Homeschool or online school? The legal difference
An online public school is public school at home. A homeschool is yours. The choice decides who sets the courses, the tests and the records.
An online public or charter school is public school done at home: the school enrolls your child and sets the courses, tests and records. A homeschool is run by you under your state's homeschool law. Ohio's education department says plainly that online schools are not home education. Buying an online program isn't the same as enrolling: Florida's education department treats an out-of-state private online school as a homeschool's curriculum.
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.
What's the difference between homeschool and online school?
| Online public or charter school | Homeschool | |
|---|---|---|
| Who runs it | The school, under public school law | You, under your state's homeschool law |
| Getting started | You enroll your child with the school | You follow your state's homeschool steps (a notice, in some states) |
| Courses | The school's | Yours to choose, within what your state requires |
| Teachers and grades | The school's teachers | You, or anyone you choose to help |
| Tests | The school's and the state's | Only what your state's homeschool law asks |
| Records and transcript | The school keeps them | You keep them |
| Diploma | From the school | Usually from you; see your state's page |
Both happen at a kitchen table, which is why they get mixed up. The legal difference is who your child is enrolled with. Ohio's Department of Education and Workforce says: "Many parents think that online schools fall into the category of home education; this is NOT true." In Ohio, online schools are community schools (e-schools) or district online schools.
Is an online school a homeschool? What each state says
These are the lines from Peabody's state law pages that say how a state tells the two apart. Your state's page has the full rules and the statute.
| State | What the state says | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | Correspondence study program: A child enrolled in a full-time correspondence study program approved by the Department of Education and Early Development is exempt from the attendance rule. The Department describes correspondence programs as district-supported schooling at home, which is different from homeschooling without a district. | checked Oct 27, 2026 |
| Arkansas | Online public charter school: Arkansas Connections Academy and Arkansas Virtual Academy are online public charter schools. The Department says no Notice of Intent is required for them. | checked Oct 27, 2026 |
| California | Public school independent study or charter: The Department of Education says public school districts offer independent study, charter schools and other alternatives. Because they are public school enrolment, they meet compulsory attendance. | checked Oct 27, 2026 |
| Delaware | Using an online curriculum or virtual school does not remove the need to register: the Department says you must still register a Delaware homeschool, and an online school is not an open Delaware homeschool. | checked Oct 27, 2026 |
| Georgia | Georgia Cyber Academy and Georgia Connections Academy are public charter schools, not home study programs; students enrolled in them are public school students and do not file a Declaration of Intent (GaDOE overview, October 2024). | checked Oct 27, 2026 |
| Mississippi | Private school: A child can instead attend a legitimate nonpublic (private) school. The school's official completes the Certificate of Enrollment for its children, and the form has separate boxes for private school and online private school. | checked Oct 27, 2026 |
| New Mexico | Online schools: a student in a New Mexico online public school is not a home school student. A student in an out-of-state online program is treated as home schooled, and the parent must notify the department. | checked Oct 27, 2026 |
| Ohio | Online schools: the department says online schools are not home education in Ohio; Ohio e-schools are community schools or district online schools. | checked Oct 27, 2026 |
| South Carolina | Private or church school: A child may instead attend a private school approved by the State Board of Education, a member school of the South Carolina Independent Schools' Association or the South Carolina Association of Christian Schools, or a parochial, denominational or church-related school (59-65-10). The Department of Education says a child taught by an online private school's staff is enrolled in private school, not homeschooling. | checked Oct 27, 2026 |
| Tennessee | Accredited online school (Category III): The department says an accredited online school is a private school, not a home school, so home school rules do not apply. | checked Oct 27, 2026 |
| Wisconsin | Virtual charter schools are different: DPI says students in them are public school students attending a public school online from home, with a public school curriculum and certified teachers. | checked Oct 27, 2026 |
States not listed: we haven't found a line on this in their law yet. That isn't the same as "no rule"; check your state's education department.
If I buy an online program, am I an online school student?
Not by itself. A program you buy and run yourself is curriculum. Florida's Department of Education says that if a home education student enrolls in a private school outside Florida (an online one, for example), it "will be considered a curriculum choice": the student is still registered as a home education student, and the parent files the letter of intent with the district. Other states draw the line differently (Tennessee and South Carolina count some online private schools as private school), so read your state's line above.
Can a homeschooler take some online public school classes?
In some states, yes, and you stay a homeschooler. Florida's Department of Education says home education students may take virtual classes through their district's virtual school or Florida Virtual School Flex once the letter of intent is filed, with no limit on the number of courses (FLVS allows up to six at a time). It also says FLVS Flex is not a "regular school", so a parent should file the letter of intent to homeschool before enrolling a child in it. In West Virginia, the state law page notes that a home-instructed child may attend county classes, including Virtual School programs, with the county board's approval.
What does "accredited" mean?
Accreditation is a review of a school by an accrediting organization. It isn't a license from the state. California's Department of Education says it "does not accredit either public or private schools"; that's done by organizations such as the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Homeschools are a different case:
- Texas: the Texas Education Agency says it does not regulate, monitor, approve, register or accredit home school programs (Texas law page).
- Connecticut: the state's Department of Education does not accredit homeschooling (Connecticut law page).
- Kentucky: the Department of Education says it may not prescribe accreditation standards for homeschooling (Kentucky law page).
- Minnesota: accreditation is one route, and the department recognizes one accreditor for homeschools; using an accredited curriculum doesn't make a homeschool accredited (Minnesota law page).
When does accreditation matter?
For most homeschools, rarely. It can matter in a few places, and it's worth knowing which before you pay extra for it:
- Going back to school. Schools decide how to place a returning homeschooler. Kansas's Department of Education says an accredited school doesn't have to accept credits from a nonaccredited private school and may test the student (Kansas); the Texas Education Agency says students from home schools should be treated like students from unaccredited private schools (Texas).
- Some state programs. Indiana's 21st Century Scholars program isn't open to students of nonaccredited nonpublic schools, homeschools included (Indiana).
- College sports. The NCAA Eligibility Center reviews homeschool courses from documents the parent signs. It notes that a student who learns at home through an online school with online teachers may count as taking "nontraditional coursework" instead of homeschool coursework, which it reviews differently.
If you're choosing a private online program, California's Department of Education warns that such programs operate with little to no state oversight, that their quality "varies widely", and that whether their credits transfer to public schools and colleges varies widely too. Ask a program in writing who accredits it, and ask the school or college you care about whether that accreditor counts.
Is there a free, accredited homeschool option?
Not as a homeschool: most states don't accredit homeschools at all. Free programs that call themselves accredited are often public online or charter schools, and enrolling makes your child a public school student, with that school's rules. That can be a good choice; just know which one you're making. If you want to homeschool for free, the free curricula comparison lists complete free programs side by side.
How do I switch from online school to homeschool?
Follow your state's homeschool steps and withdraw from the online school the way you would from any public school, so there's no gap in between; your state's page says which comes first. Peabody's withdrawing from school, step by step and your state's law page walk through it, and many states have a page of their own for leaving school.
Which one fits us?
- Do you want someone else to plan the lessons and grade the work? An online school does that.
- Do you want to choose what and when your child learns? That's a homeschool.
- Does your child need a transcript from an accredited school for a specific goal? Ask that goal (the college, the program) what it accepts first.
- Can you mix? In some states, yes: homeschool and take a few public online courses.
Sources
- Ohio Department of Education and Workforce: Home schooling (checked October 29, 2026)
- Florida Department of Education: Home education parent questions and answers (revised July 2024) (checked October 29, 2026)
- California Department of Education: Private schools frequently asked questions (checked October 29, 2026)
- NCAA Eligibility Center: Homeschool student (checked October 29, 2026)
- Peabody's state homeschool law pages (each lists its statutes and education department pages) (checked October 27, 2026)