State Requirements

Homeschooling in Missouri

1000 hrs/year No notice required Portfolio required

Missouri sets specific instructional requirements without mandatory filings. Families must log at least 1000 hours of instruction per year.

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.

At a glance

1000 hours/year

Instruction time

Ages 7-17

Compulsory attendance

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

There's no state-mandated withdrawal process in Missouri, so families can simply begin homeschooling. In practice, a quick written note to the current school is still worth sending so the district's attendance records don't flag an unexplained absence. Homeschool Fox generates a compliant withdrawal letter from your family's details in a few clicks.

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.

reading math social studies language arts science

School choice & ESA

Open to homeschool families

Program

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.

Program details

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–June 30) — 600 in core subjects, 400 of those taught at home. If you're withdrawing a child from public school, send a written withdrawal letter first to avoid a truancy investigation. Sample letters: FHE-MO (fhe-mo.org), HSLDA (members only), or from your Homeschool Fox account once you sign up.

Calculate your Missouri hours

Missouri requires 1000 hours/year. Enter how far you've come and we'll show you the daily pace to finish on time.

Hours logged so far this year

Leave at 0 if you haven't started tracking yet

School year end date

School days per week

Enter an end date to see your targets

Prefer a full-page version? Open the standalone hours calculator.

Sources

Verified May 2026

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to notify anyone to homeschool in Missouri?

No, Missouri does not require you to file notice or register with any government agency to homeschool your children. You can begin homeschooling without notifying anyone.

How many hours do I need to homeschool in Missouri?

Missouri requires a minimum of 1000 hours of instruction per school year.

Does Missouri require testing for homeschoolers?