50 states and D.C.: 15 step-by-step guides so far, and a high-school and transcript reference page for every state
Homeschool requirements by state
What your state asks of a homeschooling family, in plain English, with every statute linked so you can check it yourself. This is a summary, not legal advice. Each guide is individually crafted from the statute and the state's own guidance and checked line by line. That is why there are 15 so far and not fifty-one.
Step by step, statute by statute (15 states so far)
Georgia
One Declaration of Intent to the state within 30 days of starting and by September 1 each year after. No approval step.
Reviewed 2026-09-24: checked against the statute text
Iowa
Five pathways: two require no filing; the other three file Form A and provide at least 148 days.
Reviewed 2026-09-04: checked against the statute text
Maine
A first notice within 10 days of starting, 175 days each year, and a later-year letter with the prior year's progress assessment.
Reviewed 2026-09-20: checked against the statute text
Massachusetts
Advance approval from your local district. No state form, filing, or statewide deadline.
Reviewed 2026-09-13: checked against the statute text
Michigan
No notice, no form and no test on the home-school route. A separate nonpublic-school route reports to the state by October 31.
Reviewed 2026-09-24: checked against the statute text
Minnesota
One October 1 report, four subject areas, a yearly test, records kept at home.
Reviewed 2026-09-04: checked against the statute text
New Hampshire
One pathway: home schooling instead of a public school. A note in two cases, no filing, no subjects, no test, no portfolio, a certificate of completion you may send.
Reviewed 2026-09-16: checked against the statute text
New Jersey
One clause: equivalent instruction instead of a public school. No filing, no subjects, no test, no state diploma.
Reviewed 2026-09-13: checked against the statute text
New York
A July 1 notice, a home instruction plan (IHIP), 180 days, quarterly reports, and an annual assessment.
Reviewed 2026-09-04: checked against the statute text
North Dakota
A yearly statement of intent, standardized tests in grades 4, 6, 8 and 10, four hours a day for 175 days.
Reviewed 2026-09-04: checked against the statute text
Pennsylvania
Two routes. A home education program files an affidavit by August 1 and a certification by June 30.
Reviewed 2026-09-11: checked against the statute text
South Dakota
One notification, ever. Two subjects. No hours, no test, no license.
Reviewed 2026-09-04: checked against the statute text
Texas
No registration, no filing, no hours, no test. Five subject areas.
Reviewed 2026-09-04: checked against the statute text
Vermont
Two short notices to the state, never your district. Subjects split at age 13. Five ways to check learning are named; the legal list stays open.
Reviewed 2026-09-17: checked against the statute text
Wisconsin
One yearly report (form PI-1206), 875 hours, six subject areas, no test.
Reviewed 2026-09-04: checked against the statute text
15 states have the step-by-step page so far, each individually crafted from the statute and verified against it. The other 36 have the high-school page until theirs is written. Tell us yours and we will add it to the list.
High school, diploma, and transcript, every state
This page covers whether your state sets graduation requirements for a homeschool, the public-school credit table colleges use as the reference, and what a transcript must show. Pick your state (15 have a full law guide; the rest have the high-school page).
Each high-school page shows its own review date.
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia full guide
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa full guide
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine full guide
- Maryland
- Massachusetts full guide
- Michigan full guide
- Minnesota full guide
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire full guide
- New Jersey full guide
- New Mexico
- New York full guide
- North Carolina
- North Dakota full guide
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania full guide
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota full guide
- Tennessee
- Texas full guide
- Utah
- Vermont full guide
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin full guide
- Wyoming
College planning for homeschoolers, state by state, with every flagship university's published course expectations.
How you would know you are meeting these
In Trellis the ordinary work (your calendar, your learning log, your gradebook) logs itself against your state's steps as you go, so a gap shows before a deadline does. It is a record, never a verdict.
Start your family's records Questions families ask