Is homeschooling legal in every state?
Yes. Homeschooling is legal in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. No state bans it, and no state requires you to hold a teaching license to teach your own children. The paperwork differs: some states ask for nothing, while others want a notice of intent, a set number of instructional hours or days, and periodic proof that learning is happening.
Each state sets its own rules, so start by reading your own state's requirements. Use the state requirements directory to jump straight to yours, or compare them all below.
How homeschool laws vary: the regulation spectrum
Homeschool law runs along a spectrum from no oversight to heavy oversight. Three factors decide where a state lands:
- Notice. Do you have to tell anyone you're homeschooling, and if so, whom (your district or the state)?
- Hours or days. Does the state set a minimum amount of instruction per year?
- Assessment. Does your student have to be tested, evaluated, or reviewed through a portfolio?
Those factors sort the 51 jurisdictions into three rough tiers, ordered from least to most regulated. (HSLDA popularized this framework; the exact placement of any state can shift, so treat this as an overview and confirm specifics on each state's page.)
1. No notice required (11 states)
You can start without filing anything with the state. The least-regulated group.
Alaska Connecticut Idaho Illinois Indiana Michigan Missouri New Jersey Oklahoma Texas Wyoming
3. Notice plus assessment (40 states)
You file notice and your student is periodically assessed by testing, portfolio, or evaluation. The most regulated group.
Alabama Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Minnesota Mississippi Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin