Homeschool Laws

So far we have talked about why you would want to homeschool, and some methods of homeschooling. Now, are you going to go to jail if you don’t do it right?

I want to take a moment to say “Thank you” to all the Christians out there that paved the road for everyone by their hard work decades ago. We have it pretty easy now, and that didn’t come by chance. There were many people who had to fight for the ability to educate our children ourselves, and there are some countries where it still is not legal.

(click on map for details)

LEGEND  States requiring no notice: No state requirement for parents to initiate any contact.  States with low regulation: State requires parental notification only.  States with moderate regulation: State requires parents to send notification, test scores, and/or professional evaluation of student progress.  State with high regulation: State requires parents to send notification or achievement test scores and/or professional evaluation, plus other requirements (e.g. curriculum approval by the state, teacher qualification of parents, or home visits by state officials).

Homeschooling is legal in all 50 states, with varying requirements set by each state. I live in a state with “moderate regulation” and I can tell you it isn’t very cumbersome. We need to notify our home school district that we are going to homeschool, and what test our kids will be taking, but we do not need to turn in the scores. If you have a bachelor’s degree, you do not need to turn in a quarterly report, which from what I understand is not that challenging either. Everyone I know either has a degree themselves, or their husband has one, so they don’t need to turn in this report, so I can’t say I know it in depth.

As you can see from the map above, very few states have high regulation. Through forums and blogs, I have come across families that live in states that have higher regulation and I have never heard of anyone getting a home visit. Take heart that as long as you are trying to create a learning environment for your children, you are likely to pass any regulations that come your way.

For more specific questions about your state and the laws that apply to you, check out the Home School Legal Defense Association. This is a wonderful organization that works hard to protect our rights as homeschoolers and its website is a wealth of information and resources.

If you’ve been homeschooling already, what has been your experience with the laws in your area?

The rest of the series to check out!

1. Why Do People Homeschool? (September 24, 2012)
2. Homeschooling Methods (October 1, 2012)
3. Homeschool Laws (October 8, 2012)
4. Homeschool Resources (October 15, 2012)
5. Homeschooling Support (October 22, 2012)
6. Daily Homeschool Organization and Routine (November 5, 2012)
7. 10 Way to Pinch Homeschool Pennies (November 19, 2012)