Romeschool

Vermont homeschool requirements

To homeschool in Vermont, file an enrollment notice with the Agency of Education at least 10 business days before starting, provide 175 days, and complete an annual end-of-year assessment (kept by the family since 2023).

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

Moderate regulation Notice required Instruction time set Testing or evaluation
Another state:

Vermont homeschool requirements at a glance

Notice
RequiredWhere it goes: Vermont Agency of Education (AOE). When: At least 10 business days before the start date; annually.
Required subjects
English/Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies/History, Physical Education, Health, Fine Arts
Instruction time
175 days175 days equivalent of instruction per year.
Testing or evaluation
Yes — annualAn annual EOYA is required for every student regardless of grade; results are kept by the family (since Jul 1, 2023). AOE's assessment forms carry the same age test as the course of study: a student who was 12 or younger at the time of enrollment must be assessed in physical education, comprehensive health and fine arts as well, even if they turn 13 during the year. On the portfolio option, 16 V.S.A. § 166b(a)(3)(C) asks for a summary plus at least four samples of student work in total. AOE's parent report and portfolio template — still linked from the Agency's end-of-year assessment page — asks for more than the statute does: a summary for each area of the minimum course of study, four to six samples for each of reading/writing, math, history/citizenship/government, literature and natural sciences, and one sample each for physical education, health and fine arts. That template is the Agency's guidance rather than the statutory floor; it is dated June 2022 and still describes AOE reviewing the portfolio, which the Agency stopped doing in July 2023. The statute's list names the GED and not the HiSET: Vermont issues its secondary school equivalency certificate on the GED tests (16 V.S.A. § 945), and AOE's end-of-year assessment page lists the GED alone.
Records
Yes — assessment results, enrollment records
Parent qualifications
Not required
Compulsory attendance ages
6–16
Ways to homeschool
Home study (annual enrollment/notice to AOE)
Law
16 V.S.A. § 166b

Do I have to notify anyone to homeschool in Vermont?

Yes. Vermont requires homeschooling families to file a notice. Where it goes: Vermont Agency of Education (AOE). How: Enrollment/notice-of-intent form (online or mail). A first enrollment carries a second item: 16 V.S.A. § 166b(a)(4) asks, for each child never enrolled in a Vermont public school or Vermont home study program, for independent professional evidence on whether the child has a documented disability and how it may affect the child's progress in home study. AOE's home study page asks every first-time enrollment for that evidence and takes a Vermont public school report card, a 504 plan or an IEP in place of its Independent Professional Evidence form. When: At least 10 business days before the start date; annually. AOE acknowledges within 10 business days. Since July 1, 2023 families no longer submit a Minimum Course of Study to AOE — they attest to it. A family re-enrolling a child files the annual notice alone; AOE asks for the independent professional evidence only at a first enrollment.

What subjects does Vermont require homeschoolers to teach?

Vermont requires instruction in English/Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies/History, Physical Education, Health, and Fine Arts. The Vermont Minimum Course of Study (16 V.S.A. § 906(b)); families attest to it on the enrollment notice and send no curriculum to AOE. Which areas apply turns on the child's age when that notice is filed, not their age later in the year. A child younger than 13 at enrollment owes the full list above. For a child 13 or older at enrollment, § 166b(a)(5)(B) names only § 906(b)(1), (2), (4) and (5) — basic communication skills including reading, writing and numbers; citizenship, history and government in Vermont and the United States; English, American and other literature; and the natural sciences — so physical education, health and fine arts drop out. AOE's Minimum Course of Study form says those three are 'required only for students who are under the age of 13 at the time of enrollment,' and its end-of-year assessment forms apply the same test: a student who was 12 or younger at enrollment must still be assessed in physical education, comprehensive health and fine arts, even if they turn 13 during the year. Summaries that recite all seven areas with no age split are stating the under-13 rule.

How many days or hours of instruction does Vermont require?

Vermont's rule: 175 days equivalent of instruction per year.

Is standardized testing required to homeschool in Vermont?

Yes. Vermont requires a test or another accepted form of evaluation. How often: Annual (end of year). Accepted options: parent report and portfolio (a summary of what the student learned that year, plus at least four samples of student work in total — 16 V.S.A. § 166b(a)(3)(C)); assessment by a Vermont-certified teacher; A standardized assessment — the local school district or a testing service may give it, or it may be given in a manner the testing company approves; AOE publishes a chart of accepted tests; grades from an online academy or school the student is enrolled in; and evidence of passing the GED. An annual EOYA is required for every student regardless of grade; results are kept by the family (since Jul 1, 2023). AOE's assessment forms carry the same age test as the course of study: a student who was 12 or younger at the time of enrollment must be assessed in physical education, comprehensive health and fine arts as well, even if they turn 13 during the year. On the portfolio option, 16 V.S.A. § 166b(a)(3)(C) asks for a summary plus at least four samples of student work in total. AOE's parent report and portfolio template — still linked from the Agency's end-of-year assessment page — asks for more than the statute does: a summary for each area of the minimum course of study, four to six samples for each of reading/writing, math, history/citizenship/government, literature and natural sciences, and one sample each for physical education, health and fine arts. That template is the Agency's guidance rather than the statutory floor; it is dated June 2022 and still describes AOE reviewing the portfolio, which the Agency stopped doing in July 2023. The statute's list names the GED and not the HiSET: Vermont issues its secondary school equivalency certificate on the GED tests (16 V.S.A. § 945), and AOE's end-of-year assessment page lists the GED alone.

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

Vermont requires these records: completed End-of-Year Assessment (EOYA), retained by the family and annual enrollment/notice form. How long, or where they go: EOYA kept by the family (not submitted to AOE since Jul 1, 2023). Since the 2023 update, the EOYA is retained by the family rather than reviewed by AOE.

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

No. Vermont does not set a general qualification for homeschooling parents.

What ages does Vermont's compulsory attendance law cover?

Vermont's compulsory attendance law covers children from age 6 to age 16.

What are the ways to homeschool in Vermont?

In Vermont, families homeschool under this pathway: home study (annual enrollment/notice to AOE).

Yes. Homeschooling is legal in Vermont, as it is in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. To homeschool in Vermont, file an enrollment notice with the Agency of Education at least 10 business days before starting, provide 175 days, and complete an annual end-of-year assessment (kept by the family since 2023).

How to get started in Vermont

1
File your enrollment notice with AOE
Use AOE's enrollment/notice-of-intent form (online or by mail) at least 10 business days before your start date, and file it again each year. AOE acknowledges the notice within 10 business days. A first enrollment carries one more item: 16 V.S.A. § 166b(a)(4) asks, for each child who has never been enrolled in a Vermont public school or a Vermont home study program, for independent professional evidence on whether the child has a documented disability and how it may affect the child's progress in home study. AOE asks every first-time enrollment for that evidence, and AOE accepts a Vermont public school report card, a 504 plan or an IEP in place of its Independent Professional Evidence form. When you re-enroll a child in a later year, you file the annual notice on its own.
Official resource (education.vermont.gov) →
2
Teach the minimum course of study
Which areas apply turns on your child's age on the day you file the notice, not their age later in the year. For a child under 13 at enrollment, all seven areas apply: basic communication skills including reading, writing and numbers (math); citizenship, history and government in Vermont and the United States; English, American and other literature; the natural sciences; physical education; comprehensive health; and fine arts. For a child who is 13 or older when the notice is filed, physical education, comprehensive health and fine arts drop out, and the first four areas are what Vermont asks for. You attest to this on your notice, and no curriculum documents go to AOE.
3
Provide 175 days of instruction
The equivalent of 175 days of instruction each year.
4
Complete an end-of-year assessment
Every student, every year, by one of: a standardized assessment, which the local school district or a testing service may give, or which may be given in a manner the testing company approves (AOE publishes a chart of accepted tests); an assessment by a Vermont-certified teacher; a parent report and portfolio, which 16 V.S.A. § 166b(a)(3)(C) describes as a summary of what your student learned that year plus at least four samples of student work in total; grades from an online academy or school your student is enrolled in; or evidence of passing the GED. AOE's own parent report and portfolio template asks for more than the statute does — a summary for each area of the minimum course of study, four to six samples for each of reading/writing, math, history/citizenship/government, literature and the natural sciences, and one sample each for physical education, health and fine arts. That template is the Agency's guidance rather than the statutory floor, and the June 2022 version still describes AOE reviewing the portfolio, which the Agency stopped doing in July 2023. A child who was 12 or younger when you filed the notice is also assessed in physical education, comprehensive health and fine arts, even if they turn 13 during the year. Keep the assessment with your records. It is no longer submitted to AOE.
What Romeschool tracks for you: Attendance, assessment reminders.

Sources for Vermont

Official source (education.vermont.gov) ↗HSLDA's Vermont summary ↗
Statute: 16 V.S.A. § 166b
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 Vermont’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 Vermont:

All 50 states & D.C. →