States vary in their individual requirements for homeschooling. There are currently four separate categories of homeschool state requirements. They are:
1. States requiring no notice
2. States with low regulation
3. States with moderate regulation
4. States with high regulation
Don't allow yourself to get scared off by these regulations. The individual states require little in the amount of paperwork and it is definitely worth it.
States that require no notice do not require parents to initiate any contact. The states with no notice requirements are: Idaho, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Connecticut, New Jersey and the territories of Guam and Puerto Rico.
States that have low general requirements only require that parents notify the school district that they are homeschooling. These states are: California, Nevada, Montana, Wyoming, Arizona, New Mexico, Nebraska, Kansas, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Mississippi, Alabama, Delaware, Washington D.C. and the Virgin Islands.
Moderately regulated states require parents to provide the school district with notification of intent to homeschool, test scores and provide a professional evaluation of the student's progress. These states are: Oregon, Colorado, South Dakota, Iowa, Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee, Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Maryland and American Samoa and Northern Mariana Islands.
The high regulated states require all of the previously listed information and the states provide the parents with the required curriculum or the parents are required to provide a curriculum for approval. These states also require the parent to allow visits by state officials to check the student's progress. These states are: Washington, Utah, North Dakota, Minnesota, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, Maine, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Students in these states that do not meet requirements after two quarters (90 days each) will be sent back to their local public school or the parents will have to enroll them in a private school. Highly regulated states may also require an annual assessment at the end of the school year.
What qualifies a parent to teach in in a homeschool? A parent is considered competent if they follow the state's regulations. The parent does not need to have a college degree. Parents should check with their local school district for the homeschool state requirements prior to starting their homeschool.
