Home School Regulations by State

Question

What are the state regulations that you need to follow, and how do you know your kids have adequately met all those standards? Do homeschooled children still need to take state standardized tests?

Regulation of homeschooling varies by state. Home School Legal Defense Association is a great resource. They have laws, legislation, organizations, member resources, cases, and news about homeschooling here.

To Find Your State Laws

To see your state laws, follow this link and click on your state. The quick reference map lets you know how strict your state is. For instance, if you live in Utah or Wyoming all you have to do is notify the school that you will be homeschooling and notify them of what you plan to teach your children that year.

Example High Regulation -- New York

New York does require a standardized test every other year for grades 4-8 and every year for high schoolers. To demonstrate satisfactory progress, your student’s composite score must be above the 33rd percentile, or the score must reflect one academic year of growth compared to a test administered the prior school year.

Example Moderate Regulation -- Colorado

Moderate regulation states require that "Your child must be tested or evaluated in grades 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11. The test must be a nationally standardized achievement test"...If they don't score above the 13th percentile, they will need to try again or enter some form of public schooling.