Homeschool Laws By State

Requirements for homeschooling vary by location. Homeschool laws by state are drastically different depending on where you live.

What Are Homeschool Laws?

Homeschool laws are determined by your state and dictate what your child is required to learn in a school year. Homeschool laws can be as vague as stating that each child needs to learn language arts, math, science, and social studies. Or they can be as detailed as stating that each child needs to follow the state’s curriculum that is already in place at school while at home.

Homeschool laws will also tell by whom your child needs to be taught. Some states don’t require any special education on the part of the parent. However, some states require that parents have at least a high school diploma or college degree.

Homeschool laws will also dictate how you need to notify the state that you are homeschooling your child along with the way you need to update the state on your child’s progress. Updating the state of your child’s progress can occur through state testing, yearly portfolios, etc. Some states do not require this.

To determine what your state’s homeschool laws are, follow the link to HSLDA (Homeschool Legal Defense Association) below.

HSLDA

When you click over to the HSLDA website, click on the tab “Legal”. From there, click on “State Homeschool Laws”. There you will click on your state and find all of the homeschool laws your state requires.

HSLDA is a great resource for parents just starting their homeschooling journey and veteran homeschool parents alike. HSLDA gives lots of information on state laws, curriculum, record keeping, grants, and more! They will even help with legal issues that arise if needed.

Because states can require very specific rules to follow, HSLDA has great legal support. To access this and many more perks HSLDA offers, you can become a member here.

States With The Least Requirements

Here are the states with the least requirements.

• Alaska
• Connecticut
• Idaho
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Michigan
• Missouri
• New Jersey
• Oklahoma
• Texas

These states do not require any notification or assessment to be given to the state or school district.

Grading

A lot of times in public education, formal grading doesn’t happen until around third grade or above. If your state requires grading there are many online and printable documents you can use to keep track of your child’s grades. There are also some teacher or homeschool planners that include grading sections.

When grading your child, it is important to remember that homeschool education is different than public school education. That is my opinion at least! You do not need to grade every worksheet or project that your child completes. Remember to follow your state’s laws regarding grading but not to be too hard on yourself or your child. Learning is supposed to be fun!

Testing + Record Keeping

Depending on your state’s homeschool laws, you will need to keep track of your child’s curriculum, progress, and testing.

A good way to do this is by record keeping. One way to keep records includes using a three-ringed binder and organizing your binder by school subjects or semesters. Another way could be to use an online record-keeping app or template. There are some that you can download for free.

A fun way to keep track of everything your child has learned is to create a portfolio. This can be a three-ringed binder, PowerPoint, or photo album. Your child can showcase the progress they made along with their schooling successes!

If your child needs to take state standardized testing, a good way to make sure you are teaching them all of the curriculum for that year would be to look up your state’s education standards.

Find State Standards

To determine what your child should be learning at their grade level, it is important to know where to find your state’s education standards.

You will need to go to your state’s Board of Education website or the Department of Education website. Once there you will need to locate the standards tab. There you will find PDFs or links to your state’s education standards organized by subject area. Within those subject areas you will find your child’s grade level.

Most curriculum programs follow state standards. It is not something you need to worry about too much when deciding on curriculum unless your state requires you to use your school district’s curriculum.

What state are you homeschooling in? Do you like it? Let me know in the comments!

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