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State Requirements

Homeschooling in Vermont

175 days/year Notice required Assessment required

Vermont has moderate homeschool requirements. Families must homeschool at least 175 days per year, and you'll file notice with the state Department of Education.

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If you're homeschooling in Vermont, you're working inside a moderately regulated framework with enough structure to keep the state informed but plenty of room to build a family-shaped program. Compulsory attendance in Vermont covers children ages 6-16, which means a homeschool program needs to be in place for any child in that range.

Rather than counting hours, Vermont counts days: 175 of them in each school year. Parents decide what makes a day a school day, which leaves room for travel days, field trips, and co-op mornings to count toward the total.

Notice filing is the gateway for Vermont homeschool families: a short document submitted to the state Department of Education sets the record straight for the year ahead. Because notice goes to the state rather than the district, families don't have to coordinate separately with their local school office.

Assessment in Vermont takes the form of parent's choice (testing, portfolio, or evaluation) annually. It's more of a pulse-check on how learning is landing than a pass/fail exam.

The required subjects in Vermont (reading, writing, math, citizenship, literature, history, sciences, fine arts, physical education, and health) form the backbone of each year's plan, with real freedom in how deeply or creatively each is taught. The record-keeping side of homeschooling doesn't need to dominate Vermont families' evenings. Homeschool Fox lets you log activities as they happen, then builds the compliance picture on its own.

At a glance

175 days/year

School days

Ages 6-16

Compulsory attendance

Notice requirements

Notice is required

You must notify the state Department of Education of your intent to homeschool.

Need a head start? Use the free Notice of Intent generator to draft a Vermont-ready letter.

Deeper guides: how to write a notice of intent to homeschool covers the language admins look for, and when and where to file your notice of intent covers state-by-state deadlines and recipients.

Generate your notice of intent

Withdrawing from public school

In Vermont, the withdrawal step is tied to a state-level filing. Send a written withdrawal letter to your child's current school and file a notice of intent with the state Department of Education before you begin homeschool instruction. Rather than hand-writing the withdrawal letter, Homeschool Fox produces a pre-formatted PDF ready to send to the district.

For the play-by-play, how to withdraw your child from public school walks through the conversation, the timing, and the paperwork. What to send the district when you pull your child covers exactly what the letter should and shouldn't say.

Assessment requirements

Assessment is required

Type:
Parent's choice (testing, portfolio, or evaluation)
Frequency:
Annually

Standardized testing for homeschoolers walks through which test to choose, where to register, and how to prep.

Portfolio & records

Portfolio not required

While Vermont doesn't mandate a portfolio, keeping records is still recommended.

Required subjects

Vermont requires instruction in the following subjects.

reading writing math citizenship literature history sciences fine arts physical education health

Additional notes

Enrollment notice with student narrative required 10 business days before starting, then annually. 175 days of instruction. Annual assessment required.

Calculate your Vermont hours

Vermont tracks days, not hours. We suggest aiming for 900 hours/year as a personal target. Enter your end date to see the pace.

Leave at 0 if you haven't started tracking yet

Enter an end date to see your targets

Prefer a full-page version? Open the standalone hours calculator.

Sources

Verified May 2026

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to notify anyone to homeschool in Vermont?

Yes, Vermont requires you to file notice of your intent to homeschool. You must notify the state Department of Education.

How many hours do I need to homeschool in Vermont?

Vermont doesn't specify a minimum number of hours, but requires at least 175 days of instruction per year.

Does Vermont require testing for homeschoolers?

Vermont requires an end-of-year assessment covering each subject area in your enrollment, under 16 V.S.A. § 166b. Accepted options are a report from a Vermont-licensed teacher, a progress report from a commercial curriculum, a parent-prepared portfolio or written report with work samples, results of a standardized test, or an assessment by another person agreed to with the commissioner.

Do I need to keep a portfolio in Vermont?

No, Vermont does not legally require you to maintain a portfolio. However, keeping records of your homeschool activities is still highly recommended for your own reference and for potential college applications or if you ever need to demonstrate educational progress.

What subjects must I teach in Vermont?

Vermont requires instruction in the following subjects: reading, writing, math, citizenship, literature, history, sciences, fine arts, physical education, and health. Beyond these requirements, you have flexibility to add subjects that interest your family.

Nearby states

View all states

Want the cross-state comparison? Homeschool laws by state covers the legal regime in every state side by side.

What we track

Track your 175 Vermont days automatically

Log activities by voice or text and Homeschool Fox rolls them up against Vermont's requirements automatically. Free for 14 days.

  • Instruction hours per student
  • Attendance days toward 175-day goal
  • Subject coverage (core & non-core)
  • Activity log (text, voice, AI-parsed)
  • Portfolios & PDF year-end reports
  • Transcripts with GPA & credits
  • Test scores & evaluations
  • Notice of intent & withdrawal letters
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