Missouri Homeschool Laws and Requirements
What Missouri 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
Missouri sets specific instructional requirements without mandatory filings. Families must provide at least 1000 hours of instruction per year.
Missouri at a glance
Verified September 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 1,000 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 this goal. You can change it any time. No credit card required.
What Homeschool Fox tracks for Missouri
The records Missouri asks you to keep, plus the rest of your year, in one place. No spreadsheets, no lost notebooks.
- Hours toward your 1000-hour goal
- Required subjects & core hours
- Portfolio records
- Daily activity logs
- Printable PDF reports
- Progress tracking
- High school transcripts
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 and evidence of instruction in the required subjects.
Missouri counts 600 core hours across reading, math, social studies, language arts, and science, or academic courses related to them, without requiring time in each one. In practice, Missouri 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 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 167.012, keep a copy, and start logging hours the same day. Since 2025, RSMo 167.042 requires the district to drop your child from its rolls promptly once you notify it in writing. Sending the letter 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. RSMo 167.012.2 asks you to keep "a record of evaluations of the child's academic progress", with no frequency, evaluator, or standard set. 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 asks for three records kept at home: a plan book or daily log of subjects and activities, a portfolio of the child's work samples, and a record of evaluations of academic progress. RSMo 167.012.2(1)(b) accepts "other written or credible evidence equivalent" to those three instead, and none of it applies to a pupil 16 or older. 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 log the year in Homeschool Fox.
School choice & ESA
Open, but you stop being a homeschoolerProgram
MOScholars (with Family Paced Education option)
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. Awards are set as a share of the state adequacy target rather than a flat figure: up to 175% of it for a student with a current IEP, 160% for limited English proficiency, 125% for a student eligible for free or reduced lunch, and no more than the target for everyone else. The money is 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 the MOScholars program's own vendor rules and reporting on top of Missouri's 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 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.
If you use the ESA, Homeschool Fox keeps receipts and learning plans in one place.
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) or academic courses related to them, and 400 of those 600 core hours at your regular home location. The remaining 400 hours can be any subject. RSMo 167.012.3 exempts a pupil 16 or older from the hour and record requirements entirely. 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 statesHow Missouri compares
Nine rules side by side with the states families move between most, and what changes in each direction.
- Missouri vs Arkansas (5 rules differ)
- Missouri vs Illinois (5 rules differ)
- Missouri vs Iowa (3 rules differ)
- Missouri vs Kansas (6 rules differ)
- Missouri vs Kentucky (7 rules differ)
- Missouri vs Nebraska (6 rules differ)
- Missouri vs Oklahoma (5 rules differ)
- Missouri vs Tennessee (5 rules differ)
Want the cross-state comparison? Homeschool laws by state covers the legal regime in every state side by side.
Common mistakes in Missouri
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Clearing 1,000 hours but falling short on core
The total is the easy number to hit. Missouri also wants 600 of those hours in reading, language arts, math, social studies, and science, or academic courses related to them, with 400 of the core hours taught at your regular home location. Families who log a lot of co-op and field trip time can pass 1,000 and still be short on core.
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Assuming no notice means no records
Missouri asks you to file nothing with anyone, which is exactly why families skip record keeping. The law still expects three things kept at home: a daily log of subjects and activities, a portfolio of work samples, and a record of evaluations of progress. Other credible evidence can stand in for them. They only matter if someone asks, and by that point you cannot build them backward.
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Pulling a child out without a written withdrawal
No notice is required to start homeschooling in Missouri, but a child already enrolled is still on an attendance roster. Send a short dated letter to the district before you stop sending them, and keep a copy. This is what heads off a truancy referral while the school's records still show your child enrolled.
Free Missouri printables
Three ready-to-use PDFs for Missouri homeschoolers. No account needed.
Templates, not legal advice. Confirm the current rule with your state or district.
Get notified when Missouri changes its rules
We track Missouri's statute and department pages and email you when the requirements move. Free, and you can unsubscribe anytime.
Missouri last verified September 25, 2026.
Reviewed and sourced
Last verified: September 2026. We review Missouri'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 Missouri guides
Missouri in context: one of 19 states that require hours or days · one of 15 states that require no notice · one of 6 states that require a portfolio · one of 31 states that name required subjects.
- 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.
- How to Withdraw From School in Missouri The steps, the letter, and timing to avoid truancy issues.
- Moving to Missouri What to file when you arrive and whether your records transfer.
- Public School Sports in Missouri Whether homeschoolers can play, what it takes, and who to ask.
- Homeschool Hours Required in Missouri The number, what counts toward it, and the pace to hit it.
- Required Subjects in Missouri The list, how much time each needs, and proving you taught them.
- Missouri Homeschool Portfolio What belongs in it, who can ask to see it, and a printable checklist.
- Homeschool Field Trips in St. Louis Places to go, how long a visit takes, and what it counts toward.
- ESA & School Choice in Missouri Funding amounts, who qualifies, and the trade-offs.
More on homeschooling in Missouri
Law changes, filing walkthroughs, and the questions Missouri families ask most.
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