Rhode Island homeschool requirements

To homeschool in Rhode Island, get approval from your local school committee, provide 180 days, and teach the required subjects (including Rhode Island history). Attendance records go back to your district, and assessment requirements are set locally — there is no statewide test.

Last reviewed June 5, 2026 · corrected September 19, 2026 · Sources below

Moderate regulation Notice required Instruction time set Testing or evaluation

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Rhode Island homeschool requirements at a glance

Notice: RequiredWhere it goes: Local school committee. When: Before starting; reviewed annually.
Required subjects: Reading, Writing, Geography, Arithmetic, U.S. History, Rhode Island History, Civics/Government, Health, Physical Education
Instruction time: 180 days · 5.5 hrs/day180 days at about 5.5 hours/day (substantially equivalent to public school).
Testing or evaluation: Yes — annualNo statewide standardized test or grade-pegged schedule; each local committee sets the assessment requirements.
Records: Yes — plan, attendance, progress reports
Parent qualifications: Not required
Compulsory attendance ages: 6–18
Ways to homeschool: Approved education plan (local school committee)
Law: R.I. Gen. Laws § 16-19-1, -2
Official source: ride.ri.gov ↗

Do I have to notify anyone to homeschool in Rhode Island?

Yes. Rhode Island requires homeschooling families to file a notice. Where it goes: Local school committee. How: Written application/plan submitted for approval. When: Before starting; reviewed annually. Rhode Island uses an approval model (not mere notice); committees approve when the plan shows ~180 days, required subjects, and an assessment arrangement. District practices vary.

What subjects does Rhode Island require homeschoolers to teach?

Rhode Island requires instruction in Reading, Writing, Geography, Arithmetic, U.S. History, Rhode Island History, Civics/Government, Health, and Physical Education. Instruction in English 'to the same extent' as public school (R.I. Gen. Laws § 16-19-2); Rhode Island history is a distinctive requirement.

How many days or hours of instruction does Rhode Island require?

Rhode Island's rule: 180 days at about 5.5 hours/day (substantially equivalent to public school).

Is standardized testing required to homeschool in Rhode Island?

Yes. Rhode Island requires a test or another accepted form of evaluation. How often: Annual (locally determined). What is accepted: Varies by district: standardized test, portfolio review, progress report/interview, or other method accepted by the local committee. No statewide standardized test or grade-pegged schedule; each local committee sets the assessment requirements.

What records do I need to keep to homeschool in Rhode Island?

Rhode Island requires these records: education plan; attendance register, kept the same way a public school keeps its register; and progress reports or test scores, if you and the committee agreed on testing. How long, or where they go: Returned to the school committee, the superintendent, truant officers and RIDE; regular reports go to whoever runs home instruction in your district. Under R.I. Gen. Laws § 16-19-2 the register is not only kept — it is returned to the school committee, the superintendent of schools, truant officers and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and it is made the same as a public school's register. RIDE says regular reports must be submitted to your local superintendent, or whoever else your district designates as the contact for home instruction, so ask how and when yours wants them. Anything beyond that — portfolios, extra progress reports — is set by your district.

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

No. Rhode Island does not set a general qualification for homeschooling parents.

What ages does Rhode Island's compulsory attendance law cover?

Rhode Island's compulsory attendance law covers children from age 6 to age 18.

What are the ways to homeschool in Rhode Island?

In Rhode Island, families homeschool under this pathway: approved education plan (local school committee).

Is homeschooling legal in Rhode Island?

Yes. Homeschooling is legal in Rhode Island, as it is in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. To homeschool in Rhode Island, get approval from your local school committee, provide 180 days, and teach the required subjects (including Rhode Island history). Attendance records go back to your district, and assessment requirements are set locally — there is no statewide test.

How to get started in Rhode Island

Get your plan approved by your local school committee

Before you start, submit a written home instruction plan to your local school committee for approval. Rhode Island uses approval, not just notice: committees look for about 180 days of instruction, the required subjects, and a way to assess progress. The plan is reviewed each year, and district practices vary.

Official resource (ride.ri.gov) →

Provide 180 days

Attendance must be substantially equal to public school: 180 days at about 5.5 hours a day. Keep a register of those days as you go — Rhode Island asks for the same kind of register a public school keeps.

Teach required subjects

Reading, writing, geography, arithmetic, U.S. history, Rhode Island history, civics and government, health, and physical education, taught in English to the same extent as in public school. No teaching credential is required.

Return your register and send regular reports

Your register does not just stay at home. Under R.I. Gen. Laws § 16-19-2 it is returned to the school committee, the superintendent of schools, truant officers and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. RIDE also says regular reports go to your local superintendent, or to whoever else your district names as its home instruction contact — ask early how and when yours wants them.

Assess progress as your school committee requires

There is no statewide standardized test. Each school committee sets its own requirement, generally once a year as it decides — a standardized test, a portfolio review, a progress report or interview, or another method it accepts. Keep your plan, your register, and any progress reports or test scores you and the committee agreed on. Anything beyond that, such as a portfolio, is set by your district.

What Romeschool tracks for you: Attendance, filing reminders.

Generate your Rhode Island Notice of Intent →Rhode Island funding & ESAs Find field trips in Rhode Island

Sources for Rhode Island

Official source (ride.ri.gov) ↗HSLDA's Rhode Island summary ↗

Statute: R.I. Gen. Laws § 16-19-1, -2

Last reviewed: June 5, 2026

Corrected: September 19, 2026, after re-reading the official source for what changed

Every requirement above comes from our review of Rhode Island’s rules, checked against these sources on June 5, 2026 and corrected on September 19, 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 Rhode Island:

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