Your State's Homeschool Rules: Where to Find Them and What to Check

The first question most new homeschooling parents ask is whether it is legal. It is. Every state in the US allows homeschooling [1]. The second question, which matters more, is what the rules actually require. That answer changes depending on your address.

Some states ask you to file a one-page letter and never check on you again. Others want annual test scores, a curriculum plan, and a meeting with a certified evaluator. A few fall somewhere in between, with moderate notification requirements and optional assessments. The differences are not small, and the consequences of getting them wrong range from an annoyed letter from the district to a truancy investigation that nobody needed.

Where to find your state’s rules

Start with your state department of education’s website. Search for “homeschool” or “home instruction” on their site. Most states have a dedicated page, sometimes buried under “school choice” or “alternative education.” What you are looking for is the official guidance, not a blog summary of it, not a forum thread, and not a social media post from someone in a different state.

If the state page is confusing (and some are), two organizations maintain state-by-state summaries that are useful as a roadmap: the Home School Legal Defense Association [1] and the Coalition for Responsible Home Education [2]. They approach homeschooling from different perspectives, which is a reason to read both. HSLDA advocates for minimal regulation; CRHE advocates for accountability measures. Between them, you get a clearer picture of what is required and what is debated.

The Education Commission of the States also publishes a 50-state comparison that lets you see the requirements side by side [4]. It is particularly useful if you are comparing states because of a move.

One thing these summaries cannot do is replace the statute itself. Laws change. A summary written in 2024 may not reflect a 2026 amendment. Always confirm what you find against the current text on the state’s own site.

What to check

Here are the categories that matter. Not every state has requirements in every category, but these are the ones to look for.

Notification

Does your state require you to tell someone that you are homeschooling? If so, who (the school district, the state department of education, or both), when (before you start, by a specific date each year, or once), and in what form (a letter, a form, an online submission)?

Notification is not permission. You are not asking the district to approve your decision. You are informing them, as the statute requires. Keep a copy of whatever you send and the date you sent it.

Compulsory attendance ages

Your state sets the ages during which children must receive instruction. This is typically 6 to 16, but it ranges from 5 to 18 depending on the state [4]. Homeschooling satisfies the compulsory attendance requirement in every state, as long as you follow that state’s homeschool rules.

Required subjects

Most states list subjects that must be covered. The common core of almost every list is language arts (reading, writing, grammar, spelling), mathematics, science and social studies or history. Many states add health, physical education, civics or citizenship, and state history. A few specify additional subjects like art, music or computer literacy.

The list tells you what to cover over the course of the year. It does not tell you how to teach it, how many hours to spend, or which materials to use. That part is usually up to you, which is both the freedom and the planning challenge of homeschooling.

Assessment

Some states require you to demonstrate academic progress. The most common forms are:

• Standardized testing: Your child takes an approved test at specified intervals (often annually or every other year). Which tests qualify varies by state.
• Portfolio review: A certified teacher or evaluator reviews samples of your child’s work and writes a letter of assessment.
• Evaluation by a certified teacher: A teacher meets with you and your child, reviews work, and provides a written assessment.
• No assessment required: Several states have no assessment requirement at all.

If your state requires testing, find out which tests are accepted, whether they must be administered by a specific person, and what happens if a child scores below a threshold. In most states that set thresholds, the consequence is a remediation plan, not an order to enroll in school. But know the rules before you are surprised by them.

Record-keeping

Some states require you to maintain specific records: attendance logs, immunization records, a list of subjects taught, or samples of student work. Others require nothing. Even in states with no legal requirement, keeping a simple folder with work samples, a list of books read, and a record of what you covered each year is useful. It helps if you ever re-enroll in school, move to a state with more requirements, or need to document progress for your own peace of mind.

Special education

If your child has an IEP or a diagnosed learning disability, the picture changes. Under federal law (IDEA), school districts have obligations to identify and evaluate children with disabilities, including some homeschooled children, but the services available to homeschoolers vary significantly by state [5]. Some districts offer access to specific services (speech therapy, for example). Others do not. This is worth a conversation with your district’s special education department before you withdraw, so you understand what you are keeping and what you are leaving behind.

Common sources of bad advice

Overstated rules

Some online communities describe rules that are stricter than the law actually requires. You may hear that you need to submit a curriculum for approval when your state only asks for a letter of intent, or that your home will be inspected when no such provision exists. Overstated rules scare families out of starting or into unnecessary compliance burdens. Check the statute.

Understated rules

Other communities describe rules as simpler than they are, often out of anti-regulation sentiment. You may hear that your state “doesn’t require anything” when it actually requires annual notification and periodic testing. Understated rules get families into avoidable trouble with their district. Check the statute.

Out-of-date advice

A friend who started homeschooling five years ago may not know about a law that changed last session. State legislatures amend homeschool statutes regularly. What was true in 2021 may not be true now. The date on a source matters.

Advice from a different state

The most common bad advice comes from someone in a different state whose rules are genuinely different. “I didn’t have to do any of that” is true for them and irrelevant to you if you live in a state with different requirements.

A checklist for your first week

1. Find your state department of education’s homeschool page. Bookmark it.
2. Read the notification requirement. If you need to notify, do it before you pull your child out of school.
3. Write down the required subjects. You do not need to start teaching all of them on day one, but you need to know the list.
4. Check the assessment requirement. If your state requires testing, find out when and which tests qualify.
5. Ask the school for your child’s records (report cards, test scores, IEP if applicable).
6. If your child has an IEP, call the special education office and ask what services, if any, are available to homeschoolers in your district.
7. Keep a copy of every document you file and every letter you send.

That is the legal start. It is not exciting. It is not the part anyone looks forward to. But it takes an afternoon, and once it is done, you can focus on the part that matters: figuring out what and how to teach your child.

The rules are a floor, not a curriculum

Knowing your state’s requirements tells you the minimum of what you must do. It does not tell you what to teach on Tuesday or which math program to buy. That is a separate question, and it is worth answering slowly, after you have started and seen how your child learns at home. The first week of teaching will tell you more about what works than any amount of reading the law.

States set the guardrails. You build the road.

Check your state’s rules. Homeschool law varies by state and can change: notice requirements, required subjects, attendance, assessments and record-keeping all differ. Check your state department of education’s current guidance before you start or change anything. If you think your child may have a learning disability, you can ask your local school district about an evaluation; districts have duties to identify children with disabilities, including many who are homeschooled, though what’s offered varies by state. This article is general information, not legal advice.

Related reading: How to Start Homeschooling in the Middle of the School Year | What Records to Keep and How to Keep Them Simple