Required Homeschool Subjects in Missouri

Missouri requires instruction in reading, math, social studies, language arts, and science. 600 of your 1,000 annual hours have to go to the core subjects on that list. Beyond the list you're free to teach whatever else fits your family.

Missouri's required subject list

• Reading
• Math
• Social Studies
• Language Arts
• Science

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.

The subjects Missouri names

Missouri names 5 required subjects: reading, math, social studies, language arts, and science. The statute stops at the subject names and leaves the teaching to you. A boxed curriculum, a set of programs picked one at a time, and a shelf of library books can each satisfy the same list.

How much time each subject needs

Missouri sets no per-subject hour figure, only the 600 core hours in total. Spread those across the required list so no subject sits at zero. Nothing says math and reading have to come out even, and a first grader's history hours will trail their reading hours by a wide margin.

Choosing curriculum for each one

Missouri law requires no approved or accredited curriculum. Take a math program from one publisher, a reading program from another, and cover history through library books if that works for your family. Instruction has to happen and you have to be able to show it. Switching curriculum mid year is fine as long as the subject keeps getting taught.

Showing you taught them

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.

Adding subjects beyond the list

Treat the required list as your starting point. Art, music, a second language, coding, shop, and whatever else your family cares about all count as instructional time on top of the requirements. In Missouri those hours count toward your totals the same as any other.

Your Missouri subject checklist

Set this up once at the start of the year and the rest falls out of logging.

1. 1

   Set up a subject for each requirement

   One subject per item on the Missouri list, named the way the statute names it, so your records line up with the law without translation.

2. 2

   Mark the core subjects

   Missouri counts core hours separately. Flagging which of your subjects are core is what turns the 600 hour requirement into a number you can watch.

3. 3

   Attach each activity to a subject

   A generic "school" bucket leaves you with a pile of hours. Tagging the subject turns the same hours into evidence that each requirement got covered.

4. 4

   Watch for a subject going quiet

   One requirement can drift for a month before you notice. A per-subject breakdown surfaces it while you can still fix it.

5. 5

   Save a work sample per subject

   Two or three dated samples per subject per term covers you, and pulling them as you go spares you a hunt through a year of paper in June.

What this looks like in Homeschool Fox

Set up one subject per Missouri requirement, flag the core ones, and the core hour total tracks itself.

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

More Missouri guides

• Missouri Homeschool Requirements Hours, notice, assessment, and subjects at a glance.
• 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.
• Homeschool Hours Required in Missouri The number, what counts toward it, and the pace to hit it.
• ESA & School Choice in Missouri Funding amounts, who qualifies, and the trade-offs.