Homeschool Hours Required in New York

New York requires a minimum of 900 hours of instruction per school year. This must be spread over at least 180 school days. From 7th grade the target rises to 990 hours.

Hours per year

900

School days

180

Grades 7-12

990 hrs

Required hours

900 hrs/year, 990 in grades 7-12

School days

180 days/year

Required subjects

9 subjects

Notice

Required each year

Testing / evaluation

Parent's choice (testing, portfolio, or evaluation)

Recordkeeping

Required

Jump to the full New York requirements for plain-English detail on each of these.

What New York requires

New York sets two numbers you satisfy at the same time: 900 hours and 180 days. Clearing the hours across fewer, longer days leaves the second one unmet, and it is the half families notice last. New York raises the target to 990 hours in grades 7-12, so a household with children on both sides of that line tracks two numbers at once.

What counts as an instructional hour

Desk time is one kind of instruction. The hour count takes in the rest of it too. Reading together, a museum trip, a science documentary you talk through afterward, music practice, and a co-op class all count the same as a workbook page. Unstructured free time with no educational purpose does not. New York will never ask you to defend a single entry, so hold yourself to a simple test: could you explain it to someone who asked?

The daily and weekly math

Spread over 180 school days, 900 hours is about 5.0 hours a day. Across a 36 week year that's roughly 25.0 hours a week, or 5.0 days a week.

When your school year starts and ends

Your count resets with your school year, so the dates you pick carry as much weight as the total. Set your start and end dates before you log anything, then keep them steady from one year to the next. Homeschool Fox asks for your school year once in settings and measures your totals against it from then on.

If you fall behind

New York has no formal shortfall process, so you fix a gap yourself: extend your year, add days, or count instruction you have been doing without recording it. Field trips, read alouds, and life skills work are legitimate hours that families forget to log. A gap you spot in February is a small schedule change. The same gap found in June means teaching through the summer.

Work out your New York pace

New York requires 900 hours/year. Enter how far you've come and we'll show you the daily pace to finish on time.

Common mistakes in New York

• Using 900 hours for a seventh grader

  The requirement rises from 900 to 990 hours at grade 7. A household with children on both sides of that line is tracking two different annual targets, and the higher one is easy to forget until June.

Your New York hours checklist

Five habits that keep the number honest without turning record keeping into a second job.

1. 1

   Write down your target

   900 hours for the year.

2. 2

   Pick your school year dates

   Decide when your year starts and ends before you log anything. Your hours count is measured against that window.

3. 3

   Log the same day you teach

   Most records fall apart when a family tries to reconstruct a month of hours from memory. A minute at the end of the day keeps that from happening.

4. 4

   Check your pace monthly

   One look a month tells you whether your current average still lands you on target, while there is time to adjust.

5. 5

   Keep the log as long as New York expects

   Even where you submit nothing, the log is what answers the question if a question comes.

Reporting calendar

New York homeschoolers file on this schedule. Put each date on your calendar. Missing one can put you out of compliance.

Homeschool Fox reminds you before each New York deadline and builds the reports you file. Start tracking free.

What this looks like in Homeschool Fox

Homeschool Fox counts every logged activity against your New York target, so a gap shows up while you still have time to close it.

Free New York printables

Three ready-to-use PDFs for New York homeschoolers. No account needed.

Templates, not legal advice. Confirm the current rule with your state or district.

What Homeschool Fox tracks for New York

The records New York asks you to keep, plus the rest of your year, in one place. No spreadsheets, no lost notebooks.

• Hours toward your 900-hour goal
• Required subjects
• Days attended
• The records New York asks you to keep
• Parent's choice (testing, portfolio, or evaluation)
• Daily activity logs
• Printable PDF reports
• Progress tracking

More New York guides

Comparing states? See how all 19 states that require hours or days compare.

• New York Homeschool Requirements Hours, notice, assessment, and subjects at a glance.
• How to Start Homeschooling in New York A step-by-step guide from withdrawal to your first logged day.
• Homeschooling High School in New York Credits, GPA, transcripts, and graduation.
• Record Keeping in New York What to document, how to organize it, and staying compliant.
• How to Withdraw From School in New York The steps, the letter, and timing to avoid truancy issues.
• Moving to New York What to file when you arrive and whether your records transfer.
• Public School Sports in New York Whether homeschoolers can play, what it takes, and who to ask.
• Required Subjects in New York The list, how much time each needs, and proving you taught them.
• New York Letter of Intent Who to file with, when it's due, and a free generator.
• New York Quarterly Reports What goes in it, when it's due, and who reviews it.
• Homeschool Testing in New York What the state asks for, when, and low-score rules.
• Homeschool Field Trips in New York City Places to go, how long a visit takes, and what it counts toward.