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Connecticut homeschool law

Notice, days or hours, subjects, testing and records, in plain words, with the source for each.

This is general information, not legal advice; check your state's own page. Laws change, and Connecticut's own statute and education department are the final word. The links below go straight to them.

Checked on against the sources linked on this page.

What to file in Connecticut

File
No notice in the statute. The department asks you to give notice to your district's central office. §
To
Local public school district central office. §
By
No date. §
Keep
None required. The department suggests an attendance log of days and hours and a portfolio per child. §
Test
None found. §
Starting this year
  • Before you start: The Department of Education asks you to contact your district's central office about local requirements and give notice of your intention to homeschool.
Leaving a school mid-year

The Department says there is no barrier to returning a child to public school at any time, but a district is not required to award graduation credit for work completed during homeschooling in grades 9 to 12.

Open your attendance recordStart the Tap Clock, if you want to

What Connecticut's law asks you to keep, as tools: Attendance · Portfolio · Reading log. The same rows for every state: what to file, by state.

Checked . § = source: Connecticut State Department of Education: Homeschooling in Connecticut. Information, not legal advice.

Quick answers

Notice
Notice is optionalWe found no notice rule in the attendance statute. The State Department of Education asks parents who wish to homeschool to contact their local public school district central office about local requirements and to give notice of their intention to homeschool, and suggests asking the superintendent's office how the district prefers to receive it. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: Connecticut State Department of Education: Homeschooling in Connecticut
Days or hours
No number givenThe statute requires "equivalent instruction in the studies taught in the public schools" and sets no number of days or hours. The Department suggests keeping a log of attendance that shows days and hours of instruction. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: Connecticut State Department of Education: Homeschooling in Connecticut
Subjects
Parents must instruct, or cause the child to be instructed, in reading, writing, spelling, English grammar, geography, arithmetic and United States history, and in citizenship, including a study of the town, state and federal governments. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: Connecticut General Statutes chapter 168, sections 10-184 and 10-184a (General Assembly)
Testing or evaluation
No testing requiredWe found no testing or evaluation requirement for homeschooled children in the attendance statute or on the Department's homeschooling page. The Department suggests keeping a portfolio that includes the results of any national assessments. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: Connecticut State Department of Education: Homeschooling in Connecticut
Records
We found no required records in the statute. As a "best practice" the Department suggests keeping a log of attendance reflecting days and hours of instruction, and a portfolio for each child with samples of activities, assignments, projects and assessments, plus a log of books and materials used, including results of any national assessments. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: Connecticut State Department of Education: Homeschooling in Connecticut
Who must attend school
A child five years of age and over and under eighteen must attend public school regularly unless a high school graduate or the parent can show the child is elsewhere receiving equivalent instruction in the studies taught in the public schools (C.G.S. 10-184). A parent may choose not to send a five-year-old until six, or a six-year-old until seven, by signing an option form at the school district office. Source: Connecticut General Statutes chapter 168, sections 10-184 and 10-184a (General Assembly)
Education savings accounts and vouchers
No program foundWe did not find a state-funded education savings account or voucher open to homeschool families. The State Department of Education's school choice page lists only public school choice programs (Open Choice, charter schools, technical high schools and agricultural science schools), and its homeschooling page mentions no funding program (checked 2026-10-27). Check the department's school-choice page for new programs. Source: Connecticut State Department of Education: Connecticut School Choice

What to do first

  1. Read Connecticut's own pages, linked under each row below, so you know what applies to your situation.
  2. Notice: it is optional. Read the notice row below before you decide.
  3. If your child is in school now: The Department says there is no barrier to returning a child to public school at any time, but a district is not required to award graduation credit for work completed during homeschooling in grades 9 to 12.
  4. Plan the year around the days or hours and the subjects below.
  5. Start your records on day one: a simple attendance log, a list of books read and a work sample or two for each subject.

Records to keep

We found no required records in the statute. As a "best practice" the Department suggests keeping a log of attendance reflecting days and hours of instruction, and a portfolio for each child with samples of activities, assignments, projects and assessments, plus a log of books and materials used, including results of any national assessments. Whatever the law asks, many families also keep a simple attendance log, a list of books read and a few work samples for each subject; they cost nothing and help if you move or return to school.

Good to know

  • Diplomas: the Department does not accredit homeschooling and does not recognize credits or credentials earned through it. It says the route to an official high school diploma for a homeschooled person is to take and pass the GED test.
  • Special education: school districts are not required to provide special education programs or services to a child whose parent has chosen to educate the child in a home or private school and who refuses to consent to them (C.G.S. 10-184a).
  • Curriculum standards: the Department points parents to the Connecticut Core Standards so instruction lines up with a child's grade level if the child returns to public school.

Where this comes from

Checked on October 27, 2026. This is general information, not legal advice; check your state's own page, and confirm with your school district or the department before you rely on a date. Something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.