Romeschool

Kansas homeschool requirements

Kansas treats home schools as non-accredited private schools. Register the school's name and address once with the state; no testing and no curriculum approval.

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

Minimal regulation Notice required Instruction time set
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Kansas homeschool requirements at a glance

Notice
RequiredWhere it goes: Kansas State Board of Education (KSDE) — registered as a non-accredited private school (NAPS). When: One-time at establishment; no annual renewal. Update it if the school's name or address changes, and mark it inactive when you stop.
Required subjects
No set list
Instruction time
186 days / 1,116 hoursSubstantially equivalent to public schools — about 186 days / 1,116 hours for grades 1–11. Kansas case law also weighs how the teaching is organized: in In re Sawyer, 234 Kan. 436 (1983), the Kansas Supreme Court upheld a finding that a home program was not a school, listing among the facts that it had "no testing, planning or scheduling", and Attorney General Opinion 85-159 (1985) says the state agency that looks into a report of a child not in school must apply the Sawyer factors, with the courts making the final call. Those are case-law factors, not filings — Kansas still requires no testing and no curriculum approval, and nothing about your plan or schedule is sent to the state.
Testing or evaluation
NoNo testing and no curriculum approval required — nothing is state-administered, and no results are submitted to anyone. Homeschool guides that list 'periodic testing' as a Kansas step draw it from In re Sawyer, 234 Kan. 436 (1983), where the court weighed many facts about one home program before deciding it was not really a school; the same opinion states that Kansas requires neither accreditation nor certified teachers. K.S.A. 72-3120 asks for a competent instructor and substantially the same instruction time as public school — nothing about testing.
Records
No
Parent qualifications
Not required
Compulsory attendance ages
7–18Kansas's duty runs from 7 to 18 and ends earlier for a child who has earned a high school diploma, a general educational development credential or a high school equivalency credential (K.S.A. 72-3120(a)). A child who is 16 or 17 may be exempt in four ways under 72-3120(b): enrollment in and attendance at a program the local school board recognizes as an approved alternative educational program; written parental consent together with a final counseling session held by the school that both the parent and the child attend and at which both sign a disclaimer about educational alternatives; staying regularly enrolled in school while also enrolled in a postsecondary institution; or a court order that allows or requires the exemption. A child under 7 who is already enrolled in school is covered until a parent withdraws the child, which a parent may do at any time (72-3120(c)). A child determined to be an exceptional child, other than a gifted child, is exempt from this section and covered instead by the special education for exceptional children act (72-3120(d); K.S.A. 72-3421). The State Department of Education's guidance for nonaccredited private schools notes the ages may be under 7 for a child identified as having a disability.
Ways to homeschool
Non-accredited private school (one-time NAPS registration with KSDE)
Law
K.S.A. § 72-3120 (attendance); K.S.A. §§ 72-4345 to 72-4347 (registration)
Official source
ksde.gov ↗

Do I have to notify anyone to homeschool in Kansas?

Yes. Kansas requires homeschooling families to file a notice. Where it goes: Kansas State Board of Education (KSDE) — registered as a non-accredited private school (NAPS). How: The online NAPS form asks for a registration type (New, Update or Inactive), the school's name, and its street address, city, county, state and zip. K.S.A. 72-4346 requires only the school's name and address, and the form asks nothing about the children — no grades and no number of students. KSDE's homeschool fact sheet also describes registration as showing the name and address of the custodian of the school's records, but the online form has no such field. When: One-time at establishment; no annual renewal. Update it if the school's name or address changes, and mark it inactive when you stop. Registration is not reviewed or approved. Print or save the confirmation letter the form produces — KSDE sends nothing afterwards, and if you lose it you can ask KSDE for a copy through the Letter of Registration Request form on its non-accredited private schools page. Separately notify a prior public school when withdrawing.

What subjects does Kansas require homeschoolers to teach?

Kansas does not spell out a list of required subjects for homeschoolers. No mandated subjects for NAPS; instruction by a 'competent instructor' for a time substantially equivalent to public school.

How many days or hours of instruction does Kansas require?

Kansas's rule: Substantially equivalent to public schools — about 186 days / 1,116 hours for grades 1–11. Kansas case law also weighs how the teaching is organized: in In re Sawyer, 234 Kan. 436 (1983), the Kansas Supreme Court upheld a finding that a home program was not a school, listing among the facts that it had "no testing, planning or scheduling", and Attorney General Opinion 85-159 (1985) says the state agency that looks into a report of a child not in school must apply the Sawyer factors, with the courts making the final call. Those are case-law factors, not filings — Kansas still requires no testing and no curriculum approval, and nothing about your plan or schedule is sent to the state.

Is standardized testing required to homeschool in Kansas?

No. Kansas does not require standardized testing for homeschooled students. No testing and no curriculum approval required — nothing is state-administered, and no results are submitted to anyone. Homeschool guides that list 'periodic testing' as a Kansas step draw it from In re Sawyer, 234 Kan. 436 (1983), where the court weighed many facts about one home program before deciding it was not really a school; the same opinion states that Kansas requires neither accreditation nor certified teachers. K.S.A. 72-3120 asks for a competent instructor and substantially the same instruction time as public school — nothing about testing.

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

Kansas does not require homeschooling families to keep specific records. No statutory record-keeping requirement.

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

No. Kansas does not set a general qualification for homeschooling parents. No license required (a 'competent instructor' standard, not credential-enforced).

What ages does Kansas's compulsory attendance law cover?

Kansas's compulsory attendance law covers children from age 7 to age 18. Kansas's duty runs from 7 to 18 and ends earlier for a child who has earned a high school diploma, a general educational development credential or a high school equivalency credential (K.S.A. 72-3120(a)). A child who is 16 or 17 may be exempt in four ways under 72-3120(b): enrollment in and attendance at a program the local school board recognizes as an approved alternative educational program; written parental consent together with a final counseling session held by the school that both the parent and the child attend and at which both sign a disclaimer about educational alternatives; staying regularly enrolled in school while also enrolled in a postsecondary institution; or a court order that allows or requires the exemption. A child under 7 who is already enrolled in school is covered until a parent withdraws the child, which a parent may do at any time (72-3120(c)). A child determined to be an exceptional child, other than a gifted child, is exempt from this section and covered instead by the special education for exceptional children act (72-3120(d); K.S.A. 72-3421). The State Department of Education's guidance for nonaccredited private schools notes the ages may be under 7 for a child identified as having a disability.

What are the ways to homeschool in Kansas?

In Kansas, families homeschool under this pathway: non-accredited private school (one-time NAPS registration with KSDE).

Yes. Homeschooling is legal in Kansas, as it is in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Kansas treats home schools as non-accredited private schools. Register the school's name and address once with the state; no testing and no curriculum approval.

How to get started in Kansas

1
Register your school once with the state
Register the school with the Kansas State Board of Education on KSDE's online non-accredited private school form. It asks for a registration type (New, Update or Inactive), the school's name, and its street address, city, county, state and zip — K.S.A. 72-4346 requires only the name and address, and the form asks nothing about the children, so there is no field for grades or for how many students you have. KSDE's homeschool fact sheet also describes the registration as showing the name and address of the custodian of the school's records, but the online form has no such field. It isn't reviewed or approved, and it isn't renewed each year: file it once when you establish the school, update it if the school's name or address changes, and mark it inactive when you stop homeschooling. Print or save the confirmation letter the form gives you — KSDE sends nothing afterwards, and if you lose it you can ask KSDE for a copy using the Letter of Registration Request form on KSDE's non-accredited private schools page. Kansas's compulsory school ages are 7 to 18. The duty can end sooner — with a high school diploma, a GED or a high school equivalency credential, or through one of the exemptions the law allows a 16- or 17-year-old — and it can reach a younger child: a child under 7 who is already enrolled in school is covered until you withdraw them, and KSDE's guidance notes the ages may start under 7 for a child identified as having a disability.
Official resource (ksde.gov) →
2
Leaving a public school? Tell that school
If your child is leaving a public school, notify that school as well. This is separate from registering with the state.
3
Teach with a competent instructor
No teaching license is required; instruction must come from a competent instructor.
4
Teach about as long as the public schools
Instruction must run for a period substantially equivalent to the public-school year — about 186 days or 1,116 hours for grades 1–11. Kansas case law also weighs how the teaching is organized: in In re Sawyer (1983) the Kansas Supreme Court upheld a finding that a home program was not a school, counting among the facts that it had 'no testing, planning or scheduling', and a 1985 Attorney General opinion (85-159) says the state agency that looks into a report of a child not in school must apply those factors, with the courts making the final call. They are case-law factors, not filings — nothing about your plan or schedule is sent to the state — but they are a good reason to plan your year and keep the schedule you actually follow.
5
No required subjects or state testing
Kansas sets no mandated subjects for home schools, requires no curriculum approval, and has no state testing — nothing is state-administered, and no results go to anyone. If you have read elsewhere that Kansas expects 'periodic testing,' that comes from a 1983 Kansas court decision about one family's program (In re Sawyer), not from the statute: K.S.A. 72-3120 asks for a competent instructor and instruction time substantially equivalent to public school, and says nothing about testing. The same decision states that Kansas requires neither accreditation nor certified teachers.
6
Keep records
Not required by Kansas law, but recommended for your protection.
What Romeschool tracks for you: Activity log, subject coverage, attendance.

Sources for Kansas

Official source (ksde.gov) ↗HSLDA's Kansas summary ↗
Statute: K.S.A. § 72-3120 (attendance); K.S.A. §§ 72-4345 to 72-4347 (registration)
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 Kansas’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 Kansas:

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