Virginia homeschool requirements

To homeschool in Virginia, file a Notice of Intent with your division superintendent by August 15, show one of four parent qualifications, and submit annual evidence of progress by August 1. A separate religious exemption carries no assessment.

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

Moderate regulation Notice required Testing or evaluation by pathway

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Virginia homeschool requirements at a glance

Notice: RequiredWhere it goes: Division superintendent. When: By August 15 each year. A family that moves into the division, or begins home instruction after the school year has started, notifies the superintendent as soon as practicable — there is no grace period on the notice itself — and then has 30 days from that notice to file the subject list and the evidence of the parent's qualification (§ 22.1-254.1(B)).
Required subjects: No set list
Instruction time: NoneNo minimum days or hours mandated for home instruction.
Testing or evaluation: Yes — annualStandard home instruction (§ 22.1-254.1); the separate religious-exemption pathway (§ 22.1-254(B)(1)) has no assessment. Assessment evidence is due to the division superintendent by August 1 following the school year (§ 22.1-254.1(C)). A child who is under the age of six as of September 30 of the school year owes no evidence of progress for that year; a family providing home instruction still files the August 15 Notice of Intent. The statute gives two routes — a qualifying test score, or any evaluation or assessment the division superintendent determines shows adequate educational growth and progress. The evaluation letter and the report card or transcript are the two examples § 22.1-254.1(C) names for that second route, and the list is not closed: the section introduces them with 'including', and Va. Code § 1-218 defines that term for the whole Code as 'includes, but not limited to'. Which other evidence qualifies is the superintendent's determination, so ask the division before relying on it. If evidence of progress is not provided, the home instruction program for that child may be placed on probation for one year: the parent files with the superintendent evidence of ability to provide an adequate education and a remediation plan for the probationary year. If the plan and evidence are not accepted, or evidence of progress is still not provided by the August 1 following the probationary year, home instruction must cease and the parent must make other arrangements under § 22.1-254. A party aggrieved by the superintendent's decision may appeal within 30 days to an independent hearing officer (§ 22.1-254.1(E)). The separate religious exemption — once approved by the school board — requires no annual Notice of Intent, no curriculum description, and no assessment.
Records: Yes — progress evidence
Parent qualifications: Required
Compulsory attendance ages: 5–18A parent whose child will not have reached the sixth birthday on or before September 30 may notify the school board that, in the parent's opinion, the child is not mentally, physically, or emotionally prepared to attend school, and delay the child's attendance for one year (§ 22.1-254(I)). A home-instructed child who is under six as of September 30 also owes no evidence of progress for that year, though the August 15 Notice of Intent is still filed (§ 22.1-254.1(C)).
Ways to homeschool: Three pathways
Law: Va. Code § 22.1-254(A); § 22.1-254(B)(1); § 22.1-254(I); § 22.1-254.1
Official source: doe.virginia.gov ↗

Do I have to notify anyone to homeschool in Virginia?

Yes. Virginia requires homeschooling families to file a notice. Where it goes: Division superintendent. How: Written Notice of Intent, filed annually, with a description of the curriculum — which § 22.1-254.1(B) limits to a list of the subjects to be studied in the coming year — plus evidence that the parent meets one of the four qualification options. When: By August 15 each year. A family that moves into the division, or begins home instruction after the school year has started, notifies the superintendent as soon as practicable — there is no grace period on the notice itself — and then has 30 days from that notice to file the subject list and the evidence of the parent's qualification (§ 22.1-254.1(B)). Annual filing each school year.

What subjects does Virginia require homeschoolers to teach?

Virginia does not spell out a list of required subjects for homeschoolers. Virginia sets no required subject list for home instruction. The parent submits a 'description of the curriculum', and § 22.1-254.1(B) limits that description to a list of the subjects to be studied in the coming year — a list of subjects is all the statute obliges a parent to give. Some divisions ask for more, such as lesson plans, a scope and sequence or curriculum titles, and a parent may supply more if they choose.

How many days or hours of instruction does Virginia require?

None. Virginia does not set a minimum number of instructional days or hours for homeschoolers. No minimum days or hours mandated for home instruction.

Is standardized testing required to homeschool in Virginia?

Yes. Virginia requires a test or another accepted form of evaluation. How often: Annual. Who this applies to: Standard home instruction (§ 22.1-254.1); the separate religious-exemption pathway (§ 22.1-254(B)(1)) has no assessment. Accepted options: A nationally normed standardized achievement test with a composite score in or above the fourth stanine — the 23rd percentile or better — or an equivalent score on the ACT, SAT or PSAT; an evaluation letter from a person licensed to teach in any state, or a person holding a master's degree or higher in an academic discipline, who has knowledge of the child's academic progress and states in the letter that the child is achieving an adequate level of educational growth and progress; A report card or transcript from an institution of higher education, a college distance learning program, or a home-education correspondence school; and any other evaluation or assessment the division superintendent determines shows the child is achieving an adequate level of educational growth and progress. Assessment evidence is due to the division superintendent by August 1 following the school year (§ 22.1-254.1(C)). A child who is under the age of six as of September 30 of the school year owes no evidence of progress for that year; a family providing home instruction still files the August 15 Notice of Intent. The statute gives two routes — a qualifying test score, or any evaluation or assessment the division superintendent determines shows adequate educational growth and progress. The evaluation letter and the report card or transcript are the two examples § 22.1-254.1(C) names for that second route, and the list is not closed: the section introduces them with 'including', and Va. Code § 1-218 defines that term for the whole Code as 'includes, but not limited to'. Which other evidence qualifies is the superintendent's determination, so ask the division before relying on it. If evidence of progress is not provided, the home instruction program for that child may be placed on probation for one year: the parent files with the superintendent evidence of ability to provide an adequate education and a remediation plan for the probationary year. If the plan and evidence are not accepted, or evidence of progress is still not provided by the August 1 following the probationary year, home instruction must cease and the parent must make other arrangements under § 22.1-254. A party aggrieved by the superintendent's decision may appeal within 30 days to an independent hearing officer (§ 22.1-254.1(E)). The separate religious exemption — once approved by the school board — requires no annual Notice of Intent, no curriculum description, and no assessment.

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

Virginia requires these records: evidence of progress / assessment results. How long, or where they go: Submitted to the superintendent by August 1. Assessment evidence is submitted annually, starting with the first school year in which the child is six or older as of September 30 (§ 22.1-254.1(C)).

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

Yes. Virginia sets a qualification for the parent who teaches. Satisfy one of four options: a high-school diploma; a Virginia teaching certificate; a program of study/curriculum (correspondence, distance, or other); or written evidence of ability to provide an adequate education. (No credential for the religious-exemption pathway.)

What ages does Virginia's compulsory attendance law cover?

Virginia's compulsory attendance law covers children from age 5 to age 18. A parent whose child will not have reached the sixth birthday on or before September 30 may notify the school board that, in the parent's opinion, the child is not mentally, physically, or emotionally prepared to attend school, and delay the child's attendance for one year (§ 22.1-254(I)). A home-instructed child who is under six as of September 30 also owes no evidence of progress for that year, though the August 15 Notice of Intent is still filed (§ 22.1-254.1(C)).

What are the ways to homeschool in Virginia?

In Virginia, families homeschool under one of three pathways: home instruction (annual Notice of Intent to the division superintendent, § 22.1-254.1); religious exemption (one-time request to the school board, § 22.1-254(B)(1)); and instruction by a tutor or teacher whose qualifications the Board of Education prescribes and whom the division superintendent approves (§ 22.1-254(A)) — that approval is the condition of using this route, and a family should have it before relying on it; once approved, the route carries no annual Notice of Intent and no August 1 evidence of progress, because those duties fall on a parent who elects home instruction under § 22.1-254.1.

Is homeschooling legal in Virginia?

Yes. Homeschooling is legal in Virginia, as it is in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. To homeschool in Virginia, file a Notice of Intent with your division superintendent by August 15, show one of four parent qualifications, and submit annual evidence of progress by August 1. A separate religious exemption carries no assessment.

How to get started in Virginia

File a Notice of Intent with your division superintendent

Every year by August 15, notify your division superintendent in writing that you will provide home instruction. Include a description of your curriculum — Virginia sets no required subject list, and § 22.1-254.1(B) limits that description to a list of the subjects to be studied in the coming year, so a subject list is all the statute obliges you to give, though some divisions ask for more (lesson plans, a scope and sequence, curriculum titles) and you may give more if you choose — and evidence of which parent qualification you meet. If you move into the division or begin after the school year has started, notify the superintendent as soon as practicable — there is no grace period on the notice itself — and you then have 30 days from that notice to file the subject list and the qualification evidence.

Official resource (doe.virginia.gov) →

Meet one of four parent qualifications

Any one of these works: a high school diploma; a Virginia teaching certificate; providing your child a program of study or curriculum (through a correspondence course, a distance-learning program, or another way); or written evidence that you are able to provide an adequate education.

Turn in evidence of progress by August 1

Each year by August 1, give the superintendent evidence that your child is achieving an adequate level of educational growth and progress. The statute gives two routes. The first is a test: a nationally normed standardized achievement test with a composite score in or above the fourth stanine — the 23rd percentile or better — or an equivalent score on the ACT, SAT, or PSAT. The second is any evaluation or assessment the division superintendent determines shows adequate educational growth and progress. Section 22.1-254.1(C) names two examples of that second route: a letter from a person licensed to teach in any state, or a person holding a master's degree or higher in an academic discipline, who has knowledge of your child's academic progress and states in the letter that the child is achieving an adequate level of educational growth and progress; or a report card or transcript from an institution of higher education, a college distance learning program, or a home-education correspondence school. Those examples are not a closed list — the statute introduces them with "including", which Virginia law reads as "includes, but not limited to" — but which other evidence qualifies is the superintendent's determination, so ask your division before relying on it. A child under the age of six as of September 30 owes no evidence of progress for that school year — you still file the August 15 notice, and the evidence starts with the first school year your child is six or older as of September 30.

Know what happens if evidence of progress is not provided

If the evidence is not provided, the home instruction program for that child may be placed on probation for one year. You would then file with the superintendent evidence of your ability to provide an adequate education, along with a remediation plan for the probationary year. If the plan and evidence are not accepted, or evidence of progress is still not provided by the August 1 following the probationary year, home instruction must cease and you make other arrangements for your child's education under § 22.1-254. A party aggrieved by the superintendent's decision may appeal within 30 days to an independent hearing officer.

Or: request a religious exemption

Virginia has a separate religious exemption, which is a one-time request to your school board rather than an annual filing. Once the board approves it, there is no annual Notice of Intent, curriculum description, parent qualification, or evidence of progress.

Or: teach through an approved tutor

Virginia also allows instruction by a tutor or teacher whose qualifications the Board of Education prescribes and whom your division superintendent approves (§ 22.1-254(A)). That approval is the condition of using this route, so have it before you rely on it. Once approved, the route carries no annual Notice of Intent and no August 1 evidence of progress — those duties fall on a parent who elects home instruction under § 22.1-254.1.

What Romeschool tracks for you: Assessment reminders, filing reminders.

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

Sources for Virginia

Official source (doe.virginia.gov) ↗HSLDA's Virginia summary ↗

Statute: Va. Code § 22.1-254(A); § 22.1-254(B)(1); § 22.1-254(I); § 22.1-254.1

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 Virginia’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 Virginia:

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