By: Katelyn Fahrenbruck Weston
So you’re considering homeschool for yourself or a student in your life! Nontraditional schooling, like homeschool or online school, may be the best option for learners of many types. However, it can also feel daunting to start a high school journey outside the school system. You may have many questions, concerns, or considerations.
What is homeschooling? There are many definitions of homeschool, but the simplest way to describe it is: School that happens outside of a classroom and without the use of an additional program. It means that parents, other family members, and the student themselves are responsible for their academic success. It differs from online school in that online school programs are already approved or accredited by a governing body. Both can happen at home, on the road, or anywhere you choose!
Homeschooling can feel intimidating, since regulations and requirements for high school students vary by state! Some states, like New York and Vermont, have strict guidelines for homeschool students. Others, like Connecticut and Idaho, have very little regulation.
We’ve put together a list of regulations by state so as a resource for you. However, this list cannot be exhaustive! Please see your state’s Department of Education for the complete list of requirements before you start homeschooling.
New York, Vermont, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island are the states with the highest level of regulation for homeschooling. These states all require you to give notice to the state that you intend to homeschool your child or student. They also have required subjects you must teach and require homeschool students to take standardized assessments to ensure they are on pace with other students in the school system.
- Rhode Island: additionally requires you to take attendance for your homeschooled students and it must be available for the district to review at the end of each year.
- Pennsylvania: has a number of homeschool options, but the most traditional option requires a detailed list of subjects to be taught and that you have your student evaluated by a state approved evaluator.
- New York: requires that you must file reports for your student’s progress quarterly.
- Vermont: calls for a “Student Narrative” to be submitted for the first two years of homeschool instruction. This includes a detailed plan of instruction.
- Massachusetts: homeschooling plans must be reviewed and approved by homeschooing committee
12 more states are considered to have a ‘moderate’ level of regulation for homeschool students. That means they may not require as much documentation as the previous five states, but they will have some regulation. These states are Maine, New Hampshire, Washington, Oregon, North Dakota, Minnesota, North and South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Hawaii, and Ohio. While each one of these states has specific guidelines, they all tend to follow a certain set of rules, including:
- You must notify or receive approval from the school board or district to homeschool
- The homeschooling teacher must have a High School or equivalent (or sometimes greater) level of education.
- You must keep a record of following an approved curriculum or subject list.
- You must test your child or student at intervals to ensure they are keeping up with other students.
Among other considerations, West Virginia, Hawaii, and Oregon require you to send standardized testing results to the district for assessment during your student’s 3rd, 5th, 8th, and 11th grade rules.
- North Dakota: requires the same assessments, but asks for them to be reported on during a student’s 4th, 6th, 8th, and 10th grade years.
- Minnesota: has a longer-than-average list of subjects and subject areas your student will need to master as part of their homeschooling.
- Maine, New Hampshire, and Ohio: all have similar regulations about what subjects are compulsory, how records are kept, and that annual assessments must be completed for each student.
- North Carolina: requires your homeschool to have an official name and an adult to hold the title of Chief Administrator.
- Virginia and South Carolina:both have a number of options available to homeschool students and teachers, so there’s no need to squeeze into a one-size-fits all program.
- Washington: must submit the declaration of intent each year
There are 11 states with little to no regulation for homeschooling. They are: Idaho, Alaska, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey, and Connecticut. These have no official regulation that you must give notice that you intend to homeschool.
The remaining 22 states all require notice of intent to homeschool, but may or may not have any additional requirements for subjects, attendance, or contact hours. Those states are Arkansas, Tennessee, Colorado, Mississippi, Utah, Louisiana, Georgia, South Dakota, Kansas, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Montana, California, Nevada, Arizona, Wyoming, New Mexico, Nebraska, Alabama, Florida, Delaware, and Maryland.
Source: https://www.state.gov/global-community-liaison-office/education-and-youth/homeschooling/ *Gathered November 2022
Figures are current as of November 2022, be sure to check with your state's regulations.
