Georgia Homeschool Laws and Requirements
What Georgia requires, in plain English — and a free way to track it without spreadsheets. Log activities, watch your pace, and generate records when you need them.
The short answer
Georgia has moderate homeschool requirements. Families must provide at least 4.5 hours per day over 180 school days, and you'll file notice with the state Department of Education.
Georgia at a glance
Verified September 2026- Required hours
- About 810 hrs/year
- School days
- 180 days/year
- Required subjects
- 5 subjects
- Notice
- Required each year
- Testing / evaluation
- Standardized testing
- Recordkeeping
- Required
Jump to the full Georgia requirements for plain-English detail on each of these.
Free tool
Calculate your homeschool pace
Georgia sets days and a daily length that work out to roughly 810 hours/year. Enter how far you've come and we'll show you the daily pace to finish on time.
Leave at 0 if you haven't started tracking yet.
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What Homeschool Fox tracks for Georgia
The records Georgia asks you to keep, plus the rest of your year, in one place. No spreadsheets, no lost notebooks.
- Hours toward your 810-hour goal
- Required subjects
- Days attended
- The records Georgia asks you to keep
- Standardized testing
- Daily activity logs
- Printable PDF reports
- Progress tracking
See it work
Log a homeschool day in seconds
Type or speak what you did in plain English. Homeschool Fox sorts it into subjects, adds up the time, and updates your Georgia progress automatically.
You write
Homeschool Fox logs
- Reading 45 min
- Math 30 min
- History / Social Studies 20 min
Today's total
1 hr 35 min
Your Georgia requirements, in plain English
Tap any item for the details.
Notice requirements
Required
Required hours
810 hrs/yr
Required subjects
5 subjects
Testing / evaluation
Required
Recordkeeping & portfolio
Records required
Withdrawing from public school
Letter + notice
Full guide
Homeschooling in Georgia: the complete guide
Georgia treats homeschooling as a recognized alternative to public school, with a structured path families follow each year: a filing and a set amount of instructional time. The state's compulsory school-age band is 6-16. A child outside those ages isn't legally required to be in formal instruction at all.
Georgia law sets a daily and yearly target: families must provide at least 4.5 hours of instruction per day across 180 school days. That works out to roughly 810 hours over the course of the year. There's no requirement to match a public-school bell schedule. Outings, reading, hands-on projects, and lessons at the kitchen table all count toward the total.
Each homeschool year in Georgia begins with a notice of intent filed with the state Department of Education, on the schedule the withdrawal section below sets out. Read the required contents before drafting, since Georgia sets them. The withdrawal section below covers the form and where it goes.
Georgia expects standardized testing at specified grade levels, which gives families a checkpoint for measuring progress rather than a surprise at the end of the school year.
Instruction must cover reading, language arts, math, social studies, and science, though families have wide latitude in how they teach each topic. In practice, Georgia homeschool families use Homeschool Fox to log daily activities, keep work samples in one place, and print a record of the year when they want one.
Notice requirements
Notice is required
Yes, Georgia requires you to file notice of your intent to homeschool. You must notify the state Department of Education. The notice is filed again each school year.
Need a head start? Use the free Notice of Intent generator to draft your Georgia filing, then check the withdrawal section below for the form or affidavit Georgia expects it on.
Deeper guides: how to write a notice of intent to homeschool covers the language admins look for, and when and where to file your notice of intent covers state-by-state deadlines and recipients.
Generate your notice of intentWithdrawing from public school
If your child is enrolled in a Georgia public school, file the electronic Declaration of Intent with the state DOE within 30 days of starting your home study program, and notify the school so attendance records show the transfer. The Declaration is your legal record; keep a copy. After the first year, file again by September 1 each year.
For the play-by-play, how to withdraw your child from public school walks through the conversation, the timing, and the paperwork. What to send the district when you pull your child covers exactly what the letter should and shouldn't say.
Assessment requirements
Assessment is required
- Type:
- Standardized testing
- Frequency:
- At specified grade levels
Standardized testing for homeschoolers walks through which test to choose, where to register, and how to prep.
Portfolio & records
Portfolio not required
Georgia asks you to write an annual progress assessment report for each child, covering every required subject, and to keep those reports for at least three years (O.C.G.A. 20-2-690(c)(8)). Test records are kept the same way. Nothing is submitted: the statute gives no official the power to call for either, and the Department of Education says it only collects the Declaration of Intent.
Required subjects
Georgia requires instruction in the following subjects.
Looking for curriculum?
Browse our curriculum directory to find the right fit for your family, then log the year in Homeschool Fox.
School choice & ESA
Not open to homeschool familiesProgram
Georgia Promise Scholarship
Who qualifies and what you give up
Georgia's Promise Scholarship pays roughly $6,500 per student per year, but it is functionally a public-school-exit program rather than a homeschool ESA. Eligibility requires that a student either (a) was enrolled in a Georgia public school in a bottom-25% attendance zone for the two consecutive semesters before applying, or (b) is a rising kindergartener. Currently-homeschooling families do not meet either path.
For a Georgia homeschool family this means there's no direct way to take the funds. To become eligible an existing homeschooler would have to enroll their child in a qualifying public school for two semesters first — a step most homeschool families won't take. Once on Promise, recipients are reclassified out of standard homeschool registration and subject to program-specific testing, vendor approval, and reporting. Georgia's existing Section 20-2-690 home-study law remains the path for independent homeschooling.
Deeper guides: homeschool ESAs explained — which states offer them in 2026 covers eligibility and the trade-offs you sign up for. How to use an ESA for homeschool curriculum walks through what's reimbursable and where families get stuck.
Additional notes
Electronic notice of intent to DOE within 30 days, then by Sept 1 annually. Testing every 3 years from end of 3rd grade, kept at home. Georgia collects nothing else: the Department of Education takes the Declaration of Intent and no report, test score, or progress assessment. 4.5 hours/day minimum. Parent must have HS diploma or GED.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to notify anyone to homeschool in Georgia?
How many hours do I need to homeschool in Georgia?
Does Georgia require testing for homeschoolers?
Do I need to keep a portfolio in Georgia?
What subjects must I teach in Georgia?
Nearby states
View all statesHow Georgia compares
Nine rules side by side with the states families move between most, and what changes in each direction.
- Georgia vs Alabama (5 rules differ)
- Georgia vs California (6 rules differ)
- Georgia vs Florida (6 rules differ)
- Georgia vs New York (6 rules differ)
- Georgia vs North Carolina (5 rules differ)
- Georgia vs South Carolina (6 rules differ)
- Georgia vs Tennessee (6 rules differ)
- Georgia vs Texas (5 rules differ)
Want the cross-state comparison? Homeschool laws by state covers the legal regime in every state side by side.
Free Georgia printables
Three ready-to-use PDFs for Georgia homeschoolers. No account needed.
Templates, not legal advice. Confirm the current rule with your state or district.
Get notified when Georgia changes its rules
We track Georgia's statute and department pages and email you when the requirements move. Free, and you can unsubscribe anytime.
Georgia last verified September 25, 2026.
Reviewed and sourced
Last verified: September 2026. We review Georgia's requirements against official sources and update this page when the rules change.
Our monitor last confirmed the source pages were live on Sep 28, 2026.
Sources
Homeschool Fox is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. We turn public homeschool requirements into practical tracking tools for families. Always confirm details with your state or a qualified advisor.
More Georgia guides
Georgia in context: one of 19 states that require hours or days · one of 16 states that require testing or evaluation · one of 36 states that require notice · one of 31 states that name required subjects.
- How to Start Homeschooling in Georgia A step-by-step guide from withdrawal to your first logged day.
- Homeschooling High School in Georgia Credits, GPA, transcripts, and graduation.
- Record Keeping in Georgia What to document, how to organize it, and staying compliant.
- How to Withdraw From School in Georgia The steps, the letter, and timing to avoid truancy issues.
- Moving to Georgia What to file when you arrive and whether your records transfer.
- Public School Sports in Georgia Whether homeschoolers can play, what it takes, and who to ask.
- Homeschool Hours Required in Georgia The number, what counts toward it, and the pace to hit it.
- Required Subjects in Georgia The list, how much time each needs, and proving you taught them.
- Georgia Letter of Intent Who to file with, when it's due, and a free generator.
- Homeschool Testing in Georgia What the state asks for, when, and low-score rules.
- ESA & School Choice in Georgia Funding amounts, who qualifies, and the trade-offs.
More on homeschooling in Georgia
Law changes, filing walkthroughs, and the questions Georgia families ask most.
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