What states require testing for homeschooling?
The table below is built from Peabody's state records each time the site is built, so it changes when a record does.
Peabody's state law pages, checked against statutes and education department pages, find 20 of 49 places that ask homeschoolers for a standardized test, an evaluation, either, or a rule that depends on the route: 7 ask for a test, 2 for an evaluation, 8 let you choose, and 3 depend on the route. In 29, no testing rule was found.
Checked October 27, 2026.
This is a plain-words summary, not legal advice. Laws change: check your state's current law and its education department before you act.
How many states ask for what?
| What the law asks | States |
|---|---|
| A standardized test | 7 |
| An evaluation | 2 |
| A test or an evaluation | 8 |
| Depends on the route you use | 3 |
| No test or evaluation found | 29 |
Which states, and what exactly does each say?
| State | What the law asks | The record's words | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia | A standardized test | A nationally standardized test at least every three years, starting at the end of third grade, given with someone trained to give and read norm-referenced tests. The parent keeps the scores and… | 2026-10-27 |
| Hawaii | A standardized test | Provide test scores from a nationally-normed standardized assessment for grades 3, 5, 8 and 10, either from the school's statewide testing (free) or private testing at your own expense. The… | 2026-10-27 |
| Minnesota | A standardized test | Each year the child's performance must be assessed with a nationally norm-referenced standardized achievement test (children ages seven through 16, and ages 16 through 17 if the first report was… | 2026-10-27 |
| North Carolina | A standardized test | Every year the chief administrator must give each student a nationally standardized test (or equivalent measure) covering English grammar, reading, spelling and mathematics. There is no minimum… | 2026-10-27 |
| North Dakota | A standardized test | In grades four, six, eight and ten, each child takes a standardized achievement test used by the school district, or a nationally normed one if the parent asks. A licensed or approved teacher gives… | 2026-10-27 |
| Oregon | A standardized test | Children taught at home are tested in grades 3, 5, 8 and 10 with a test the State Board of Education has approved, given by a neutral person who is not related to the child. The first test comes at… | 2026-10-27 |
| Tennessee | A standardized test | Independent home school students in grades 5, 7 and 9 must take a standardized test. Either a nationally normed test the parent picks (graded in English language arts and math, proctored by someone… | 2026-10-27 |
| Maryland | An evaluation | No test is required. Instead the parent keeps a portfolio, and the local superintendent or a designee reviews it at the end of each semester, at a time that suits both sides, no more than three… | 2026-10-27 |
| Pennsylvania | An evaluation | Every year an evaluator (a certified teacher, a licensed psychologist, or a qualified nonpublic school teacher or administrator) interviews the child, reviews the portfolio and writes whether an… | 2026-10-27 |
| Colorado | A test or an evaluation | In grades 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11, each child takes a nationally standardized achievement test or a qualified person (a licensed teacher, a teacher at an independent or parochial school, a licensed… | 2026-10-27 |
| Florida | A test or an evaluation | Each year the parent arranges one annual educational evaluation and files a copy with the district superintendent's office. The parent picks the method: a Florida-certified teacher reviewing the… | 2026-10-27 |
| Louisiana | A test or an evaluation | State tests are not required for home study students; a parent may ask the local school board to give them. At each yearly renewal the parent sends one of three things: a packet of materials about… | 2026-10-27 |
| Maine | A test or an evaluation | Each year after the first, an annual assessment of the child's progress is sent with the notice. Choose one: a standardized achievement test, a test agreed with the school officials, review by a… | 2026-10-27 |
| Vermont | A test or an evaluation | Each child's academic progress is assessed at the end of each school year and the parent keeps the record. The allowed ways are: a standardized assessment, a review by someone with a current Vermont… | 2026-10-27 |
| Virginia | A test or an evaluation | By August 1 after the school year, give the division superintendent either (i) evidence of a composite score in or above the fourth stanine on a nationally normed standardized achievement test (or an… | 2026-10-27 |
| Washington | A test or an evaluation | Every year, either have a standardized achievement test approved by the state board of education given to the child by a qualified person, or have a certificated person who is working in education… | 2026-10-27 |
| West Virginia | A test or an evaluation | Every year get an academic assessment of the child for the previous school year, in one of four ways: a nationally normed standardized achievement test (acceptable progress is the fourth stanine or… | 2026-10-27 |
| Iowa | Depends on the route you use | Only on the CPI routes with a parent teacher who reports or dual enrolls: an annual evaluation by May 31 (a nationally recognized standardized achievement test, or portfolio or accredited… | 2026-10-27 |
| Massachusetts | Depends on the route you use | State law sets no test for home schooling. Evaluation is one of the things a district looks at when it reviews your plan, so what you must show depends on the district's policy and the plan it… | 2026-10-27 |
| South Carolina | Depends on the route you use | Option 1: students take the annual statewide testing program and the Basic Skills Assessment Program for their grade, given by a certified school district employee, with public school students or at… | 2026-10-27 |
Which states ask for no test or evaluation?
No testing or evaluation requirement was found in: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Some of these still test a child who moves into a public school, for placement.
Is a test the same as an evaluation?
No. A standardized test gives a score against national norms. An evaluation is a person, often a certified teacher, looking at the child's work and writing a view. Several states let you choose; the portfolio evaluations page explains what to bring.
Do I have to send the score anywhere?
It depends on the state. North Carolina keeps results in your own files unless DNPE asks; Pennsylvania puts the grade 3, 5 and 8 results in the portfolio and sends only the evaluator's certification; Florida files the evaluation with the superintendent. The record's words in the table say which.
Keep the results with the year
Peabody's evaluation pack prints the year's attendance, hours, reading, report card and work samples in one packet, built from the Record Book on your device, for a test-day folder or an evaluator.
Sources
- Peabody's state homeschool law pages (each lists its statutes and state education department pages) (checked October 27, 2026)