Tennessee umbrella and cover schools for homeschoolers
What the route is, what it changes about filing, and what to ask before you join. We name no schools and recommend none.
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.
Checked October 27, 2026 against Tennessee's statute and education department. Information, not legal advice: they are the final word.
What it changes about filing
Homeschooling on your own in Tennessee: For 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.
Through the route above: the record's words for it are in the box at the top. Where they do not say who files what, ask the school before you join; the rule can differ from one school to the next.
- 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.
- 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.
In the law's words
“must submit notice of intent to home school to the school district where the family resides”
“There is no deadline for registering your child for home school the first time. For each subsequent year of independent home school, a new form should be submitted prior to the start of each school year.”
“To continue operating as an independent home school, a new notice of intent must be submitted before the start of each school year.”
What it costs
Fees vary; ask. We list none: they differ by school and change from year to year.
Ten questions to ask before you join
- What do you file for us, with whom and by when, and what do we still file ourselves?
- What must we send you (attendance, grades, work samples), and how often?
- Do you require a test or an evaluation, and who gives it?
- Who chooses the curriculum? Do you require or approve any?
- What does a year cost, and what costs extra (testing, transcripts, a diploma)?
- Do you issue report cards, transcripts and a diploma, and will you send records after we leave?
- What happens to our records if you close?
- What do you ask a family to sign when it enrolls?
- How do we leave, and what do you tell the district when we do?
- Does enrolling change our access to sports, dual enrollment or state scholarship money here?
Keep your own records anyway
If the school closes or you leave, your own copies are what you have. The free Record Book keeps attendance, hours, the reading log, grades and work samples on your device, and exports every list.