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What to file, by state, and days or hours

The one-table answer to "what do I have to send in?", and how to read the time rule in your state's law.

What you file to homeschool depends on your state. Of the 49 state law pages Peabody has checked against the statutes, 5 ask for nothing on the main route, 10 ask for a notice once and 23 every year. On time, 18 set days or hours; the rest set no number. The full table is on this site.

Checked October 27, 2026.

By Peabody editors.

This is a plain-words summary, not legal advice. Laws change: check your state's current law and its education department before you act.

What do I have to file to homeschool in my state?

Most states ask for one of three things: nothing, a notice once when you start, or a notice every year. The table groups every state we have checked by what its law asks on the main homeschool route. Your state's page has the wording, who it goes to and the deadline.

New York and Rhode Island are still being checked, so they are not in these lists yet.

What the law asksStates
Nothing to file on the main routeAlaska, Idaho, Michigan, Oklahoma, Texas
A notice once, when you startArizona, Florida, Hawaii, Kansas, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, West Virginia
A notice every yearArkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin
A notice is optional or only for some familiesConnecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Wyoming
It depends on the route you chooseAlabama, Iowa, Massachusetts, South Carolina

Does my state count days or hours?

Some laws give a number of days, some a number of hours, a few give both, and many give none. "Our record names no number" means the homeschool law we read sets none on the route the page describes; check your state's page for other routes.

What the law countsStates
A number of daysIndiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Vermont
A number of hoursMissouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Washington, Wisconsin
Days and hours, or a choice of eitherColorado, Georgia, Kansas, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee
The law says no number is setDelaware, Florida, Illinois, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Utah
Our record names no numberAlabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Idaho, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wyoming

What number does my state's law give?

Where the law gives one plain number on the main route, here it is in the law's own words. These are the figures the What-to-file box offers as an attendance target.

StateNumberIn the record's words
Georgia180 days"180 school days a year"; also "each school day at least four and one-half school hours"
Pennsylvania180 days"180 days of instruction a year"; also "or 900 hours a year at the elementary level or 990 hours a year at the secondary level"
Tennessee180 days"180 days per school year"; also "a minimum of four hours of instruction per day"
Colorado172 days"172 days of instruction"; also "averaging four instructional contact hours per day"
Indiana180 days"180 days of instruction"
South Carolina180 days"at least 180 days"
Missouri1,000 hours"at least 1,000 hours of instruction"
Wisconsin875 hours"at least 875 hours of instruction"
Louisiana180 days"for at least 180 days in the school year"
Nebraska1,032 hours"1,032 hours of instruction (elementary grades)"; also "1,080 hours of instruction (secondary grades)"
Washington1,000 hours"1,000 hours for grades 1 through 12"

How do I read "days" or "hours" in a statute?

  • Look for "at least" or "a minimum of". The number is a floor, not a target you must stop at.
  • Check for a per-day rule as well. Tennessee, for example, asks for a minimum of four hours of instruction per day for 180 days per school year.
  • Check whether the number changes by grade. Montana: A home school must provide the same minimum aggregate hours of pupil instruction as public schools: 720 hours for grades 1 through 3 and 1,080 hours for grades 4 through 12 in a school fiscal year.
  • Check whether you may pick days or hours. Pennsylvania: The law says 180 days of instruction a year, or 900 hours a year at the elementary level or 990 hours a year at the secondary level. A family may count either days or hours.
  • Check which route the number belongs to. In some states a number sits on a private school or tutor route, not the homeschool one. Your state's page names the routes.

What if my state names no number?

Utah: Utah sets no number of days or hours for home school. The statute says the parent is solely responsible for the time, place and method of instruction, and the State Board of Education says Utah law does not require homeschool families to follow a set number of school days or instructional hours.

New Hampshire: The home education law sets no number of days or hours. It says dates and hours of instruction do not have to match the district calendar, and the academic term does not have to match the district school year.

No number in the law does not mean no records are useful. A simple attendance or hours record helps if you move to a state that counts, return to school, or are ever asked.

Where is the full table, and how do I keep count?

The What-to-file table lists every state with what to file, to whom, by when and what to keep, with a CSV download. Each state's page has its own box and a checklist you can print, like Texas's.

To keep count, use the attendance record for days or the Tap Clock hours log for hours. Both stay on your device.

Sources