Romeschool

Georgia homeschool requirements

To homeschool in Georgia, submit a Declaration of Intent to the Georgia DOE online within 30 days of starting, then annually by September 1. Provide 180 days at 4.5 hours/day and test every 3 years from grade 3 (results kept, not submitted).

Last reviewed June 5, 2026 · corrected September 23, 2026 · Sources below

Moderate regulation Notice required Instruction time set Testing or evaluation
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Georgia homeschool requirements at a glance

Notice
RequiredWhere it goes: Georgia Department of Education (online; the DOE shares a copy with the local school system). When: Within 30 days of establishing the program, then annually by September 1.
Required subjects
Reading, Language Arts, Mathematics, Social Studies/History, Science
Instruction time
180 days · 4.5 hrs/day180 days/year; at least 4.5 instructional hours/day (~810 hours).
Testing or evaluation
Yes — grades 3, 6, 9, 12Testing every 3 years beginning at the end of grade 3 (grades 3, 6, 9, 12). No minimum score; results are kept on file, not submitted. Families using a Georgia Promise Scholarship account are the exception: that program requires an approved nationally norm-referenced test or the state assessment every year, with the scores reported to the Georgia Education Savings Authority.
Records
Yes — progress reports, assessment results
Parent qualifications
Required
Compulsory attendance ages
6–16Georgia's ages are 6 to 16 (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-690.1(b)), with one early trigger: a child enrolled in Georgia public schools for 20 or more school days before turning six becomes subject to the attendance law even though they are not yet six (§ 20-2-150(c)). So a five-year-old withdrawn from public kindergarten after 20 days is already covered, and a family that home schools from there files a Declaration of Intent (§ 20-2-690). That trigger is not new — a 2026 amendment narrowed it from the seventh birthday to the sixth. What 2026 did add, in § 20-2-690.1(b), is that families are encouraged, not required, to begin school or a home study program at age five. A child who has completed all the requirements for a high school diploma or a state-approved high school equivalency (HSE) diploma is exempt (§ 20-2-690.1(b)).
Ways to homeschool
Independent (Declaration of Intent to Georgia DOE)
Law
O.C.G.A. § 20-2-690(c)
Official source
apps.gadoe.org ↗

Do I have to notify anyone to homeschool in Georgia?

Yes. Georgia requires homeschooling families to file a notice. Where it goes: Georgia Department of Education (online; the DOE shares a copy with the local school system). How: Declaration of Intent submitted online (also accepted by mail/fax). When: Within 30 days of establishing the program, then annually by September 1. The DOI lists student names and ages, the address where the home study program is located, the local school system it is in, and the 12-month period that counts as the school year.

What subjects does Georgia require homeschoolers to teach?

Georgia requires instruction in Reading, Language Arts, Mathematics, Social Studies/History, and Science. The five subjects are the statutory minimum (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-690); parents may add others.

How many days or hours of instruction does Georgia require?

Georgia's rule: 180 days/year; at least 4.5 instructional hours/day (~810 hours).

Is standardized testing required to homeschool in Georgia?

Yes. Georgia requires a standardized test. How often: Every 3 years (from grade 3). What is accepted: An appropriate nationally standardized test, administered in consultation with a person trained in the administration and interpretation of norm-referenced tests (a parent may give the test on that basis). Testing every 3 years beginning at the end of grade 3 (grades 3, 6, 9, 12). No minimum score; results are kept on file, not submitted. Families using a Georgia Promise Scholarship account are the exception: that program requires an approved nationally norm-referenced test or the state assessment every year, with the scores reported to the Georgia Education Savings Authority.

What records do I need to keep to homeschool in Georgia?

Georgia requires these records: annual progress report in the five required subjects and standardized test results. How long, or where they go: Progress reports must be kept for at least three years. Test scores and records must be kept too, though the law sets no period for them (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-690(c)). The progress report and test results are kept by the family — not submitted to the state.

Do parents need a teaching certificate or other qualification to homeschool in Georgia?

Yes. Georgia sets a qualification for the parent who teaches. A parent or guardian may teach only their own children, and the teaching parent must hold at least a high school diploma or a state-approved high school equivalency (HSE) diploma — the GED is one such credential. Parents may also employ a tutor who holds one of those credentials, which is the route open to a parent who holds neither (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-690(c)).

What ages does Georgia's compulsory attendance law cover?

Georgia's compulsory attendance law covers children from age 6 to age 16. Georgia's ages are 6 to 16 (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-690.1(b)), with one early trigger: a child enrolled in Georgia public schools for 20 or more school days before turning six becomes subject to the attendance law even though they are not yet six (§ 20-2-150(c)). So a five-year-old withdrawn from public kindergarten after 20 days is already covered, and a family that home schools from there files a Declaration of Intent (§ 20-2-690). That trigger is not new — a 2026 amendment narrowed it from the seventh birthday to the sixth. What 2026 did add, in § 20-2-690.1(b), is that families are encouraged, not required, to begin school or a home study program at age five. A child who has completed all the requirements for a high school diploma or a state-approved high school equivalency (HSE) diploma is exempt (§ 20-2-690.1(b)).

What are the ways to homeschool in Georgia?

In Georgia, families homeschool under this pathway: independent (Declaration of Intent to Georgia DOE).

Yes. Homeschooling is legal in Georgia, as it is in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. To homeschool in Georgia, submit a Declaration of Intent to the Georgia DOE online within 30 days of starting, then annually by September 1. Provide 180 days at 4.5 hours/day and test every 3 years from grade 3 (results kept, not submitted).

How to get started in Georgia

1
Submit a Declaration of Intent to the Georgia DOE
Within 30 days of starting your home study program, then by September 1 every year after. Submit it online (mail and fax are also accepted), listing each child's name and age, the address where the home study program is located, the local school system it is in, and the 12-month period that counts as your school year. The DOE shares a copy with your local school system. Georgia's compulsory school ages are 6 to 16, but a child enrolled in Georgia public schools for 20 or more school days before turning six is already covered by the attendance law — so a five-year-old withdrawn from public kindergarten after 20 days is covered, and if you home school from there you file a Declaration of Intent. Starting school or a home study program at age five is encouraged, not required.
Official resource (apps.gadoe.org) →
2
Provide 180 days / 4.5 hrs per day
Teach 180 days a year, each with at least 4.5 hours of instruction. A daily log is an easy way to keep track of your days and hours.
3
Standardized test every three years
Beginning at the end of grade 3 (so grades 3, 6, 9, and 12), give an appropriate nationally standardized test, administered in consultation with a person trained in administering and interpreting norm-referenced tests — you may give the test yourself on that basis. There is no minimum score. Keep the results on file — they are not submitted. If you use a Georgia Promise Scholarship account the rule is different — see the Promise Scholarship step below.
4
Write an annual progress report
Each year, write a report on your child's progress in each of the five required subjects. Keep it with your records for at least three years — it is not submitted. Your test results must be kept too; the law sets no period for them, so keep them with your other records.
5
Teach required subjects
Reading, language arts, mathematics, social studies, and science — the legal minimum. You may add others.
6
Parent qualification
The teaching parent must hold at least a high school diploma or a state-approved high school equivalency (HSE) diploma — the GED is one such credential. If you hold neither, you may employ a tutor who does. A parent or guardian may teach only their own children.
7
If you use a Georgia Promise Scholarship
Georgia's Promise Scholarship funds nonpublic schooling, home study included — up to $6,500 per student for 2026-27, for curriculum, tutoring, and other expenses the state Authority approves. Eligibility is narrow: your child must be currently enrolled in a Georgia public school across two consecutive enrollment counts or be entering kindergarten, must live in the attendance zone of a school on the state's lowest-25-percent list, and you must have lived in Georgia at least a year — a child already homeschooling does not qualify unless entering kindergarten. If you take it, your child sits an Authority-approved nationally norm-referenced test or the state assessment every year and you report the scores to the Georgia Education Savings Authority, instead of testing once every three years.
What Romeschool tracks for you: Hour tracking, attendance, testing reminders.

Sources for Georgia

Official source (apps.gadoe.org) ↗HSLDA's Georgia summary ↗
Statute: O.C.G.A. § 20-2-690(c)
Last reviewed: June 5, 2026
Corrected: September 23, 2026, after re-reading the official source for what changed

Every requirement above comes from our review of Georgia’s rules, checked against these sources on June 5, 2026 and corrected on September 23, 2026 after re-reading the official source for what changed. Homeschool law changes, and a state can amend its rules between our reviews — read the official source before you file anything or rely on a date here. How we review state requirements.

Nearby states

States that share a border with Georgia:

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