. There is no state form and nothing to file with a district or the state.","gotchas":[{"title":"Not knowing what 'bona fide' has to mean","body":"Texas asks for a bona fide curriculum in reading, spelling, grammar, math, and good citizenship. There is no filing and no oversight, and that phrase is the standard a court would apply. Curriculum in a drawer, unused, is what fails it.","applies_to":["overview","subjects"]},{"title":"Skipping good citizenship","body":"Good citizenship is a named Texas requirement and the one families overlook, because it maps to no obvious curriculum aisle. Civics, government, and community study all cover it.","applies_to":["subjects"]}],"source_urls":[{"url":"https://hslda.org/legal/texas","name":"HSLDA"},{"url":"https://tea.texas.gov/texas-schools/general-information/finding-a-school-for-your-child/home-schooling","name":"State Department of Education"}],"sports":{"access_level":"conditional","statute_citation":"Tex. Educ. Code Ann. § 33.0832","athletic_association":"University Interscholastic League (UIL)","conditions":"Districts must permit participation on the same basis as enrolled students UNLESS the district adopts a policy declining. Student participates in the district they would attend; if that district declines, they may use the geographically closest school.","source_url":"https://hslda.org/post/public-school-access-for-homeschoolers-in-texas","verified_on":"2026-08-08","confidence":"high"},"editorial":{"schema_version":"1","last_verified_at":"2026-09-21"}},{"abbreviation":"UT","name":"Utah","compulsory_age_range":"6-18","notice":{"required":true,"type":"school_district","frequency":"once"},"requirements":{"hours_per_year":null,"core_hours_per_year":null,"secondary_hours_per_year":null,"days_per_year":null,"hours_per_day":null,"subjects":[]},"assessment":{"type":"none","frequency":"none","description":null},"portfolio":{"required":false,"records_required":false,"description":null},"reporting":{"frequency":"none"},"esa":{"program_name":"Utah Fits All Scholarship","amount_cents":600000,"homeschool_access":"open","eligibility":"Universal in concept — any K-12 Utah student qualifies. Award amounts are tiered: a student attending a private school receives up to $8,000, while home-based (homeschool) students receive $4,000 for ages 5-11 and $6,000 for ages 12-18. Funding is capped (about $120 million for 2026-27), applications run each spring — March 1 for returning families, April 1 for new ones, closing May 1 — and existing recipients are prioritized in renewal. Use is restricted to qualifying expenses such as curriculum, tutoring, therapies, and tuition at participating schools, and participants may roll over up to two-thirds of unspent funds each year.\n\nFor Utah homeschoolers the program is administered as a private-school-equivalent ESA, run by Odyssey (the program administrator as of May 2025). Participating students must show annual academic progress — since H.B. 467 (2026), either a portfolio review or a nationally norm-referenced assessment, due May 31 — and spending is constrained to the program's approved-expense categories and pre-vetted vendor list. Taking the scholarship does not change your homeschool status: nothing in Utah Code 53G-6-204 or in the Utah Fits All part (53F-6-401 through 411) makes one conditional on the other, and the State Board of Education links the scholarship from its homeschool page.","url":"https://www.utaheducationfitsall.org/"},"tax_credit_summary":null,"umbrella_summary":null,"filing_deadlines":{},"required_documents":[],"special_notes":"Give your local school board a one-time notification, which can be a letter of intent. As of H.B. 209 (2025) it is no longer notarized and no criminal-background attestation is required, and a family that notified the board on or before May 7, 2025 does not file again. The board records the notification and acknowledges it within 30 days. Utah Code 53G-6-204 leaves materials, time, place, method, and evaluation to the parent, and bars the board from requiring records of instruction or attendance, teacher credentials, facility inspections, or testing.","withdrawal_process":"If your child is enrolled in a Utah public school, give your local school board a one-time notification, which can be a letter of intent. As of H.B. 209 (2025) it no longer needs to be notarized. The board acknowledges receipt within 30 days. Notify the current school so attendance reflects the change, and keep a copy of the notification and the board's acknowledgment.","gotchas":[{"title":"Getting the notice notarized","body":"H.B. 209 removed the notarization requirement in 2025, along with the criminal background attestation. Older guides still describe both. A one-time notification to your local school board is the whole filing now.","applies_to":["letter_of_intent"]},{"title":"Accepting requirements the state prohibits","body":"Utah law bars the school board from requiring records of instruction or attendance, teacher credentials, a facility inspection, or testing, and leaves materials, time, place, and method to the parent. Districts occasionally ask anyway. Knowing the statute saves the conversation.","applies_to":["overview"]}],"source_urls":[{"url":"https://hslda.org/legal/utah","name":"HSLDA"},{"url":"https://schools.utah.gov/parent/homeschool","name":"State Department of Education"}],"sports":{"access_level":"conditional","statute_citation":"Utah Code §§ 53G-6-703, 53G-6-702","athletic_association":null,"conditions":"Homeschool students are eligible to participate in extracurricular activities at a public school under the same eligibility standards, rules and requirements as full-time students.","source_url":"https://hslda.org/post/public-school-access-for-homeschoolers-in-utah","verified_on":"2026-08-08","confidence":"medium"},"editorial":{"schema_version":"1","last_verified_at":"2026-09-25"}},{"abbreviation":"VT","name":"Vermont","compulsory_age_range":"6-16","notice":{"required":true,"type":"state","frequency":"annual"},"requirements":{"hours_per_year":null,"core_hours_per_year":null,"secondary_hours_per_year":null,"days_per_year":175,"hours_per_day":null,"subjects":["reading","writing","math","citizenship","literature","history","sciences","fine arts","physical education","health"],"subject_scopes":{"fine arts":"under age 13","physical education":"under age 13","health":"under age 13"}},"assessment":{"type":"choice","frequency":"annual","description":"Vermont requires an assessment of your child's academic progress at the end of each school year, under 16 V.S.A. § 166b. Since H.461 (2023) nothing is submitted to the Agency of Education. Families attest on the enrollment notice that they will assess and keep the record. Accepted forms are a standardized assessment, a review by a teacher with a current Vermont license, a parent report and portfolio with a summary of the year and at least four work samples, grades from an online academy or school, or passing the GED.","allows_portfolio":true},"portfolio":{"required":false,"records_required":true,"description":"Vermont requires no portfolio, though a parent report with at least four work samples is one of the five ways to satisfy the end-of-year assessment. What is required is retention: 16 V.S.A. 166b(a)(3) has you attest that you will keep the record of those assessments, and the Agency advises holding them until the student turns 18."},"reporting":{"frequency":"none"},"esa":{"program_name":null,"amount_cents":null,"eligibility":null,"url":null},"tax_credit_summary":null,"umbrella_summary":null,"filing_deadlines":{"annual_notice":"10 business days before starting homeschooling, then annually"},"required_documents":[{"type":"annual_notice","label":"Annual Notice","due":"10 business days before starting, then annually","frequency":"annual","description":"The enrollment notice for the year ahead, with attestations about instruction and assessment. Vermont stopped collecting the subject-by-subject narrative on July 1, 2023.","per_student":true}],"special_notes":"Enrollment notice filed with the Agency of Education at least 10 business days before you begin, then an annual notice each year; enrollments expire July 1. The notice is an attestation now, not a curriculum outline: H.461 (2023) struck the subject-by-subject narrative from 16 V.S.A. 166b(a)(5). You attest to the equivalent of 175 days of instruction in the minimum course of study, and to assessing your child at the end of the year. You keep the assessment; the Agency does not collect it. Subjects split by age: a child under 13 gets the full 16 V.S.A. 906 list, and a child 13 or older is exempt from the physical education, health, and fine arts subdivisions.","withdrawal_process":"Vermont requires an enrollment notice filed with the Agency of Education at least 10 business days before you begin, and an annual notice each year after. A child never enrolled in a Vermont public school or home study program also needs independent professional evidence on whether they have a documented disability. Notify the current school so attendance reflects the change, and keep a copy. An end-of-year assessment follows, which you keep rather than submit.","gotchas":[{"title":"Filing once and stopping","body":"Vermont's enrollment notice is annual, due 10 business days before you start each year. The first one feels like the hard part, and the ones after it are what families let slide.","applies_to":["letter_of_intent"]},{"title":"Writing a curriculum outline nobody collects","body":"Vermont stopped collecting the subject-by-subject minimum course of study on July 1, 2023, when H.461 replaced it with an attestation. The Agency of Education says families \"are no longer required to submit an MCOS\" and that the August 1 deadline for it is gone. Attest on the notice, teach the course of study, and keep your own plan for your own use.","applies_to":["letter_of_intent"]},{"title":"Forgetting the 175 days","body":"Vermont asks you to attest to the equivalent of 175 days of instruction, alongside the annual notice and the end-of-year assessment. Nobody collects a count, so it is the easiest of the three to lose track of.","applies_to":["hours"]}],"source_urls":[{"url":"https://hslda.org/legal/vermont","name":"HSLDA"},{"url":"https://education.vermont.gov/vermont-schools/school-operations/home-study","name":"State Department of Education"}],"sports":{"access_level":"conditional","statute_citation":"Vt. Stat. Ann. tit. 16 § 563(24); Vt. Code R. 22-000-009 § 4404","athletic_association":"Vermont Principals Association (VPA)","conditions":"A home study student is eligible to participate in, or try out for where selection is competitive, one or more co-curricular or extracurricular activities. Must meet VPA insurance, physical exam, age and transfer requirements on the same basis as enrolled students. Where space is limited, preference MAY be given to full-time enrolled students; space-based denials must be reported to the Department of Education.","source_url":"https://hslda.org/post/public-school-access-for-homeschoolers-in-vermont","verified_on":"2026-08-08","confidence":"high"},"editorial":{"schema_version":"1","last_verified_at":"2026-09-25"}},{"abbreviation":"VA","name":"Virginia","compulsory_age_range":"5-18","notice":{"required":true,"type":"school_district","frequency":"annual"},"requirements":{"hours_per_year":null,"core_hours_per_year":null,"secondary_hours_per_year":null,"days_per_year":null,"hours_per_day":null,"subjects":[]},"assessment":{"type":"choice","frequency":"annual","description":"Virginia requires evidence of academic progress filed with the division superintendent by August 1 after each year of home instruction. Options are a composite score in or above the fourth stanine (about the 23rd percentile) on a nationally normed achievement test or an equivalent ACT, SAT, or PSAT score, or an evaluation the superintendent accepts, such as a letter from a licensed teacher or someone with a master's degree who knows the child's work, or a report card or transcript from a college, college distance program, or home-education correspondence school. A child under 6 on September 30 of the school year is exempt.","allows_portfolio":false},"portfolio":{"required":false,"records_required":false,"description":"Virginia law doesn't require a specific portfolio — only the annual evidence of progress. Keep whatever records your evaluator needs or the test administrator requires on hand."},"reporting":{"frequency":"annual"},"esa":{"program_name":null,"amount_cents":null,"eligibility":null,"url":null},"tax_credit_summary":null,"umbrella_summary":null,"filing_deadlines":{"notice_due":"August 15","assessment_due":"August 1"},"required_documents":[],"special_notes":"Virginia's homeschool statute (§ 22.1-254.1) sets no hours or days. You notify the division superintendent by August 15 each year with a list of subjects for the coming year and the qualification you meet, and file evidence of progress by August 1 after each year. The progress evidence does not apply to a child under 6 on September 30. A family that moves in or starts after the school year begins notifies the superintendent as soon as practicable and completes the filing within 30 days. Religious exemption available.","withdrawal_process":"If your child is enrolled in a Virginia public school, file your notice of intent with the division superintendent by August 15, listing the subjects for the coming year and the qualification you meet. If you start after the school year has begun, notify the superintendent as soon as practicable and complete the filing within 30 days. Notify the school so attendance reflects the change, and keep a copy. Families using the religious-exemption path (§ 22.1-254(B)(1)) follow a separate school-board process instead of the § 22.1-254.1 notice.","gotchas":[{"title":"Missing that there are two separate dates","body":"Virginia has notice due by August 15 and evidence of academic progress due by August 1. The progress evidence covers the year you have finished, so it is due before the notice for the year ahead. Think of it as one annual filing and you will miss the earlier date.","applies_to":["letter_of_intent","annual_report"]},{"title":"Assuming Virginia sets an hour requirement","body":"Virginia's homeschool statute sets no hours and no days. What it asks for is annual evidence of progress, filed with the division superintendent. Hour logs are still worth keeping for your own planning and for college applications, but the state is not counting them.","applies_to":["overview"]},{"title":"Confusing the religious exemption with the notice option","body":"The religious exemption under Va. Code § 22.1-254(B)(1) is a separate legal path that removes the annual filing and the progress evidence entirely. The school board grants it, so read the board's letter for its terms before you rely on it.","applies_to":["overview","letter_of_intent"]}],"source_urls":[{"url":"https://hslda.org/legal/virginia","name":"HSLDA"},{"url":"https://www.doe.virginia.gov/parents-students/for-parents/home-instruction","name":"State Department of Education"}],"sports":{"access_level":"unclear","statute_citation":"Va. Code § 22.1-253.13:2(N) (governs CLASS enrollment only)","athletic_association":"Virginia High School League (VHSL)","conditions":null,"source_url":"https://hslda.org/post/public-school-access-for-homeschoolers-in-virginia","verified_on":"2026-08-08","confidence":"low"},"editorial":{"schema_version":"1","last_verified_at":"2026-09-25"}},{"abbreviation":"WA","name":"Washington","compulsory_age_range":"8-18","notice":{"required":true,"type":"school_district","frequency":"annual"},"requirements":{"hours_per_year":1000,"core_hours_per_year":null,"secondary_hours_per_year":null,"days_per_year":180,"hours_or_days":true,"hours_per_day":null,"subjects":["reading","writing","spelling","language","math","science","social studies","history","health","occupational education","art","music"]},"assessment":{"type":"choice","frequency":"annual","description":"Washington requires one annual assessment. Families may use a state-board-approved standardized test given by a qualified tester, or a written assessment prepared by a Washington-certified person working in education. Results aren't submitted to the district.","allows_portfolio":false},"portfolio":{"required":false,"records_required":true,"description":"Under RCW 28A.200.010(1)(c), each year's standardized test or written assessment becomes part of the child's permanent records, and (1)(b) has you forward those records if your child transfers to another school. Washington requires no portfolio beyond that."},"reporting":{"frequency":"none"},"esa":{"program_name":null,"amount_cents":null,"eligibility":null,"url":null},"tax_credit_summary":null,"umbrella_summary":null,"filing_deadlines":{},"required_documents":[],"special_notes":"1000 hours or 180 days (grades 1-12). Declaration of intent by Sept 15 or within 2 weeks of any quarter. Annual assessment via standardized test or certified evaluator.","withdrawal_process":"File your declaration of intent with your local school district by September 15, or within two weeks of the start of any quarter, and notify your child's current school in writing so attendance records show the transfer. Keep a copy. To sign the declaration you must meet one of Washington's parent-qualification options: 45 college quarter credits, a qualifying parent-education course, approval by the superintendent, or working with a certified teacher who contacts the child weekly.","gotchas":[{"title":"Missing the September 15 declaration","body":"Washington's declaration of intent is due by September 15, or within two weeks of the start of any quarter if you begin mid-year. It goes to your local school district and is filed annually.","applies_to":["letter_of_intent"]},{"title":"Tracking hours and days when you only need one","body":"Washington's requirement is 1,000 hours or 180 days, not both. Pick the one that fits how your family schedules and track that one. Trying to satisfy both doubles the record keeping for no compliance benefit.","applies_to":["hours"]},{"title":"Assuming the annual assessment gets filed","body":"Washington requires an annual standardized test or an assessment by a certified evaluator, but the result stays in your own records. Nobody collects it unless a question comes up, which is exactly why it needs to be kept rather than discarded.","applies_to":["record_keeping"]},{"title":"Overlooking the parent qualification rule","body":"Washington asks the supervising parent to meet one of a few qualifications: 45 college quarter credits, completion of a parent qualifying course, supervision by a certified teacher, or district superintendent approval. It is the requirement families most often discover after they have already filed.","applies_to":["overview"]}],"source_urls":[{"url":"https://hslda.org/legal/washington","name":"HSLDA"},{"url":"https://ospi.k12.wa.us/student-success/learning-alternatives/home-based-instruction","name":"State Department of Education"}],"sports":{"access_level":"conditional","statute_citation":"Wash. Rev. Code § 28A.150.350","athletic_association":"Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA)","conditions":"WIAA deems homeschoolers regular members of the public school where they filed notice of intent. Requires filing a notice of intent to homeschool at a local public school plus an academic plan contract signed by student, parents, principal and athletic director.","source_url":"https://hslda.org/post/public-school-access-for-homeschoolers-in-washington","verified_on":"2026-08-08","confidence":"high"},"editorial":{"schema_version":"1","last_verified_at":"2026-09-25"}},{"abbreviation":"WV","name":"West Virginia","compulsory_age_range":"6-17","notice":{"required":true,"type":"school_district","frequency":"once"},"requirements":{"hours_per_year":null,"core_hours_per_year":null,"secondary_hours_per_year":null,"days_per_year":null,"hours_per_day":null,"subjects":["reading","language","math","science","social studies"]},"assessment":{"type":"choice","frequency":"annual","description":"West Virginia requires an academic assessment every year, and you submit the results to the county superintendent after grades 3, 5, 8, and 11, by June 30 (W. Va. Code § 18-8-1(c)(2)(C) and (E)). Families may pick a nationally normed test (acceptable progress means the mean of the five subject scores falls within or above the 4th stanine, the 23rd percentile, or improves over the prior year), public-school testing, a certified teacher's portfolio narrative, or an alternative assessment agreed on with the county.","allows_portfolio":true},"portfolio":{"required":false,"records_required":true,"description":"Under W. Va. Code 18-8-1(c), families keep copies of each assessment for three years. If you choose the portfolio option, the certified teacher reviews work samples across the five required subjects before writing the narrative."},"reporting":{"frequency":"at_specified_grades","grades":[3,5,8,11],"due":"June 30"},"esa":{"program_name":"Hope Scholarship","amount_cents":543562,"homeschool_access":"status_change","eligibility":"Universal as of the 2026-27 school year. Any school-aged West Virginia resident qualifies, including existing homeschool and private-school students who have never attended public school (before 2026-27, eligibility required recent public-school attendance). The award is the per-pupil state aid amount (~$5,436 for 2026-27, up from ~$5,267 in 2025-26). Applications run on a rolling basis through the WV State Treasurer's Office, with funds deposited quarterly — August 15, October 15, January 15, and April 15 under HB 5686 (2026). Apply early: new applicants for 2026-27 received full funding only through June 15, later applications fund at reduced rates, and none are funded after February 28, 2027.\n\nThe legal status change is the central tradeoff. Hope Scholarship students are not classified as homeschoolers under W. Va. Code 18-8-1 — they are participants in a state ESA program with their own assessment and reporting rules. Funds may only be spent on approved categories (curriculum, tutoring, therapies, transportation to participating schools, technology) and require receipts uploaded to the program portal. Annual standardized testing or a state-approved equivalent assessment is required, results filed with the program. Funds left at year end roll over while still enrolled but revert if the student leaves. Many WV homeschool families have decided the state's existing homeschool law (which already requires periodic assessment and notice) is light enough that the trade for ESA reporting and vendor restrictions isn't worth it.","url":"https://hopescholarshipwv.gov/","reporting":{"cadence":"annual","required_when_zero":false,"what_to_submit":"An annual academic report for Individualized Instructional Program students, under W. Va. Code 18-31-8(a)(4). Two options - a nationally normed standardized test whose overall mean falls in or above the fourth stanine, or shows improvement over the prior year, or a certified teacher's written determination that the student is making progress commensurate with age and ability.","consequences":"Missing the June 8 report terminates the account by statute and bars participation the following school year. Renewal is separate - continuing participation must be confirmed by June 15.","deadline_keys":["esa_annual_report","esa_renewal_confirmation"]}},"tax_credit_summary":null,"umbrella_summary":null,"filing_deadlines":{"esa_annual_report":"June 8","esa_renewal_confirmation":"June 15"},"required_documents":[],"special_notes":"One-time notice of intent under the notice option, W. Va. Code § 18-8-1(c)(2). An academic assessment every year, by standardized test, state testing, portfolio review, or an alternative agreed with the county, with results submitted after grades 3, 5, 8, and 11. Keep copies of each assessment for three years.","withdrawal_process":"If your child is enrolled in a West Virginia public school, send a one-time notice of intent to homeschool to the county superintendent, confirming you hold at least a high-school diploma or equivalent, and notify the current school so attendance reflects the change. Keep a copy. After withdrawal, you assess every year and submit the results after grades 3, 5, 8, and 11.","gotchas":[{"title":"Assessing only in the reporting years","body":"West Virginia requires an assessment every year under § 18-8-1(c)(2)(C). Only the submission skips years: you send results to the county superintendent after grades 3, 5, 8, and 11, by June 30. Assess in the off years too, and keep those results with the rest.","applies_to":["annual_report"]},{"title":"Keeping assessment results for one year","body":"West Virginia asks you to hold copies of the assessment for three years. Families clear them out after the next one arrives and end up a cycle short.","applies_to":["record_keeping","annual_report"]},{"title":"Assuming the assessment has to be a test","body":"West Virginia lets you satisfy it with a standardized test, the state test, a portfolio review by a certified teacher, or an alternative agreed with the county. The portfolio option suits families who would rather not test a young child.","applies_to":["annual_report"]}],"source_urls":[{"url":"https://hslda.org/legal/west-virginia","name":"HSLDA"},{"url":"https://wvde.us/academics/school-choice/homeschool-state-code","name":"State Department of Education"}],"sports":{"access_level":"conditional","statute_citation":"W. Va. Code § 18-8-1(c), (m), (n) (HB 2820, effective 2023-06-09)","athletic_association":"West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission (WVSSAC)","conditions":"Commission shall consider eligible a student receiving home instruction (also Hope Scholarship, microschool and learning pod students). Requires satisfactory academic progress at or above the fourth stanine in all subject areas; under age 19 by August 1; amateur status; compliance with WVSSAC rules; limited to the secondary school serving the attendance zone. Reasonable fees may be charged.","source_url":"https://hslda.org/post/public-school-access-for-homeschoolers-in-west-virginia","verified_on":"2026-08-08","confidence":"high"},"editorial":{"schema_version":"1","last_verified_at":"2026-09-25"}},{"abbreviation":"WI","name":"Wisconsin","compulsory_age_range":"6-18","notice":{"required":true,"type":"state","recipient_label":"the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction","frequency":"annual"},"requirements":{"hours_per_year":875,"core_hours_per_year":null,"secondary_hours_per_year":null,"days_per_year":null,"hours_per_day":null,"subjects":["reading","language arts","math","social studies","science","health"]},"assessment":{"type":"none","frequency":"none","description":null},"portfolio":{"required":false,"records_required":false,"description":null},"reporting":{"frequency":"none"},"esa":{"program_name":null,"amount_cents":null,"eligibility":null,"url":null},"tax_credit_summary":null,"umbrella_summary":null,"filing_deadlines":{},"required_documents":[],"special_notes":"875 hours required. PI-1206 form required annually by October 15.","withdrawal_process":"Wisconsin homeschooling begins when you file form PI-1206 with the state DPI (the HOMER system), due by October 15 each year. For a child leaving public school, file PI-1206 and notify the current school so attendance reflects the change; keep your confirmation. The 875-hour requirement applies once you start.","gotchas":[{"title":"PI-1206 is due before you feel ready","body":"Wisconsin's PI-1206 is due annually by October 15. It is a short online form, and the date sits early enough in the year that families starting in September file it while still setting up.","applies_to":["letter_of_intent"]},{"title":"Reading 875 hours as a full public school year","body":"Wisconsin's requirement is 875 hours, which comes out well under a typical public school total. Families who plan against a 1,000-hour assumption spend more of the year worrying than they need to.","applies_to":["hours"]}],"source_urls":[{"url":"https://hslda.org/legal/wisconsin","name":"HSLDA"},{"url":"https://dpi.wi.gov/parental-education-options/home-based","name":"State Department of Education"}],"sports":{"access_level":"full","statute_citation":"Wis. Stat. § 118.133(1)","athletic_association":null,"conditions":"School board SHALL permit a resident pupil enrolled in a home-based private educational program to participate in interscholastic athletics on the same basis and to the same extent as enrolled pupils. Requires district residency, a written statement from the home-based program confirming age and academic/disciplinary eligibility, and the same fees as enrolled students.","source_url":"https://hslda.org/post/public-school-access-for-homeschoolers-in-wisconsin","verified_on":"2026-08-08","confidence":"high"},"editorial":{"schema_version":"1","last_verified_at":"2026-10-26"}},{"abbreviation":"WY","name":"Wyoming","compulsory_age_range":"7-16","notice":{"required":false,"type":"school_district","frequency":"on_withdrawal"},"requirements":{"hours_per_year":null,"core_hours_per_year":null,"secondary_hours_per_year":null,"days_per_year":null,"hours_per_day":null,"subjects":["reading","writing","math","civics","history","literature","science"]},"assessment":{"type":"none","frequency":"none","description":null},"portfolio":{"required":false,"records_required":false,"description":null},"reporting":{"frequency":"none"},"esa":{"program_name":"Wyoming Education Savings Account","amount_cents":700000,"homeschool_access":"open","eligibility":"Wyoming's Education Savings Account pays $7,000 per student per year beginning in the 2025-26 school year. Eligible students are Wyoming residents aged 4 through grade 12 who are not enrolled in public school. Homeschool families qualify — participation requires that parents ensure instruction covers core subjects and that students are assessed on academic progress via the state assessment or a nationally norm-referenced assessment. Pre-K applicants (age 4) are subject to an income cap (household income at or below 250% of the federal poverty guidelines). Applications are managed through the Wyoming Department of Education; contact wde-esa@wyo.gov with questions.","url":"https://edu.wyoming.gov/parents/education-savings-accounts/"},"tax_credit_summary":null,"umbrella_summary":null,"filing_deadlines":{},"required_documents":[],"special_notes":"Wyoming made homeschooling lighter on paperwork in 2025. If you're pulling a child out of a public school, tell the district your child is now in a home-based educational program. W.S. 21-4-102(c) sets no form for that notice, so a short letter works and leaves you a copy. If you don't notify the district, the statute has you meet in person with a school counselor or administrator and sign written consent to the withdrawal instead. If your child has never been enrolled in public school, you don't file anything to start. Either way, teach a \"basic academic educational program\": reading, writing, math, civics, history, literature, and science. Since HB 46 (2025) you no longer submit your curriculum to the local board. A religious exemption is also available. (W.S. 21-4-101 and 21-4-102.)","withdrawal_process":"If you're pulling a child out of public school, notify the district that your child is enrolled in a home-based educational program. W.S. 21-4-102(c) sets no form, so a short letter works and gives you a copy to keep. A parent who doesn't notify the district has to meet in person with a school counselor or administrator and give written consent to the withdrawal. If your child has never been enrolled in public school, you don't file anything to start.","gotchas":[{"title":"Working from pre-2025 guidance","body":"Wyoming dropped the annual curriculum submission in 2025. Guides still describe filing a curriculum plan with your local board each year. If your child was never enrolled in public school, you now file nothing at all.","applies_to":["overview"]},{"title":"Skipping the withdrawal notice","body":"Pulling a child out of a Wyoming public school still means telling the district your child is now homeschooled. Skip it and W.S. 21-4-102(c) has you meet in person with a counselor or administrator to sign consent to the withdrawal. A short letter sent with a receipt covers it.","applies_to":["overview"]},{"title":"Treating the basic program as optional","body":"Wyoming still expects a basic academic educational program covering reading, writing, math, civics, history, literature, and science. The paperwork went away and the subject expectation did not.","applies_to":["subjects"]}],"source_urls":[{"url":"https://hslda.org/legal/wyoming","name":"HSLDA"},{"url":"https://edu.wyoming.gov/parents/homeschooling/","name":"State Department of Education"}],"sports":{"access_level":"conditional","statute_citation":"Wyo. Stat. § 21-4-506; WHSAA Rules 3.1.3, 6.2.0, 6.4","athletic_association":"Wyoming High School Activities Association (WHSAA)","conditions":"WHSAA allows home educated students to play on participating schools' teams. Must be a district resident not under suspension or expulsion; may be required to pay WHSAA-mandated fees; district may charge an additional fee not exceeding that charged full-time students; must comply with all district and association rules.","source_url":"https://hslda.org/post/public-school-access-for-homeschoolers-in-wyoming","verified_on":"2026-08-08","confidence":"high"},"editorial":{"schema_version":"1","last_verified_at":"2026-10-26"}}]}