The United States is a federal system of governance, with each state having its own government and laws. When it comes to homeschooling, which is legal in all 50 states, the legal requirements for homeschooling can vary greatly from state to state. Some states are more stringent, while others offer more freedom for homeschool parents. This article aims to provide an overview of the best homeschooling states in the United States, based on the level of regulation and requirements they enforce.
Alaska
Alaska has the least restrictive homeschooling laws in the country. According to the state's homeschool statute, children between the ages of 7 and 16 must either attend school or comply with the homeschool law. Compliance options include homeschooling under the homeschool statute, with no requirements to notify the state, get approval, take tests, or be a certified teacher. Home schools in Alaska are also religious private schools and may be the most restrictive option, requiring filing several forms upfront, keeping monthly attendance records, maintaining a permanent record, filing a corporal punishment form, and adhering to testing requirements.
Idaho
In Idaho, children who are at least 7 at the beginning of the school year must attend school until their 16th birthday. The state does not require parental qualifications or district approval for homeschooling. Instead, parents must select an instructor and teach the required subjects, which include language arts, math, science, and social studies.
Illinois
Illinois treats homeschools as private schools and parents do not have to register their home-based private schools with the state's Board of Education. Homeschool parents must teach the required subjects, which include language arts, math, science, social studies, fine arts, and physical development and health, and instruction must take place in English.
Indiana
Indiana requires providing equivalent instruction in English and must teach the required subjects. Homeschools in Indiana are considered private schools and must comply with the state's private school statute, operating the same number of days as the public school and keeping attendance records.
Michigan
Michigan allows homeschooling under the homeschooling statute or as a nonpublic school. Parents must teach specific subjects but the regulations do not stipulate how often or at what grade level the courses are taught. The HSLDA suggests that parents plan to teach the subjects at age-appropriate levels every year.
Missouri
Missouri requires homeschool parents to teach certain required subjects and maintain records for all kids under age 16. They are not required to provide notification that they are homeschooling but must provide at least 1,000 hours of instruction during every school term, with 600 of those hours covering reading, math, social studies, language arts, and science.
New Jersey
New Jersey requires providing an education equivalent to one they would receive in public school. Parents should consider making sure they are teaching the same subjects to their kids that they would be taught at the local public school.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma has no testing or reporting requirements for homeschool parents. As long as parents operate their homeschools for at least 180 days, they can operate their homeschool program any way they see fit.
Texas
Texas considers homeschools as private schools and must teach the required subjects, including math, reading, spelling and grammar, and a course in good citizenship. Even though science and history are not required, it's still a good idea to teach those subjects so that the student is prepared for college.
Additional Resources
For more information on homeschooling requirements in each state, visit the Homeschool Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) website. The HSLDA has created a map containing each state's homeschooling requirements and provides detailed information about the requirements, including step-by-step instructions on how to meet each state's requirements.
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While homeschooling is legal in all 50 states, the legal requirements for homeschooling can vary greatly. Some states are more stringent, requiring parental qualifications, district approval, and testing, while others offer more freedom for homeschool parents. The best homeschooling states allow parents to be autonomous and guide their child's education as they see fit, with minimal intervention and oversight from the state.家长的需求和孩子的需求是选择理想公立学校系统的最终决定因素；因此，公立学校系统应该提供满足这些需求的选项
