Homeschool funding & ESAs in Vermont

Can I get paid to homeschool in Vermont?

No. Vermont 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. It runs the other way too: Vermont's homeschool rules require a test or an evaluation each year. The accepted options, and who administers each, are in the testing line below. If the option you choose charges a fee, plan for it.

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

Vermont requires a test or an evaluation each year. That is the part of the year a family arranges ahead of time. Which options Vermont accepts — and who administers each one — is in the testing line below, in the reviewed rules' own words. If the option you choose charges a fee, plan for it. What Vermont asks for — notice, instruction time, testing and records — is set out below, straight from the reviewed rules.

Notice

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.

Testing or evaluation

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.

Days and hours

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

Records

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.

Full Vermont 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 →