Homeschool Hours Required in New York

New York requires a minimum of 900 hours of instruction per school year. Older students carry a higher target of 990 hours. Check which grades that band starts at before you set a goal.

Hours per year

900

Older grades

990 hrs

Required hours

900 hrs/year

Required subjects

9 subjects

Notice

Required

Testing / evaluation

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

Recordkeeping

Recommended

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

What New York requires

New York sets an annual hour total and leaves the calendar to you. No minimum number of school days applies, so a four-day week, a year-round schedule, and a standard September-to-June year all work as long as the total lands. Older grades carry a higher target of 990 hours. New York sets where that band begins, so a household with children on both sides of the 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

New York doesn't set a day count, so the pace is yours to choose. Over a typical 180 day year, 900 hours is about 5.0 hours a day. Compress it into 150 days and it's 6.0 hours a day instead. Year round schedules spread the same total thinner, which is why some families prefer them.

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

Two 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

Everything New York expects you to keep, in one place — no spreadsheets, no lost notebooks.

• Hours toward your 900-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 New York guides

• 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.