Indiana homeschool requirements
Indiana recognizes home schools as private schools. No filing is required (an enrollment report only if specifically requested). Provide 180 days and keep attendance.
Last reviewed June 5, 2026 · corrected September 23, 2026 · Sources below
Indiana homeschool requirements at a glance
- Notice
- Not required
- Required subjects
- No set list
- Instruction time
- 180 days180 days per school year (Jul 1–Jun 30); keep daily attendance records.
- Testing or evaluation
- NoNo testing, portfolio, or assessment mandated.
- Records
- Yes — attendance
- Parent qualifications
- Not required
- Compulsory attendance ages
- 7–18The start is not a birthday: a child is bound from the beginning of the fall term of the school year in which they turn 7, or earlier if the child is already officially enrolled in a school (IC 20-33-2-6). A family that homeschools instead has until the child's seventh birthday, certifying that intent to the superintendent if asked (IC 20-33-2-8) — the Department of Education's help sheet puts it as beginning no later than the seventh birthday. At the other end the law runs until the student graduates, turns 18, or turns 16 and meets the exit-interview conditions, whichever comes first; those conditions are narrow — financial hardship, illness or a court order, with the parent's and the principal's written consent (IC 20-33-2-9).
- Ways to homeschool
- Private/home school (no filing)
- Law
- IC 20-33-2-28
- Official source
- in.gov ↗
Do I have to notify anyone to homeschool in Indiana?
No. Indiana does not require homeschooling families to file a notice. If your child is enrolled in a school now, that school is a different matter: the Department of Education says you must tell it you are withdrawing to homeschool, and a school that is not told may report your child as truant. No method is set in law, but the Department asks you to put it in writing to the principal. If a high school student is leaving a public school, the principal must also give you the state's 'Withdrawal to Non-Accredited Non-public School Located in Indiana' form, and you and the principal both sign it (IC 20-33-2-28.6). It is not a homeschool registration. If you refuse to sign, the student is counted as a dropout for that school's graduation rate and the principal may report the student to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, which can then revoke or refuse a driver's license or learner's permit until the student is 18. Registering your home school with the Department is optional and done once, not yearly, and an enrollment count is due only if the Secretary of Education asks for one (IC 20-33-2-21). The Department also says a school may not require you to register a home school, or show proof of one, before it lets you withdraw.
What subjects does Indiana require homeschoolers to teach?
Indiana does not spell out a list of required subjects for homeschoolers. IC 20-33-2-28 requires instruction 'equivalent' to public school but does not enumerate subjects; instruction is in English.
How many days or hours of instruction does Indiana require?
Indiana's rule: 180 days per school year (Jul 1–Jun 30); keep daily attendance records.
Is standardized testing required to homeschool in Indiana?
No. Indiana does not require standardized testing for homeschooled students. No testing, portfolio, or assessment mandated.
What records do I need to keep to homeschool in Indiana?
Indiana requires these records: daily attendance records. Nothing is filed routinely, but the record exists so that you can produce it: if the Secretary of Education or the superintendent of the school corporation where your home school is located asks for it, you must be able to show it to verify your child's enrollment and attendance (IC 20-33-2-20(c)). No particular form is required, and it is the only record Indiana law requires.
Do parents need a teaching certificate or other qualification to homeschool in Indiana?
No. Indiana does not set a general qualification for homeschooling parents.
What ages does Indiana's compulsory attendance law cover?
Indiana's compulsory attendance law covers children from age 7 to age 18. The start is not a birthday: a child is bound from the beginning of the fall term of the school year in which they turn 7, or earlier if the child is already officially enrolled in a school (IC 20-33-2-6). A family that homeschools instead has until the child's seventh birthday, certifying that intent to the superintendent if asked (IC 20-33-2-8) — the Department of Education's help sheet puts it as beginning no later than the seventh birthday. At the other end the law runs until the student graduates, turns 18, or turns 16 and meets the exit-interview conditions, whichever comes first; those conditions are narrow — financial hardship, illness or a court order, with the parent's and the principal's written consent (IC 20-33-2-9).
What are the ways to homeschool in Indiana?
In Indiana, families homeschool under this pathway: private/home school (no filing).
Is homeschooling legal in Indiana?
Yes. Homeschooling is legal in Indiana, as it is in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Indiana recognizes home schools as private schools. No filing is required (an enrollment report only if specifically requested). Provide 180 days and keep attendance.
How to get started in Indiana
Sources for Indiana
Every requirement above comes from our review of Indiana’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 Indiana:
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