Romeschool

New York homeschool requirements

New York is one of the strictest states. File an IHIP, submit four quarterly reports and an annual assessment to your district, and provide 900/990 hours. The assessment form varies by grade band.

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

High regulation Notice required Instruction time set Testing or evaluation
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New York homeschool requirements at a glance

Notice
RequiredWhere it goes: Local school district superintendent. When: By July 1 each year. A family that begins home instruction after the school year starts, or that moves into the district after it starts, files within 14 days of beginning home instruction in that district. Your district then has 10 business days to send you a copy of § 100.10 and an IHIP form. For the ordinary July 1 filing, the completed IHIP is due within four weeks of receiving that form or by August 15, whichever is later (8 NYCRR § 100.10(c)(2)); NYSED's guidance sets out the mid-year sequence with the four-week clock and no August date. If the district returns a notice of deficiency, a corrected IHIP is due within 15 days or by September 15, whichever is later.
Required subjects
English/Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies/History, Geography, U.S. History, New York State History, U.S. and New York State Constitutions, Health, Physical Education, Art, Music, Patriotism and Citizenship, Alcohol, Drug and Tobacco Misuse, Highway and Bicycle Safety, Fire and Arson Prevention and Safety
Instruction time
180 days and 900–990 hours by gradeThe substantial equivalent of 180 days of instruction each school year, plus 900 hours/year (grades 1–6) and 990 hours/year (grades 7–12). The parent keeps the attendance records and gives them to the district on request.
Testing or evaluation
Yes — annualAnnual assessment, filed with the fourth quarterly report on the date set in your IHIP. The form varies by grade band: grades 1–3 may use a written narrative every year; grades 4–8 may use a narrative no more often than every other school year, with a standardized test in the years between; grades 9–12 take a test every year. A test score is adequate if the composite is above the 33rd percentile on national norms or reflects one academic year of growth compared with a test given during or after the prior school year; a narrative is adequate if the evaluator certifies the child made adequate academic progress. The Department's guidance states it the other way round — probation only where the composite is below the thirty-third percentile, and individual subtest scores should not count — so the regulation and the guidance part only for a score exactly at the 33rd. An assessment that meets neither standard puts that child's program on probation for up to two school years: the parent submits a plan of remediation the district reviews and may require changes to, the district may require home visits on three days' written notice while the program is on probation, and missing the plan's objectives sends the district's finding that the plan was not followed to the board for review. Each child is assessed separately, so one child's probation does not place a sibling's program on probation (8 NYCRR § 100.10(h), (i)).
Records
Yes — plan, progress reports, assessment results
Parent qualifications
Not required
Compulsory attendance ages
6–16Statewide the law runs to age 16 (Education Law § 3205(1)(a)), and a child who turns 16 at any point in the July 1–June 30 school year is of compulsory age for that whole school year (§ 3205(1)(c)). A child who turns 6 on or before December 1 starts that September; a child who turns 6 later starts the following September (§ 3205(1)(c)). A district board may require minors who are not employed to attend until the last day of session in the school year they turn 17 (§ 3205(3)); the State Education Department names New York City as a district that has done so, and says a district is not required to review an IHIP for a student past compulsory age. Confirm your own district's rule before you stop filing the IHIP, quarterly reports and annual assessment.
Ways to homeschool
Independent (letter of intent + IHIP + quarterly reports)
Law
8 NYCRR § 100.10
Official source
nysed.gov ↗

Do I have to notify anyone to homeschool in New York?

Yes. New York requires homeschooling families to file a notice. Where it goes: Local school district superintendent. How: Written letter of intent → the district sends an IHIP form to complete. When: By July 1 each year. A family that begins home instruction after the school year starts, or that moves into the district after it starts, files within 14 days of beginning home instruction in that district. Your district then has 10 business days to send you a copy of § 100.10 and an IHIP form. For the ordinary July 1 filing, the completed IHIP is due within four weeks of receiving that form or by August 15, whichever is later (8 NYCRR § 100.10(c)(2)); NYSED's guidance sets out the mid-year sequence with the four-week clock and no August date. If the district returns a notice of deficiency, a corrected IHIP is due within 15 days or by September 15, whichever is later. School year runs Jul 1–Jun 30; the IHIP identifies materials and objectives by subject for each child. The yearly letter, IHIP, quarterly reports and assessment stop once the child is past compulsory attendance age — 16 statewide, or 17 in a district that has exercised Education Law § 3205(3), such as New York City.

What subjects does New York require homeschoolers to teach?

New York requires instruction in English/Language Arts; Mathematics; Science; Social Studies/History; Geography; U.S. History; New York State History; U.S. and New York State Constitutions; Health; Physical Education; Art; Music; Patriotism and Citizenship; Alcohol, Drug and Tobacco Misuse; Highway and Bicycle Safety; and Fire and Arson Prevention and Safety. 8 NYCRR § 100.10(e) sets these by grade band: grades 7–8 take two units each of English, history and geography, science and mathematics, plus art and music (a half unit each) and physical education, health, practical arts and library skills on a regular basis; grades 9–12 take four units of English, four of social studies (including one unit of American history, a half unit of participation in government and a half unit of economics), two of mathematics, two of science, one of art and/or music, a half unit of health, two of physical education and three of electives. A unit is 6,480 minutes of instruction a year. U.S. history, New York State history and the U.S. and New York State constitutions must be taught at least once during grades 1–8. Patriotism and citizenship, health education on alcohol, drug and tobacco misuse, highway safety including bicycle safety, and fire and arson prevention must be covered somewhere in grades K–12 (Education Law §§ 801, 804, 806 and 808). Instruction is given in English.

How many days or hours of instruction does New York require?

New York's rule: The substantial equivalent of 180 days of instruction each school year, plus 900 hours/year (grades 1–6) and 990 hours/year (grades 7–12). The parent keeps the attendance records and gives them to the district on request.

Is standardized testing required to homeschool in New York?

Yes. New York requires a test or another accepted form of evaluation. How often: Annual. Accepted options: commercially published norm-referenced achievement test chosen from the list in § 100.10(h)(1)(i) — Iowa, California, Stanford, Comprehensive, Metropolitan, a State Education Department test, or another test the Department approves — adequate if the composite is above the 33rd percentile on national norms or the score shows one academic year of growth; administered under one of the options in § 100.10(h)(1)(ii), and a test given at home must be administered by a New York State-certified teacher or another qualified person the superintendent has consented to; Grades 1–3: a written narrative by a New York State-certified teacher, a home instruction peer review panel, or another person chosen by the parent with the superintendent's consent, who interviews the child and reviews a portfolio of their work (allowed every year); Grades 4–8: a written narrative may be used no more often than every other school year; and Grades 9–12: a standardized test every year. Annual assessment, filed with the fourth quarterly report on the date set in your IHIP. The form varies by grade band: grades 1–3 may use a written narrative every year; grades 4–8 may use a narrative no more often than every other school year, with a standardized test in the years between; grades 9–12 take a test every year. A test score is adequate if the composite is above the 33rd percentile on national norms or reflects one academic year of growth compared with a test given during or after the prior school year; a narrative is adequate if the evaluator certifies the child made adequate academic progress. The Department's guidance states it the other way round — probation only where the composite is below the thirty-third percentile, and individual subtest scores should not count — so the regulation and the guidance part only for a score exactly at the 33rd. An assessment that meets neither standard puts that child's program on probation for up to two school years: the parent submits a plan of remediation the district reviews and may require changes to, the district may require home visits on three days' written notice while the program is on probation, and missing the plan's objectives sends the district's finding that the plan was not followed to the board for review. Each child is assessed separately, so one child's probation does not place a sibling's program on probation (8 NYCRR § 100.10(h), (i)).

What records do I need to keep to homeschool in New York?

New York requires these records: IHIP, four quarterly progress reports/year, annual assessment results, and hours/attendance records. Quarterly reports are filed on the dates set in the IHIP and show progress + hours per subject.

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

No. New York does not set a general qualification for homeschooling parents. No credential required; a parent or 'competent instructor' may teach.

What ages does New York's compulsory attendance law cover?

New York's compulsory attendance law covers children from age 6 to age 16. Statewide the law runs to age 16 (Education Law § 3205(1)(a)), and a child who turns 16 at any point in the July 1–June 30 school year is of compulsory age for that whole school year (§ 3205(1)(c)). A child who turns 6 on or before December 1 starts that September; a child who turns 6 later starts the following September (§ 3205(1)(c)). A district board may require minors who are not employed to attend until the last day of session in the school year they turn 17 (§ 3205(3)); the State Education Department names New York City as a district that has done so, and says a district is not required to review an IHIP for a student past compulsory age. Confirm your own district's rule before you stop filing the IHIP, quarterly reports and annual assessment.

What are the ways to homeschool in New York?

In New York, families homeschool under this pathway: independent (letter of intent + IHIP + quarterly reports).

Yes. Homeschooling is legal in New York, as it is in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. New York is one of the strictest states. File an IHIP, submit four quarterly reports and an annual assessment to your district, and provide 900/990 hours. The assessment form varies by grade band.

How to get started in New York

1
Send a letter of intent to your school district
Each year, write to your local school district superintendent by July 1 (New York's school year runs July 1–June 30). If you begin home instruction after the school year starts, or you move into a new district after it starts, send the letter within 14 days of beginning home instruction in that district. Your district then has 10 business days to send you a copy of the regulation (8 NYCRR § 100.10) and an IHIP form.
Official resource (nysed.gov) →
2
Return your IHIP
Your district replies with a home instruction plan (IHIP) form. List each child's materials and objectives for every required subject and the dates you'll file your quarterly reports, then return it within four weeks of receiving the district's form, or by August 15, whichever is later (8 NYCRR § 100.10(c)(2)). For a family beginning partway through the year, the State Education Department's guidance sets out the same four-week clock with no August date. If the district sends back a notice of deficiency, a corrected IHIP is due within 15 days, or by September 15, whichever is later.
3
Teach the required subjects
English, math, science, social studies and history — including geography, U.S. history, New York State history, and the U.S. and New York State constitutions — plus health, physical education, art, and music. U.S. history, New York State history and the two constitutions must be covered at least once during grades 1–8, not every year. Four more subjects belong somewhere in grades K–12: patriotism and citizenship; health education on alcohol, drug and tobacco misuse; highway safety, including bicycle safety; and fire and arson prevention and safety. From grade 7 the work is counted in units, and one unit is 6,480 minutes of instruction a year: grades 7–8 take two units each of English, history and geography, science and mathematics, a half unit each of art and music, and physical education, health, practical arts and library skills on a regular basis; grades 9–12 take four units of English, four of social studies (among them one unit of American history, a half unit of participation in government and a half unit of economics), two of mathematics, two of science, one of art and/or music, a half unit of health, two of physical education, and three units of electives. Instruction is in English.
4
Teach the equivalent of 180 days — 900 hours (grades 1–6) or 990 hours (grades 7–12)
New York asks for both limbs of one rule: the substantial equivalent of 180 days of instruction each school year, plus 900 hours a year through grade 6 and 990 hours a year from grade 7. The two are not alternatives — meeting the days does not stand in for the hours, or the hours for the days. Keep attendance and hour records for each child, and give them to the district on request.
5
File four quarterly reports
Send a report to your district on each date set in your IHIP, showing your child's progress and hours in each subject.
6
File an annual assessment with your district
The assessment goes in with your fourth quarterly report, on the date set in your IHIP. The form depends on grade: in grades 1–3 a written narrative may be used every year; in grades 4–8 a narrative is allowed no more often than every other school year, with a standardized test in the years between; grades 9–12 take a standardized test every year. A narrative comes from a New York State-certified teacher, a home instruction peer review panel, or another person you choose with your superintendent's consent, who interviews the child and reviews a portfolio of their work, and it is adequate if the evaluator certifies the child made adequate academic progress. A test is chosen from the list in the regulation, and a test given at home must be administered by a New York State-certified teacher or another qualified person the superintendent has consented to. A test score is adequate if the composite is above the 33rd percentile on national norms, or shows one academic year of growth against a test taken during or after the prior school year; the State Education Department's guidance instead describes probation only for a composite below the 33rd percentile and says individual subtest scores should not count, so the regulation and the guidance part only for a score exactly at it. An assessment that meets neither standard puts that child's program on probation for up to two school years: you file a plan of remediation, the district reviews it and may require changes, the district may require home visits on three days' written notice while the program is on probation, and if the plan's objectives are not met the district's finding that the plan was not followed goes to the board for review. Each child is assessed separately, so one child's probation does not place a sibling's program on probation.
7
Know when the filing stops
Compulsory attendance runs through the end of the school year in which your child turns 16 (Education Law § 3205(1)(a)) — a child who turns 16 any time between July 1 and June 30 is of compulsory age for that whole school year. NYSED says a district is not required to review an IHIP for a student past compulsory age, so that is what decides when the letter of intent, IHIP, quarterly reports and annual assessment stop. One thing to check first: a district board may require minors who are not employed to attend until the last day of session in the school year they turn 17 (§ 3205(3)), and NYSED names New York City as a district that has done so. Confirm your own district's rule before you stop filing.
Official resource (nysed.gov) →
What Romeschool tracks for you: Hour tracking, assessment reminders, and your annual notice deadline — not the four quarterly progress reports, whose dates you set in your home instruction plan.

Sources for New York

Official source (nysed.gov) ↗HSLDA's New York summary ↗
Statute: 8 NYCRR § 100.10
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 New York’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 New York:

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