Compulsory Attendance Ages: Between ages 7 and 16.
A child who is six years old and enrolled in the first grade in public school is subject to the compulsory attendance law. A parent may withdraw such a child from public school within 60 days of enrollment, and the child will not be subject to the compulsory attendance law until age seven.
Required Days of Instruction: None.
Required Subjects: None.
Home School Statue: Yes.
Home Schools have four options:
- If “the child is being educated in the child’s home by a parent or legal guardian,” the child is exempt from compulsory attendance. Under this option, there are no requirements to notify, seek approval, test, file forms, or have any teacher qualifications. The burden is on the state to prove that parents are not teaching their children.
- Tutoring by a certified teacher.
- The child “is equally well-served by an educational experience approved by the school board,” after a written request for excuse from school attendance.
- A home school may qualify as a “religious or other private school” as long as it meets certain requirements.
Teacher Qualifications: None.
Certification is required only if parents use a private tutor.
Standardized Tests: None.
If operating as a religious or other private school (option #4), testing is required for fourth, sixth, and eighth grades.
For more information, please see the HSLDA website.
