How to Start Homeschooling in Tennessee

Required hours

720 hrs/year

School days

180 days/year

Required subjects

Your choice

Notice

Required

Testing / evaluation

Standardized testing

Recordkeeping

Recommended

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

Step by step

1. 1

   Understand Tennessee's homeschool law

   Tennessee has moderate homeschool requirements. Families must provide at least 4 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)

   The Tennessee withdrawal process is a two-step handoff: a letter to the current public school closing out the enrollment, followed by a notice of intent filed with the local school district. Homeschool Fox generates a compliant withdrawal letter from your family's details in a few clicks.

3. 3

   File your notice of intent

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

4. 4

   Plan your subjects

   Tennessee does not mandate specific subjects. Families have complete flexibility in designing their curriculum and choosing what to teach.

5. 5

   Set your hours or days target

   Tennessee requires at least 4 hours of instruction per day over 180 school days, which works out to roughly 720 hours per year.

6. 6

   Plan for assessment and records

   Under Tennessee's independent home-school option, students are tested at the end of grades 5, 7, and 9. Since Public Chapter 912 (2026) the parent chooses between a self-selected nationally normed test covering English language arts and math — proctored by someone not related to the student, scored by the test's publisher, at the family's expense — and the state board-approved test public school students sit that year, which at grade 9 may not be an end-of-course exam. Results go to the parent-teacher, the director of schools, and the state board under § 49-6-3050(b)(5); families registered through a church-related school follow that school's assessment policy instead.

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 Tennessee-specific compliance report when you need it.

Free tool

Calculate your homeschool pace

Tennessee requires 720 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 Tennessee

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

• Hours toward your 720-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 Tennessee guides

• Tennessee Homeschool Requirements Hours, notice, assessment, and subjects at a glance.
• Homeschooling High School in Tennessee Credits, GPA, transcripts, and graduation.
• Record Keeping in Tennessee What to document, how to organize it, and staying compliant.
• How to Withdraw From School in Tennessee The steps, the letter, and timing to avoid truancy issues.
• Moving to Tennessee What to file when you arrive and whether your records transfer.
• Homeschool Hours Required in Tennessee The number, what counts toward it, and the pace to hit it.
• Tennessee Letter of Intent Who to file with, when it's due, and a free generator.
• Tennessee Year End Report What goes in it, when it's due, and who reviews it.
• Homeschool Testing in Tennessee What the state asks for, when, and low-score rules.
• ESA & School Choice in Tennessee Funding amounts, who qualifies, and the trade-offs.