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Tennessee 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 Tennessee'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 Tennessee

File
An Intent to Home School form, with proof the parent-teacher has a diploma or equivalent. §
To
Your local school district (its home school coordinator). §
By
Any time in the first year; before the school year starts each year after. §
Keep
Attendance records, sent to the director of schools at year end; your own grades and transcripts. 180 days of 4 hours. §
Test
A standardized test in grades 5, 7 and 9. §

The law's number: 180 days. In its words: “180 days per school year”, “a minimum of four hours of instruction per day”. Your Record Book offers it as a target; it is never filled in for you.

Starting this year
  • Any time in the first year: File an Intent to Home School form with your local school district, with proof of the parent-teacher's high school diploma or equivalency.
  • In grades 5, 7 and 9: Your child takes a standardized test.
  • At the end of the school year: Send your attendance records to the director of schools (or designee).
Already homeschooling
  • Before the school year starts: File a new notice of intent.
  • In grades 5, 7 and 9: Your child takes a standardized test.
  • At the end of the school year: Send your attendance records to the director of schools (or designee).
Leaving a school mid-year

Parents may withdraw a child from public school and register as an independent home school at any point in the school year by filing the Intent to Home School form.

Open your attendance recordStart the Tap Clock

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

Checked . § = source: Tennessee Department of Education: Home School; Tennessee Department of Education: Independent Home School Requirements (revised June 2026). Information, not legal advice.

Quick answers

Notice
Notice every yearFor an independent home school, file an Intent to Home School form with your local school district, along with proof the parent-teacher has a high school diploma or equivalency credential. There is no deadline the first time. Each later year a new form must go in before the school year starts. The district may use its own electronic form. Legal guardians must show proof of guardianship. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: Tennessee Department of Education: Home School, Tennessee Department of Education: Independent Home School Requirements (revised June 2026)
Days or hours
Days and hoursIndependent home school students must receive a minimum of four hours of instruction per day for 180 days per school year. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: Tennessee Department of Education: Independent Home School Requirements (revised June 2026)
Subjects
The law does not name required subjects. The department says it does not specify what the curriculum should be; the parent-teacher picks and buys the curriculum, and the district will ask which one was selected. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: Tennessee Department of Education: Frequently Asked Questions for Home School (revised June 2026)
Testing or evaluation
A testIndependent 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 not related to the student and recorded by the test's developer) or the same state-approved test public school students take. Results go to the parent, the director of schools and the state board of education. The grade 9 test is not an end-of-course exam. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: Tennessee Department of Education: Independent Home School Requirements (revised June 2026), Public Chapter 912 of 2026 (House Bill 1729), Tennessee Secretary of State
Records
Attendance records go to the director of schools (or the district's home school coordinator) at the end of each school year, and the local director of schools can inspect them at any time. The parent-teacher creates and keeps grades and transcripts. Proof of vaccination is not required to register. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: Tennessee Department of Education: Independent Home School Requirements (revised June 2026)
Who must attend school
Children between ages 6 and 17, inclusive, must attend an approved public or non-public school; an independent home school counts as one (Tennessee Department of Education home school FAQ). Source: Tennessee Department of Education: Frequently Asked Questions for Home School (revised June 2026)
Education savings accounts and vouchers
A program is open to homeschool familiesTennessee's Individualized Education Account (IEA) program is for students with a qualifying disability and an IEP. The department says its funds can be used for scholarships to certain non-public schools, umbrella home school programs, or being independently home schooled. The Education Savings Account and the Education Freedom Scholarship are not open to independent home school students: the department's comparison chart says enrollment in an independent home school is not permitted, and the student must enroll in a registered Category I, II or III non-public school. Individualized Education Account (IEA) Program. What taking the money changes, in full. Source: Tennessee Department of Education: Individualized Education Account Program, Tennessee Department of Education: EFS FAQs, Tennessee Department of Education: IEA Program Handbook 2026–27 (PDF), Tennessee Department of Education: Individualized Education Account Program, Tennessee Department of Education: IEA general questions and answers (PDF), Tennessee Department of Education: IEA for parents and students, Tennessee Department of Education: IEA student application and renewal

What to do first

  1. Read Tennessee's own pages, linked under each row below, so you know what applies to your situation.
  2. Notice: Anytime the first year; before the start of each school year after that To: Local school district (the district's home school coordinator).
  3. If your child is in school now: Parents may withdraw a child from public school and register as an independent home school at any point in the school year by filing the Intent to Home School form.
  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.
  6. Put the testing or evaluation date on your calendar.

The state's own form or page: tn.gov/education/families/school-options/home-schooling-in-tn.html

Other legal routes in Tennessee

  • Church-related umbrella school (Category IV). A parent enrolls the child in an approved church-related non-public school that runs an umbrella home school program and teaches under the school director's supervision. No Intent to Home School form is needed. The school handles records, testing and the diploma, and sets the rules for parent-teachers.
  • 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.

Records to keep

Attendance records go to the director of schools (or the district's home school coordinator) at the end of each school year, and the local director of schools can inspect them at any time. The parent-teacher creates and keeps grades and transcripts. Proof of vaccination is not required to register. 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

  • Who may teach: a parent or legal guardian with a high school diploma or a high school equivalency credential approved by the state board of education. Only parents or legal guardians can register an independent home school.
  • New in 2026: Public Chapter 912 (House Bill 1729), signed 2026-05-18 and effective when signed, changed the grade 5, 7 and 9 testing options in Tenn. Code Ann. 49-6-3050(b)(5). The department's June 2026 guidance reflects it.
  • Sports: a district must let independent home school students who meet the athletic association's eligibility rules try out for interscholastic teams at the public school they are zoned for, where conditions in the department's FAQ apply. Neither case guarantees a spot.
  • Classes: a public school must let a home school student take an advanced course or a preparatory college entrance exam (PSAT, Pre-ACT, CLT10) it offers if space is available.
  • Special education: home school students are entitled to the same services as children their parents place in private schools, through a district services plan, not a free appropriate public education.
  • Tennessee law requires home schools to be provided information about meningococcal disease each year.

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.