Homeschool Owl

Connecticut's New Homeschool Law: What's Changing and When

Connecticut just passed its first-ever homeschool oversight law — Public Act 26-37 (originally HB 5468) — after a contentious fight in the legislature. Here's what it actually requires, when it takes effect, and what's true today versus what's coming.

Nothing has changed yet. The law was signed May 26, 2026, but its requirements don't take effect until July 1, 2027 and July 1, 2028 (see below). Connecticut still requires no notification, testing, or approval to homeschool today.

What the law requires

An annual "intent to educate" form

Creates a new legal category — "parent-managed learning" — alongside public and nonpublic school, with an annual filing requirement once implemented.

A one-time background check

Parents newly withdrawing a child to homeschool will need a one-time DCF (child welfare agency) and child-abuse-registry background check. An open investigation or registry listing can bar homeschooling.

Automatic notice to DCF on withdrawal

The school district must automatically notify Connecticut's child welfare agency (DCF) whenever a child is withdrawn to homeschool. This is the specific provision HSLDA's federal FERPA complaint targets.

A 14-day waiting period

A withdrawal to homeschool does not take effect immediately — there is a 14-day waiting period first.

Testing and portfolio-review requirements were in earlier drafts of the bill and were removed before final passage — the enacted law doesn't include them.

Effective dates

  • July 1, 2027 — background-check and DCF-notification requirements begin applying to families newly withdrawing a child to homeschool.
  • July 1, 2028 — first annual "intent to educate" forms come due.

How we got here

March 18, 2026HB 5468 approved by the Education Committee.
April 17, 2026Bill rewritten before the final House vote — a testing/portfolio-submission requirement in earlier drafts was stripped out.
April 23, 2026Passes the Connecticut House, 96-53.
May 4, 2026Passes the Connecticut Senate, 22-14.
May 26, 2026Signed into law by Gov. Ned Lamont as Public Act 26-37.
May 28, 2026HSLDA publicly condemns the new law.
July 15, 2026HSLDA files a federal FERPA complaint against Public Act 26-37, targeting its automatic-notification-to-DCF provision.

One detail we haven't been able to confirm directly from the enacted statutory text: whether families already homeschooling before the law takes effect will be grandfathered out of the new requirements, or will need to comply going forward. We'll update this page once that's resolved — check the Connecticut SDE's homeschooling page for the state's own current guidance in the meantime.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Connecticut's new homeschool law in effect right now?+
No. As of 2026, none of Public Act 26-37's new requirements apply yet. The law phases in starting July 1, 2027 (background checks and DCF notification for newly-withdrawing families), with the first annual "intent to educate" forms due July 1, 2028. Today, Connecticut still requires no notification, testing, or approval to homeschool.
Do current Connecticut homeschool families need to do anything right now?+
Not yet. Sources differ on whether currently-homeschooling families will be grandfathered out of the new reporting and background-check requirements once they take effect, or will need to comply going forward — we haven't been able to confirm this definitively from the enacted statutory text. We'll update this page once that's resolved; check the Connecticut State Department of Education's homeschooling page for the most current word from the state itself.
Does the new law require testing or portfolio review?+
No — an assessment-submission requirement was in earlier drafts of the bill but was removed before final passage. The law as enacted focuses on the intent-to-educate filing, the background check, and DCF notification, not academic testing.
What is "parent-managed learning"?+
It's the new legal category Public Act 26-37 creates for homeschooling in Connecticut, distinct from public and nonpublic (private) school enrollment. It's the category the law's new filing and background-check requirements attach to.
Why did HSLDA file a federal complaint against the law?+
HSLDA's complaint, filed July 15, 2026, targets the provision requiring school districts to automatically notify Connecticut's child welfare agency (DCF) when a family withdraws a child to homeschool, arguing it conflicts with federal student-privacy protections (FERPA). That complaint is still pending as of this writing.
Connecticut's current requirements →Browse all state requirements →

Stay ahead of it, whenever it lands

Homeschool Owl tracks your state's requirements and emails you before deadlines hit — so if Connecticut's new filing requirement affects you in 2027, you'll know well before it's due.

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