Missouri homeschool requirements
Track your Missouri homeschool requirements without spreadsheets
Homeschool Fox helps you understand Missouri's requirements, log activities, track progress, and generate records when you need them.
Missouri at a glance
Verified May 2026- Required hours
- 1000 hrs/year
- Required subjects
- 5 subjects
- Notice
- Not required
- Testing / evaluation
- Not required
- Portfolio
- Required
Jump to the full Missouri requirements for plain-English detail on each of these.
Free tool
Calculate your homeschool pace
Missouri requires 1000 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.
Missouri requires 600 core hrs (reading, math, language arts, social studies, science).
Add your school year end date to see your pace.
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We'll set up your dashboard with Missouri's tracking targets. No credit card required.
What Homeschool Fox tracks for Missouri
Everything Missouri expects you to keep, in one place — no spreadsheets, no lost notebooks.
- Hours toward your 1000-hour goal
- Required subjects & core hours
- Daily activity logs
- Attendance records
- Notes & portfolio records
- Printable PDF reports
- High school transcripts
- State-specific 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 Missouri 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 Missouri requirements, in plain English
Tap any item for the details.
Notice requirements
Not required
Required hours
1000 hrs/yr
Required subjects
5 subjects
Testing / evaluation
Not required
Recordkeeping & portfolio
Portfolio required
Withdrawing from public school
Letter recommended
Full guide
Homeschooling in Missouri: the complete guide
Missouri keeps homeschool oversight minimal on the paperwork side but does set clear expectations for instructional time each school year. Because the compulsory attendance age in Missouri runs from 7-17, families plan their homeschool schedule around that window.
Planning a school year in Missouri starts with the 1000-hour minimum. Many families track loosely for most of the year and then run a quick reconciliation in spring. Hitting the target is usually easier than it looks once weekday lessons, read-alouds, and outings are all counted.
Portfolio records are a core part of the Missouri homeschool year. Families keep samples of work, a log of activities, and evidence of instruction in required subjects, reviewed by a certified teacher or evaluator.
Missouri expects instruction in reading, math, social studies, language arts, and science. How those subjects show up day-to-day is entirely a family's call. In practice, Missouri homeschool families use Homeschool Fox to log daily activities, keep portfolios in one place, and generate the compliance reports that the state's paperwork moments call for.
Notice requirements
Notice not required
Missouri does not require you to notify anyone of your intent to homeschool.
Even where no filing is required, what counts as homeschooling legally is worth a read — umbrella schools, charters, and hybrid programs each sit on a different legal footing.
Withdrawing from public school
Missouri requires no notice to homeschool, but if your child is enrolled in public school, withdraw in writing before you stop sending them. Send a short dated letter to the principal or district stating that you're establishing a home school under RSMo 167.031, keep a copy, and start logging hours the same day. This pre-empts a truancy or educational-neglect referral while attendance records still show your child enrolled.
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 not required
Missouri doesn't require standardized testing, but families must keep a record of an annual evaluation. That can be a report card, a brief write-up of progress, saved quizzes or tests, or a standardized test if you prefer.
Portfolio & records
Portfolio is required
Missouri law requires three records kept at home: a plan book or daily log of subjects and activities, a portfolio of student work samples, and a record of the annual evaluation. Records aren't submitted unless there's a formal investigation.
Building a high-school transcript? Start with our free transcript template. Homeschool portfolio reviews vs standardized tests covers what evaluators actually look at and how to curate samples without drowning in worksheets.
Required subjects
Missouri requires instruction in the following subjects.
Looking for curriculum?
Browse our curriculum directory to find the right fit for your family, then track your hours with Homeschool Fox to stay compliant with Missouri's requirements.
School choice & ESA
Open to homeschool familiesProgram
MOScholars (with Family Paced Education option)
Up to $6,375 / student / year
Homeschool-eligible amount. Some programs pay private-school students more.
Who qualifies and what you give up
Targeted, not universal. Eligibility is limited to students with an IEP or families at or below 300% of the free-and-reduced-lunch threshold. Award is roughly $6,375 per student per year, funded by tax-credit donations to qualifying Educational Assistance Organizations and disbursed to the parent's MOScholars account for approved expenses.
Under SB 727, Missouri created a separate legal category called "Family Paced Education" (FPE) so home-educating families could receive the funds. By statute, **an FPE school is not a homeschool** — taking the money means moving your child out of independent home education and into FPE certification, which carries norm-referenced annual testing, MOScholars vendor rules, and additional reporting on top of Missouri's existing homeschool requirements. The day-to-day looks similar but the legal status differs. For families who already meet the eligibility cutoffs and don't mind the testing/certification overhead, the dollars are real; for families who value Missouri's notably hands-off homeschool law, the trade is meaningful.
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.
Homeschool Fox tracks receipts and learning plans against ESA reporting requirements automatically.
Additional notes
1,000 instructional hours per school year (July 1 to June 30): at least 600 in the core subjects (reading, language arts, math, social studies, science), and 400 of those 600 core hours at your regular home location. The remaining 400 hours can be any subject. If you're withdrawing a child from public school, send a written withdrawal letter to the district first to head off a truancy or educational-neglect inquiry, and keep a copy. Sample letters: FHE-MO (fhe-mo.org), HSLDA (members only), or from your Homeschool Fox account once you sign up.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to notify anyone to homeschool in Missouri?
How many hours do I need to homeschool in Missouri?
Does Missouri require testing for homeschoolers?
Do I need to keep a portfolio in Missouri?
What subjects must I teach in Missouri?
Nearby states
View all statesWant the cross-state comparison? Homeschool laws by state covers the legal regime in every state side by side.
Free Missouri printables
Two ready-to-use PDFs for Missouri homeschoolers. No account needed.
Templates, not legal advice. Confirm the current rule with your state or district.
Reviewed and sourced
Last verified: May 2026. We review Missouri's requirements against official sources and update this page when the rules change.
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 Missouri guides
- How to Start Homeschooling in Missouri A step-by-step guide from withdrawal to your first logged day.
- Homeschooling High School in Missouri Credits, GPA, transcripts, and graduation.
- Record Keeping in Missouri What to document, how to organize it, and staying compliant.
- ESA & School Choice in Missouri Funding amounts, who qualifies, and the trade-offs.
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