Romeschool

State requirements

Homeschool requirements by state

Homeschooling is legal in every state, but the requirements differ a great deal from one state to the next. As of our review on June 5, 2026, of the 50 states and Washington, D.C.: 41 require families to send some kind of notice (in New Hampshire and Wyoming, only in some cases), 21 require a test or another form of evaluation, and 26 set an attendance or instruction-time rule. Seven require none of those three: Alaska, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, and Texas.

Last reviewed June 5, 2026. Each state page links an official source, and names the statute where our review has one, so you can check us against the source. Since that review we have corrected the pages for Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming after re-reading the official source for what changed; each of those pages shows the date of its correction. How we review these.

Find your state

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  • Minimal regulation — 21 of 51
  • Moderate regulation — 25 of 51
  • High regulation — 5 of 51

Homeschool requirements in every state, compared

Each state name links to that state’s page, where the same facts are written out in full. Each state page links an official source, and names the statute where our review has one, so you can check us against the source. Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

Homeschool requirements in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Each row gives that state’s regulation level, whether a notice is required, whether subjects are specified, any instruction-time rule, any testing or evaluation requirement, and the records families are asked to keep.
StateRegulationNoticeSubjectsInstruction timeTesting or evaluationRecords
AlabamaModerateYes1No set list2Set by pathway1NoYes — enrollment records
AlaskaMinimalNo1No set list2NoneNo1No
ArizonaMinimalYes5 listedNoneNoNo
ArkansasModerateYesNo set list2NoneNoNo
CaliforniaModerateYes17 listedAttendance recordsNoYes — attendance, filed forms, plan
ColoradoMinimalYes9 listed172 days · 4 hrs/day3Yes — grades 3, 5, 7, 9, 11Yes — attendance, assessment results, immunizations
Connecticut4ModerateNo18 listedNoneNoNo
DelawareMinimalYesNo set list2Attendance reportsNoYes — enrollment records, attendance
District of ColumbiaModerateYes8 listedNoneNoYes — progress evidence
FloridaModerateYesNo set list2NoneYes — annualYes — portfolio, work samples
GeorgiaModerateYes5 listed180 days · 4.5 hrs/dayYes — grades 3, 6, 9, 12Yes — progress reports, assessment results
HawaiiModerateYesNo set list2NoneYes — annual + grades 3, 5, 8, 105Yes — plan
IdahoMinimalNoNo set list2NoneNoNo
IllinoisMinimalNo6 listedNoneNoNo
IndianaMinimalNoNo set list2180 daysNoYes — attendance
IowaModerateYes15 listedSet by pathway1Yes — annual1Yes — filed forms, assessment results
KansasMinimalYesNo set list2186 days / 1,116 hours3NoNo
KentuckyModerateYesNo set list2NoneNoYes — attendance
Louisiana4ModerateYes14 listed180 days3Yes — annual1Yes — progress evidence
MaineModerateYes19 listed175 daysYes — annualYes — filed forms, assessment results
MarylandModerateYes18 listedNoneNo1Yes — portfolio
MassachusettsHighYes14 listedNo fixed statutory number6Yes — annualYes — plan, progress reports
MichiganMinimalNo19 listedNoneNoNo
MinnesotaModerateYes12 listedNoneYes — annualYes — plan, assessment results
MississippiMinimalYesNo set list2NoneNoNo
MissouriMinimalNo15 listed1,000 hoursNoYes — activity log, work samples, evaluations
MontanaMinimalYes7 listed720–1,080 hours by gradeNoYes — attendance
NebraskaHighYes5 listed1,032–1,080 hours by gradeNoYes — immunizations
NevadaMinimalYes4 listedNoneNoNo
New Hampshire4MinimalOnly when leaving public school7No set list2NoneNo1No
New JerseyMinimalNoNo set list2NoneNoNo
New MexicoModerateYes5 listed180 days8NoYes — immunizations
New YorkHighYes16 listed900–990 hours by gradeYes — annualYes — plan, progress reports, assessment results
North CarolinaModerateYesNo set list29 monthsYes — annualYes — assessment results, attendance, immunizations
North DakotaHighYesNo set list2175 days · 4 hrs/dayYes — grades 4, 6, 8, 10Yes — assessment results
OhioModerateYes6 listedNoneNoNo
OklahomaMinimalNoNo set list2No fixed statutory number6NoNo
OregonModerateYesNo set list2NoneYes — grades 3, 5, 8, 10Yes — assessment results
PennsylvaniaHighYes12 listed180 days or 900–990 hours by gradeYes — annual + grades 3, 5, 85Yes — portfolio, assessment results, evaluations
Rhode IslandModerateYes9 listed180 days · 5.5 hrs/day3Yes — annualYes — plan, attendance, progress reports
South CarolinaModerateYes15 listedSet by pathway1Yes — annual1Yes — activity log, portfolio, progress reports
South DakotaMinimalYes2 listedNoneNoNo
TennesseeModerateYes1No set list2180 days · 4 hrs/dayYes — grades 5, 7, 91Yes — attendance, assessment results
TexasMinimalNo5 listedNoneNoNo
UtahMinimalYesNo set list2NoneNoNo
VermontModerateYes7 listed175 daysYes — annualYes — assessment results, enrollment records
VirginiaModerateYes1No set list2NoneYes — annual1Yes — progress evidence
WashingtonModerateYes11 listed1,000 hours8Yes — annualYes — assessment results, immunizations
West VirginiaModerateYes5 listedNoneYes — annualYes — assessment results
WisconsinMinimalYes6 listed875 hoursNoNo
WyomingMinimalOnly when leaving public school77 listedNoneNoNo

Notes on the table

  1. The rule differs by the homeschooling pathway a family chooses — see the state's page.
  2. Our review found no subject list named in this state's law; what the law does say is on the state's page.
  3. The figure is approximate or an average — see the state's page for the exact wording.
  4. The law here is changing or not fully confirmed in our review — check the state's page and official source before relying on it.
  5. Some grades carry an extra step, such as a standardized test or sending results in — see the state's page.
  6. The commonly used figure is guidance or a plan benchmark, not a number set in statute — see the state's page.
  7. Notice is required only in some circumstances — see the state's page.
  8. Exceptions or alternatives apply (for example by grade or school calendar) — see the state's page.

Common questions

Is homeschooling legal in every state?

Yes. Homeschooling is legal in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. What each state requires — notice, subjects, instruction time, testing and records — differs, so check your own state's page.

Which states require standardized testing or an evaluation for homeschoolers?

As of our review on June 5, 2026, 21 of the 50 states and Washington, D.C. require a test or another accepted form of evaluation: Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia. In 16 of them, something other than a standardized test is accepted. In 5, the rule depends on the homeschooling pathway a family chooses. Each state's page has the details.

Which states require a notice of intent to homeschool?

As of our review on June 5, 2026, 41 of the 50 states and Washington, D.C. require families to send some kind of notice: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. In New Hampshire and Wyoming, notice is required only in some cases.

Which states set a minimum number of days or hours for homeschoolers?

As of our review on June 5, 2026, 26 of the 50 states and Washington, D.C. set an attendance or instruction-time rule: Alabama, California, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin. The rule itself differs from state to state, so each state's page quotes it in full.

Which states set a qualification for homeschooling parents?

As of our review on June 5, 2026, 12 of the 50 states and Washington, D.C. set a qualification for the parent who teaches: District of Columbia, Georgia, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia. Each state's page says what that qualification is.

Which states have the fewest homeschool requirements?

As of our review on June 5, 2026, 7 of the 50 states and Washington, D.C. require no notice, no testing or evaluation, and no attendance or instruction-time rule: Alaska, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, and Texas. Four of them still name subjects to teach — see each state's page.

This is a plain-English reading of each state’s law, not legal advice. Each state page links an official source, and names the statute where our review has one, so you can check us against the source. See how Romeschool helps you keep the records your state asks for.