How to Start Homeschooling in Rhode Island

Required hours

1080 hrs/year

School days

180 days/year

Required subjects

9 subjects

Notice

Required

Testing / evaluation

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

Recordkeeping

Recommended

Jump to the full Rhode Island requirements for plain-English detail on each of these.

Step by step

1. 1

   Understand Rhode Island's homeschool law

   Rhode Island has moderate homeschool requirements. Families must provide at least 5.5 hours per day over 180 school days, and you'll file notice with your local school district.

2. 2

   Withdraw from public school (if enrolled)

   To withdraw your child from public school in Rhode Island, send a written withdrawal letter to the principal or registrar, then file a notice of intent with your local school district so the transition is on record before instruction begins. Rather than hand-writing the withdrawal letter, Homeschool Fox produces a pre-formatted PDF ready to send to the district.

3. 3

   File your notice of intent

   Yes, Rhode Island requires you to file notice of your intent to homeschool. You must notify your local school district.

4. 4

   Plan your subjects

   Rhode Island requires instruction in the following subjects: reading, writing, geography, arithmetic, us history, rhode island history, principles of government, civics, and health and physical education. Beyond these requirements, you have flexibility to add subjects that interest your family.

5. 5

   Set your hours or days target

   Rhode Island requires at least 5.5 hours of instruction per day over 180 school days, which works out to roughly 1080 hours per year.

6. 6

   Plan for assessment and records

   Rhode Island doesn't set a statewide assessment rule. Your local school committee determines the annual progress check as part of approval — commonly a standardized test, portfolio review, or written progress report — and committees are expected to give reasonable weight to the evaluation method the family proposes.

7. 7

   Track your hours and keep records

   Log activities as they happen so hours, attendance, and subject coverage build up automatically. Homeschool Fox lets you log from your phone or by voice and generates a Rhode Island-specific compliance report when you need it.

Free tool

Calculate your homeschool pace

Rhode Island requires 1080 hours/year. Enter how far you've come and we'll show you the daily pace to finish on time.

What Homeschool Fox tracks for Rhode Island

Everything Rhode Island expects you to keep, in one place — no spreadsheets, no lost notebooks.

• Hours toward your 1080-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 Rhode Island guides

• Rhode Island Homeschool Requirements Hours, notice, assessment, and subjects at a glance.
• Homeschooling High School in Rhode Island Credits, GPA, transcripts, and graduation.
• Record Keeping in Rhode Island What to document, how to organize it, and staying compliant.