How to host a homeschool graduation
Plan a ceremony at home or with other families, and what to keep afterward.
Most states do not run a graduation for homeschoolers, so families hold their own. Who issues the diploma depends on your state: many let the parent issue it, which this page shows from Peabody's state law pages. A simple ceremony needs a program, a diploma and transcript, and a place. DoDEA's policy says its commencement ceremonies are not offered to homeschoolers.
Checked October 29, 2026.
This is a plain-words summary, not legal advice. Laws change: check your state's current law (each state page links to the statute) and its education department before you act.
How do you hold a homeschool graduation?
- Choose the date and place: your home, a library room, a park shelter, or a joint ceremony with other families. Book a room early.
- Prepare the papers: the diploma and the transcript, finished and signed before the day.
- Write a short program: a welcome, a few words about the graduate, the diploma, a thank-you, and photos.
- Invite people: family and friends, and mentors, coaches and teachers who helped.
- Mark the day: caps and gowns are optional; many families borrow or make them.
Who issues a homeschool diploma?
It depends on your state. These are the lines from Peabody's state law pages that mention diplomas:
| State | What the state law page says | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Arkansas | The state does not give diplomas or transcripts to home school students. | checked Oct 27, 2026 |
| Connecticut | 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. | checked Oct 27, 2026 |
| Delaware | The Department does not issue diplomas or transcripts or validate credentials for nonpublic schools. A student enrolled in a Delaware homeschool is entitled to one free driver education course through an adult education program, and students need to be registered in a public or nonpublic school at graduation to use state programs like SEED and INSPIRE scholarships. | checked Oct 27, 2026 |
| Hawaii | Homeschooled students do not receive a high school diploma from the Department and earn no credits for homeschooling. A student who has received homeschool instruction under a valid Form 4140 may earn a High School Equivalency Credential by passing the General Educational Development or High School Equivalency Test. | checked Oct 27, 2026 |
| Indiana | Homeschooled students do not receive a diploma from the local public school or the Indiana Department of Education. Under Indiana law, students in nonaccredited nonpublic schools (including homeschools) are not eligible for the 21st Century Scholars program. | checked Oct 27, 2026 |
| Iowa | Law change: House File 2754 (2026), which the Department says was signed May 12, 2026 and the Act says takes effect on enactment, removed the independent private instruction limits of four unrelated students and of charging tuition or fees. It added a section 299A.13 under which a parent may issue a diploma or final transcript for a student who completes secondary education under CPI or IPI, to be accepted in the same manner as a school's. | checked Oct 27, 2026 |
| Kansas | KSDE says a homeschool issues its own high school diploma, and the State of Kansas does not recognize it as meeting any requirements. The state issues no diplomas. | checked Oct 27, 2026 |
| Kentucky | The Department says Kentucky's No-Pass/No-Drive law applies to homeschool students, and that Kentucky has no statewide diploma, so a homeschool issues its own. | checked Oct 27, 2026 |
| Louisiana | A high school diploma from a BESE-approved home study program is, by law, treated by public colleges and state agencies as equal to one from a state-approved nonpublic school. The parent issues it, not BESE or the Department. | checked Oct 27, 2026 |
| Maine | The state does not issue grades, credits, diplomas, transcripts or letters of course completion for home instruction, according to the Department. The local school may lend textbooks if it has extra copies. | checked Oct 27, 2026 |
| Maryland | The Department says a home instruction student does not receive a Maryland High School Diploma, which only public schools issue, and may earn one by GED examination from age 16. | checked Oct 27, 2026 |
| New Jersey | A child educated elsewhere than at school does not receive a state-endorsed high school diploma from the board of education. The state lists ways to get a New Jersey State High School Diploma, such as passing the GED test. | checked Oct 27, 2026 |
| North Dakota | The school district of residence, an approved nonpublic high school or the Center for Distance Education may issue a high school diploma to a home educated child who meets its requirements; the state department says most diplomas are issued by the supervising parent. | checked Oct 27, 2026 |
| Ohio | The department says parents issue the diploma for a home educated student; school districts do not. | checked Oct 27, 2026 |
| Pennsylvania | A diploma signed by the parent as supervisor, or issued by an approved diploma-granting organization, has the same rights as a school-issued diploma if the student completed the graduation courses: four years of English, three of math, three of science, three of social studies and two of arts and humanities. | checked Oct 27, 2026 |
| Texas | The State of Texas does not award a diploma to a home-schooled student, but the TEA says Texas colleges must treat a home school graduate to the same general standards as a public high school graduate. | checked Oct 27, 2026 |
| Vermont | The Agency of Education says students enrolled in home study do not receive grades or diplomas from the State. | checked Oct 27, 2026 |
| West Virginia | The Department of Education says a person who runs a secondary program in a home school may issue a diploma, and no state agency or higher-education institution may reject it solely because of its source (W.Va. Code 18-8-12). | checked Oct 27, 2026 |
| Wisconsin | DPI says homeschooled students do not receive a diploma from a public or private high school, and the parent running the program may create a diploma on completion. | checked Oct 27, 2026 |
What should we keep?
The transcript, the course list (credits), a copy of the diploma and any state forms. Colleges and employers usually ask for the transcript, so make several copies.
Can a homeschooler walk at a public school graduation?
That is up to the school. DoDEA's policy says its schools' commencement ceremonies are not among the services homeschoolers can use. For other schools, ask the principal.
Sources
- Department of Defense Education Activity: Administrative Instruction 1375.01, Home-School Students, Change 1 (checked October 29, 2026)
- Peabody's state homeschool law pages (each lists its statutes and education department pages) (checked October 27, 2026)