Homeschool Laws by State (2026)
Every state in the US allows homeschooling, but the requirements vary widely. Some states don't even require notification, while others ask for detailed annual reporting and standardized testing. This guide organizes all 50 states by their regulation level so you can quickly understand what's required where you live.
How we categorize state regulations
We group states into four levels based on what families must do to legally homeschool: how they notify the state, what assessments are required, and what records they must keep. This system helps you quickly gauge the compliance effort needed in your state. Exact requirements are detailed on each state's individual page.
No Notice Required
11 statesThese states have the fewest requirements, no registration, notification, or approval needed to homeschool.
Alaska
Alaska does not require notification, testing, or state approval under the primary home-education exemption (AS 14.30.010(b)(12)). Alaska also has three other legal pathways (public correspondence programs, private tutors, private school affidavits) with their own separate requirements; this page describes the common home-education exemption. Alaska sets NO minimum number of instructional days or hours. The 180-day figure shown is a general recommendation only, not a legal requirement.
Connecticut
Connecticut currently requires no notification, testing, or approval for homeschooling. This is changing: Public Act 26-37 (HB 5468, signed May 26, 2026) creates Connecticut's first homeschool oversight law, adding an annual "intent to educate" form, a one-time background check when withdrawing a child to homeschool, and automatic notice to the state's child welfare agency on withdrawal. None of this is in effect yet, it phases in starting July 1, 2027, with the first annual forms due July 1, 2028. Verify current requirements against the Connecticut State Department of Education website.
Idaho
Idaho does not require notification, testing, or approval to homeschool (Idaho Code §33-202); the state's own guidance confirms Idaho does not regulate or monitor homeschooling. Idaho sets NO statewide minimum instructional-day count. The statute ties instruction to "a period equal to" the local public school calendar, which varies by district. The 180-day figure shown is a general recommendation only, not a legal requirement. For homeschool-specific questions, contact [email protected] or (208) 332-6956.
Illinois
Illinois does not require notification, testing, or approval. Homeschools qualify as private schools under 105 ILCS 5/26-1 and People v. Levisen (1950) as long as a competent teacher covers the required subjects to a standard equivalent to public school. Illinois sets NO minimum number of instructional days. The 180-day figure shown is a general recommendation only, not a legal requirement.
Indiana
Indiana requires "equivalent instruction" (IC 20-33-2-28) but does not define it further, and does not require notification, testing, or approval. Attendance records must be kept but are only produced if requested (IC 20-33-2-20). Indiana has NO fixed instructional-day count codified in statute. 180 is a common convention matching the public-school calendar, and is shown here only as a recommendation, not a legal requirement.
Michigan
Michigan has two legal pathways: the common "home education exemption" (MCL 380.1561(3)(f)), where MDE has zero involvement and no notification, testing, or approval is required, and a less-common "nonpublic school" registration (MCL 380.1561(3)(a)) with annual reporting, generally used to satisfy the certified-teacher requirement unless a religious exemption applies (People v. DeJonge, 1993). This page describes the common exemption. Michigan sets NO minimum instructional days. MDE recommends a calendar comparable to the local public district (~180 days), but that is a recommendation only, not a legal requirement.
Missouri
Missouri does not require notification, testing, or approval. RSMo §167.031 does require 1,000 hours of instruction per year (≥600 hours in five core subjects, ≥400 of those at home). The 167 days shown here is an approximate 6-hour-day conversion of that hours-based requirement, not a day count in the statute itself. The same statute also requires parents to maintain a portfolio and "record of evaluation of academic progress," but nothing is filed with any authority unless legally challenged. This is a private recordkeeping duty, not a state-administered test.
New Hampshire
New Hampshire recently eliminated its notification and assessment requirements: 2026 N.H. Laws Ch. 290 (HB 1268), signed by Governor Ayotte on July 10, 2026, made annual notification and annual evaluation/recordkeeping optional rather than mandatory, effective July 1, 2026 (a handful of related provisions are delayed to January 1, 2027). This is a very recent change. HSLDA's own state-summary page has not yet been updated and still shows notification and assessment as required, which is now stale; HSLDA's own dedicated article on HB 1268 confirms the change. New Hampshire has never set a minimum number of instructional days or hours, before or after this law. The 180-day figure shown is a general recommendation only. Given how fresh this law is, re-verify in the next couple of months as state guidance catches up.
New Jersey
New Jersey requires "equivalent instruction elsewhere than at school" (N.J.S.A. 18A:38-25) but does not define it further, and does not require notification, testing, or approval, confirmed directly by NJDOE's own FAQ. New Jersey sets NO instructional-day count in statute. 180 is shown as a general recommendation only, not a legal requirement.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma does not require registration, testing, or approval (Okla. Const. Art. 13 §4; 70 O.S. §10-105), confirmed directly by the state's own homeschool page, which explicitly frames "180 days, 6 hours per day" as a RECOMMENDATION, not a legal requirement. Oklahoma has no instructional-day minimum in law.
Texas
Texas homeschools are legally private schools per Texas Education Agency v. Leeper, 893 S.W.2d 432 (Tex. 1994), exempt from compulsory attendance under Tex. Educ. Code Sec. 25.086(a)(1). Only "good citizenship" is named directly in statute; reading, spelling, grammar, and math come from the Leeper "bona fide curriculum" test. HB 2674 (2025, effective Sept. 1, 2025) added Education Code Sec. 1.010, statutorily barring TEA/SBOE from ever imposing new homeschool regulations. Texas sets NO minimum number of instructional days or hours, the 180-day figure shown is a general recommendation only.
Low Regulation
16 statesThese states require minimal paperwork, typically just notifying your district or state that you intend to homeschool.
Alabama
Alabama has three legal paths (church school, private school, private tutor); the common church-school path requires notification but no testing or portfolio review, confirmed via Ala. Code §§16-28-1, 16-28-3, 16-28-7. The church-school and private-school paths set NO instructional-day minimum (each sets its own calendar), 180 is shown as a recommendation only. Only the less-common private-tutor path has a real fixed requirement: 140 days / 3 hours per day.
Arizona
Arizona requires a one-time affidavit but no testing or portfolio review (A.R.S. §15-802), and sets NO minimum instructional days or hours. The 180-day figure shown is a general recommendation only. Only a termination letter is required if you stop homeschooling or move counties.
Arkansas
Arkansas requires only an annual notice of intent (Ark. Code Ann. §6-15-503), standardized testing was repealed by Act 832 of 2015, and Arkansas sets NO minimum number of instructional days or hours. The 180-day figure shown is a general recommendation only. For homeschool-specific questions, contact [email protected] or (501) 683-3162.
California
California homeschoolers typically file as a private school via the annual Private School Affidavit (EC §§33190, 48222), no testing or portfolio review is required, and NO minimum instructional days apply to this path (a separate, less-common credentialed-tutor path under EC §48224 does require 175 days/3 hours a day). The 180-day figure shown for the standard path is a recommendation only. For homeschool-specific questions, contact [email protected].
Kansas
Kansas requires a one-time registration as a nonaccredited private school but no testing (K.S.A. §§72-1106(b), 72-1111(a)(2)), testing is optional and entirely the parent's choice. Instruction must be "substantially equivalent" to public school, which works out to roughly 186 days/1,116 hours rather than a fixed statutory number. For homeschool-specific questions, contact 785-368-7088.
Kentucky
Kentucky requires 170 days / 1,062 hours of instruction (KRS §159.030, §159.040) and no standardized test, families choose how to document progress. No results are proactively submitted to the district. For homeschool-specific questions, contact [email protected].
Mississippi
Mississippi requires an annual Certificate of Enrollment but no testing or teacher qualifications, and Miss. Code §37-13-91 explicitly EXEMPTS home instruction from the public school's 180-day requirement, so Mississippi sets NO minimum instructional days at all. The 180-day figure shown is a general recommendation only. For homeschool-specific questions, contact [email protected] or 601-359-5743.
Montana
Montana requires an annually-renewed notice but no testing (MCA §20-5-109). Instructional time is set in hours, not days: 1,080 hours/year for grades 4–12 (≈180 days at 6 hours/day, shown here) and 720 hours/year for grades 1–3 (≈120 days).
Nebraska
Nebraska requires annual notice but no testing (Neb. Rev. Stat. §79-1601 et seq., Rule 13). Instructional time is set in hours, not days: 1,032 hours/year for elementary grades (≈172 days at 6 hours/day, shown here) and 1,080 hours/year for secondary grades (≈180 days). For homeschool-specific questions, contact [email protected] or 402-471-0336.
Nevada
Nevada requires a notification of intent but no testing (NRS 388D.020, 388D.050), and sets NO minimum instructional days or hours. The 180-day figure shown is a general recommendation only. For homeschool-specific questions, contact [email protected].
New Mexico
New Mexico requires annual notice but no testing (§22-1-2.1 NMSA). Instructional time is set at 1,140 hours/year (≈190 days at 6 hours/day, shown here) rather than as a day count. For homeschool-specific questions, contact [email protected].
Ohio
Ohio's homeschool law changed substantially in October 2023: House Bill 33 (ORC §3321.042) eliminated the prior testing/portfolio-evaluation requirement entirely, and with it, the prior 900-hour standard. Ohio now sets NO minimum instructional hours or days. Ohio now requires only notification and an assurance that six subject areas are covered. This is a real, dated statutory change (not a data-entry error). Ohio was previously classified as "moderate" and should now be treated as "low."
South Dakota
South Dakota requires only a one-time notice (SDCL 13-27-3), no testing, no periodic reporting, and NO instructional-day minimum in statute. HSLDA's own overview also describes South Dakota as low-regulation; the prior "moderate" classification did not match the actual law. The 180-day figure shown is a general recommendation only. For homeschool-specific questions, contact [email protected] or (605) 773-3134.
Utah
Utah requires a one-time notice but no testing (Utah Code §53G-6-204), and the statute explicitly sets NO minimum instructional days or hours. The 180-day figure shown is a general recommendation only. For homeschool-specific questions, contact [email protected] or (801) 538-7845.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin requires annual notice but no testing (Wis. Stat. §118.15(4), §115.30(3)). Instructional time is set at 875 hours/year, about 146 days at 6 hours/day, shown here, materially less than the public-school 180-day figure previously used. For homeschool-specific questions, contact [email protected].
Wyoming
Wyoming's notification requirement is conditional: it applies only when withdrawing a child from public school enrollment, not to families who never enrolled (Wyo. Stat. §21-4-102(c), amended by HB46 effective July 1, 2025). Wyoming sets NO testing or minimum instructional days. The 180-day figure shown is a general recommendation only. Sources conflict on whether any notice is ever required: HSLDA says no, while the state DOE describes the conditional in-person step above; both are reflected here.
Moderate Regulation
18 statesThese states require notification plus additional requirements like testing, evaluations, or periodic progress reports.
Colorado
Colorado requires notification and periodic testing or portfolio evaluation for homeschooling (§22-33-104.5 C.R.S.). The 172-day figure is confirmed correct. For homeschool-specific questions, contact [email protected].
Delaware
Delaware requires two separate periodic filings each year, an enrollment statement and a distinct end-of-year attendance report (14 Del. C. §§2703, 2703A, 2704), which is a real step up from a single one-time notice and moves Delaware from "low" to "moderate." No testing is required. Whether Delaware sets any specific instructional-day minimum is genuinely disputed across sources (some cite 180, others say none is specified), treated here as unconfirmed, so the 180-day figure is shown as a reference only, flagged for legal follow-up rather than guessed at.
Florida
Florida requires notification and an annual evaluation for homeschooling (Fla. Stat. §1002.41), with real flexibility in how that evaluation is done. Florida sets NO minimum instructional hours or days in statute. The 180-day figure shown is a general recommendation only. For homeschool-specific questions, contact [email protected] or 850-245-0502.
Georgia
Georgia's home study law (O.C.G.A. Sec. 20-2-690) requires an annual Declaration of Intent filed electronically with the Georgia Department of Education within 30 days of starting and by September 1 each year after, 180 days of at least 4.5 hours of instruction per day (a real statutory minimum), and a teaching parent with at least a high school diploma or GED. Standardized testing is required only once every three years starting at the end of 3rd grade, but scores are retained by the parent and are NOT submitted to any school authority, only administration is mandatory. For homeschool-specific questions, contact [email protected] or (404) 656-3083.
Hawaii
Hawaii requires notification, grade-specific standardized testing, and an annual progress report for all grades (Haw. Admin. R. §§8-12-13, 8-12-16). Hawaii does NOT codify any day/hour minimum for homeschooling, 180 is a public-school baseline shown here for reference only, not a homeschool mandate. For homeschool-specific questions, contact 808-351-5009.
Iowa
Iowa has five legally distinct home-education tracks (Iowa Code Ch. 299A, IAC 281-31) ranging from essentially no-notice to the moderate CPI track described here, which is the one most families use when they want dual credit or extracurricular eligibility. The CPI track requires 148 instructional days per year (37 per quarter), not 180, the other four tracks have no fixed day requirement.
Louisiana
Louisiana has two legal tracks with different reporting and TOPS-scholarship eligibility (R.S. 17:236, 17:236.1): the BESE Home Study option (described here) and a Nonpublic School option. Both require 900 hours/year for grades 1–8 and 990 hours/year for grades 9–12, consistent with the 180-day figure shown.
Maine
Maine requires notification and annual testing or portfolio evaluation (20-A MRS §5001-A(3)(A)(4)). The 175-day figure is confirmed correct. For homeschool-specific questions, contact [email protected].
Maryland
Maryland requires notification and periodic portfolio review (COMAR 13A.10.01.01–.05), administered locally by each of the state's 24 school systems rather than through one statewide process. COMAR requires instruction on "a regular basis" of "sufficient duration" WITHOUT specifying any day or hour count, so Maryland has no real instructional-day minimum, 180 is shown as a general recommendation only. For homeschool-specific questions, contact 410-767-0100.
Minnesota
Minnesota requires notification and annual standardized testing (Minn. Stat. §§120A.22, .24, .26), with a narrow exemption for accredited home-based programs. The state's hour-based instructional-time minimums (§120A.41) apply to public schools, not homeschools. Minnesota sets NO homeschool-specific day/hour count. The 180-day figure shown is a general recommendation only.
North Carolina
North Carolina requires notification and annual standardized testing for all grades (N.C.G.S. Ch. 115C, Art. 39), worth knowing that test results stay in the family's own records and are not routinely sent to the state. The statute sets instructional time at "at least nine calendar months," not a specific day count, so North Carolina has no exact numeric minimum, 180 is a common estimate shown as a recommendation, not statutory language. For homeschool-specific questions, contact [email protected] or 984-236-0110.
Oregon
Oregon requires a one-time notification and periodic grade-level testing (ORS 339.030(1)(e), 339.035; OAR 581-021-0026), filed with your regional Education Service District rather than your local district. Oregon sets NO minimum instructional days or hours in statute. 180 is shown as a general recommendation only.
South Carolina
South Carolina has three legal options with very different burdens (S.C. Code §§59-65-40, -45, -47): Option 1 (direct district enrollment) is genuinely "moderate" with annual testing, semiannual reports, and a real 180-day/4.5-hours-a-day requirement; Options 2 and 3, which most SC homeschoolers actually use, route through a private association instead and carry no individual state-mandated testing or reporting. This page describes Option 1 as the state-administered baseline, if you're enrolled through an association, your real requirements are lighter than what's shown here. For homeschool-specific questions, contact [email protected].
Tennessee
Tennessee requires notification and testing at specific grades for the standard district-enrolled ("LEA") path described here (T.C.A. §49-6-3050), which does set a real 180-day/4-hours-a-day requirement. Tennessee also permits homeschooling through a church-related umbrella school, which sets its own rules and carries no state notification, testing, or reporting requirement, many TN families use this lower-burden path instead. For homeschool-specific questions, contact [email protected].
Vermont
Vermont requires an annual enrollment notice filed with the Agency of Education at least 10 business days before the start date, and sets a REAL instructional minimum of 175 days/year (16 V.S.A. Sec. 166b). H.461 (Act 66 of 2023, effective July 1, 2023) removed the requirement to submit assessment results or a Minimum Course of Study to the state; families must still complete and retain an assessment (standardized test, licensed-teacher review, or portfolio), but the state no longer reviews it. Because the Agency of Education no longer reviews any evaluation or portfolio, Vermont is classified "moderate" (notice and testing still legally required, but no state-side review), not "high." For homeschool-specific questions, contact [email protected] or (802) 828-6225.
Virginia
Virginia requires two separate annual deadlines that are easy to conflate: a notice of intent due August 15 at the start of the year, and evidence of academic progress due the following August 1, nearly a full year later (Code of Va. §22.1-254.1). The 180-day figure is confirmed correct.
Washington
Washington requires annual notification and an annual assessment (RCW 28A.225.010, 28A.200.010, 28A.195.010). Instructional time is set at 1,000 hours/year for grades 1–12 (450 for kindergarten), about 167 days at 6 hours/day, shown here, not the 180-day figure that circulates informally; the statutory unit is hours.
West Virginia
West Virginia has two parallel legal pathways with different day requirements (W. Va. Code §18-8-1(c)): a less-common county-board-approval path, which does carry a real 180-day requirement, and the standard notice-of-intent path most families use, which has NO set instructional-day minimum at all. This page shows testing/reporting for the standard path but the 180-day figure for reference only, since it strictly applies to the approval path, not the common one.
High Regulation
5 statesThese states have the most detailed requirements including notification, regular assessments, portfolio reviews, and periodic reporting.
Massachusetts
Massachusetts has no dedicated homeschool statute; it is governed by Care & Protection of Charles, 399 Mass. 324 (1987), interpreting the compulsory-attendance law (M.G.L. c. 76, Sec. 1). Massachusetts is the only state requiring PRIOR approval of a home-instruction plan by the local superintendent or school committee, judged against a standard "equal in thoroughness and efficiency" to public school. Because the state has no oversight role, each of the roughly 300 local school committees sets its own evaluation method, materials review, and instructional-hour expectations on top of this baseline, so standardized testing is not itself a fixed statewide mandate. Massachusetts sets NO statewide minimum number of instructional days or hours, the 180-day figure shown is a general planning reference only.
New York
New York requires an annual notice of intent and an Individualized Home Instruction Plan (IHIP) reviewed by the local school district, plus four quarterly reports and an annual assessment (8 NYCRR Sec. 100.10). Standardized testing is required in grades 4, 6, and 8 (narrative evaluation permitted in alternating years) and annually in grades 9-12. New York sets a REAL instructional minimum of 900 hours/year (grades 1-6) and 990 hours/year (grades 7-12), equivalent to a 180-day year.
North Dakota
North Dakota's home-school law (N.D.C.C. ch. 15.1-23) requires an annual statement of intent to the district superintendent and sets a REAL statutory minimum of 175 instructional days at 4+ hours per day, not just a planning figure. Standardized achievement testing is mandatory at grades 4, 6, 8, and 10 (with exemptions for objecting or credentialed parents), and results must be filed with the superintendent. A score below the 30th percentile triggers a mandatory assessment and superintendent-reviewed remediation plan, and non-diploma/GED parents (or children scoring below the 50th percentile) must have a licensed teacher monitor and report progress twice yearly. That contingent evaluation-review layer on top of notice and testing is why this is classified "high," not "moderate."
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania's home education law (24 P.S. Sec. 13-1327.1, Act 169 of 1988) requires a notarized affidavit filed with the resident district superintendent by August 1 annually, a contemporaneous title-based reading log, and standardized testing in grades 3, 5, and 8. Pennsylvania has a REAL statutory instructional minimum: 180 days or 900 hours/year (elementary), 990 hours/year (secondary). Since Act 196 of 2014, families no longer submit the full portfolio each year, a qualified evaluator reviews it and files only a certification letter by June 30. For homeschool-specific questions, contact [email protected].
Rhode Island
Rhode Island requires prior approval of an at-home instruction plan by the LOCAL school committee in the family's town before instruction may begin (R.I. Gen. Laws Sec. 16-19-1(a)), with denials appealable to RIDE, this is real local variation, not unresolved uncertainty. What is consistent statewide (Sec. 16-19-2) is the floor: attendance "substantially equal" to the public school schedule (currently 1,080 hours/180 days, a real statutory minimum), instruction in reading, writing, geography, arithmetic, US history, RI history, and American government, and attendance registers returned to the school committee, superintendent, and RIDE. State law does NOT itself mandate standardized testing, it only requires the parent and school committee to agree on an evaluation method, per RIDE's official October 2024 guidance.
Required subjects by state
See which states require a specific subject to be taught, pulled directly from each state's homeschool law.
Free printables
Blank, printable logs and checklists, attendance, subject-time, reading, and portfolio review. No account required.
Browse free printables →Understanding homeschool compliance
Homeschool laws in the United States are set at the state level, which means there are 50 different sets of rules governing how families can educate their children at home. The most common requirements include notifying your local school district or state education department, teaching specific subjects, meeting a minimum number of instructional days or hours, and in some states, submitting to periodic assessments or evaluations.
States with no-notice requirements, like Texas, Idaho, and Alaska, give families the most flexibility. You can begin homeschooling without filing any paperwork. States with high regulation, like New York and Pennsylvania, require detailed documentation including individualized instruction plans, quarterly reports, and annual assessments.
Regardless of your state's regulation level, keeping organized records of your homeschool activities is a best practice. Homeschool Owl helps you track instructional days, manage deadlines, and generate the documents your state requires.