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. What differs is the paperwork: 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.
Because the rules are set at the state level, the single most important thing you can do is read 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 is easiest to understand as a spectrum from no oversight to significant oversight. Three things drive 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?
Grouping our 51 jurisdictions by those factors produces three rough tiers, ordered from least to most regulated. (This framework was popularized by HSLDA; 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