Homeschool funding & ESAs in South Dakota

Can I get paid to homeschool in South Dakota?

No. South Dakota has no ESA or voucher that independent homeschooling families can use. Nationwide grants are listed below, each with its own eligibility rules. Romeschool tracks and organizes what you spend, so a receipt is ready the moment a program asks for one — it never files or submits anything on your behalf. South Dakota's homeschool rules require no test or evaluation of their own, so there is nothing on that side to arrange.

What does South Dakota require of homeschoolers — and what should I plan for?

South Dakota does not require a test or an evaluation, so there is no assessment to arrange. What South Dakota asks for — notice, instruction time, testing and records — is set out below, straight from the reviewed rules.

Notice

Yes. South Dakota requires homeschooling families to file a notice. Where it goes: South Dakota Department of Education (not the local district). How: Alternative Instruction Notification (online or paper). When: One-time per child at commencement (update within 30 days of a district change or stopping). SB 177 (2021) eliminated annual notification and moved it from the district to the state DOE; there is no approval/review.

Testing or evaluation

No. South Dakota does not require standardized testing for homeschooled students. Pre-2021 law required testing in grades 2, 4, 8, 11. SB 177 (2021) eliminated all testing requirements — none is currently mandated.

Days and hours

None. South Dakota does not set a minimum number of instructional days or hours for homeschoolers. SDCL 13-27-1 asks that a child regularly receive alternative instruction until age 18, but neither it nor SDCL 13-27-3 sets a school term, a school day, or an attendance record — 13-27-3 requires only language arts and mathematics, instruction leading to mastery of English, and no more than 22 students per instructor. Until July 1, 2021 the law did tie home instruction to the public-school calendar; SB 177 struck the words 'for an equivalent period of time, as in the public schools' from 13-27-3, along with the department's power to inspect an alternative instruction program's attendance records. The 437.5 / 875 / 962.5-hour figures still widely quoted for South Dakota come from SDCL 13-26-1, which tells a local school board how long a term to run in its own district; they bind schools, not home instruction.

Records

South Dakota does not require homeschooling families to keep specific records. No state-mandated record-keeping under current law (voluntary records advised).

Full South Dakota homeschool requirements →

Nationwide grants

• ACT Today! Grant · Autism Care Today
  For U.S. families of a child with an autism diagnosis (priority to household income under $100k).
  Open to any family of a child with autism — not homeschool-specific, but useful for therapy costs.
• Dyslexia Services Foundation Grant · Dyslexia Services Foundation
  For low-income U.S. children with dyslexia who cannot otherwise afford treatment (need shown via free/reduced lunch, Medicaid, or SNAP).
  Typically identified through a teacher or provider; not homeschool-specific.
• HSLDA Compassion Curriculum Grant · Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA)
  For HSLDA members with significant financial need (legal custody of a child 6-19, homeschooling 3+ months).
  You must privately fund your homeschool (not receiving ESA or other public funds).
• HSLDA Disaster Relief Grant · Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA)
  For homeschooling families (child 6-19) with physical disaster damage in the past 18 months.
• MyGOAL Autism Grant · MyGOAL Inc.
  For the primary caregiver of a child under 18 with autism, with demonstrated financial need.
  Open to any family of a child with autism — not homeschool-specific.
• Our Military Kids Grant · Our Military Kids
  For children (1-18) of deployed National Guard/Reserve members (60+ days) or of post-9/11 combat-injured service members and veterans.
  Funds organized, provider-led activities (not parent-taught core instruction).
• UnitedHealthcare Children's Foundation Grant · UnitedHealthcare Children's Foundation
  For U.S. children aged 16 or under with commercial (non-public) health insurance, subject to income guidelines.
  Medical (not education) funding — useful for special-needs homeschoolers' therapy costs.

Full details, amounts and deadlines for every program →