Vermont 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 Vermont's own statute and education department are the final word. The links below go straight to them.

Checked on October 27, 2026 against the sources linked on this page.

What to file in Vermont

Checked October 27, 2026. Law change: since July 1, 2023 (H.461) families no longer send the minimum course of study, the end-of-year assessment or adaptations to the Agency; they attest on the notice forms, keep their own records, and the Agency's hearing procedures were removed.

File: A notice, every year. Send the Secretary of Education a notice of intent on the Agency of Education's form at least 10 business days before you begin home study, and again before the start of each following year (the annual notice). §
To: Secretary of Education (Agency of Education Home Study Office) §
By: At least 10 business days before starting, and each year before the start of home study §
Keep: The parent or guardian keeps the record of the end-of-year assessments. §
Test: Each child's academic progress is assessed at the end of each school year and the parent keeps the record. §

Starting this year

At least 10 business days before you start: Send the Secretary of Education a notice of intent on the Agency of Education's form. Your child is not enrolled until the Agency confirms.
At the end of each school year: Assess each child's progress and keep the record.

Already homeschooling

On or before the start of each year: Send the annual notice.
At the end of each school year: Assess each child's progress and keep the record.

Leaving a school mid-year

The statute says to notify the Secretary in writing within 10 business days following the date a student is withdrawn from home study. The Agency of Education's page also asks families to notify the Home Study Office in writing 10 days before ending a program to return to a public or independent school.

Open your attendance record Start the Tap Clock, if you want to

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

Checked October 27, 2026 (quoted from the record below). § = source: 16 V.S.A. 166b, home study program (Vermont Legislature); Vermont Agency of Education: Home Study. Information, not legal advice.

Quick answers

Notice: Notice every yearSend the Secretary of Education a notice of intent on the Agency of Education's form at least 10 business days before you begin home study, and again before the start of each following year (the annual notice). The Agency sends a written acknowledgment within 10 business days of a complete notice, and that acknowledgment is your enrollment verification. A child is not enrolled until the Agency confirms, and should keep attending school until then. First-time enrollments also include independent professional evidence about any documented disability, or a Vermont public school report card. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: 16 V.S.A. 166b, home study program (Vermont Legislature)
Days or hours: DaysThe notice includes an attestation that each child will be provided the equivalent of at least 175 days of instruction in the minimum course of study per year (16 V.S.A. 166b(a)(5)). Checked October 27, 2026. Source: 16 V.S.A. 166b, home study program (Vermont Legislature)
Subjects: The minimum course of study, adapted to the child's age and ability. For a child under 13: basic communication skills (reading, writing and the use of numbers), citizenship, history and government in Vermont and the United States, physical education and comprehensive health education, English, American and other literature, the natural sciences, and the fine arts. For a child 13 or older: basic communication skills, citizenship, history and government, literature, and the natural sciences. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: 16 V.S.A. 906, course of study (Vermont Legislature)
Testing or evaluation: A test or an evaluationEach child's academic progress is assessed at the end of each school year and the parent keeps the record. The allowed ways are: a standardized assessment, a review by someone with a current Vermont teacher's certificate, a parent or guardian report and portfolio with a summary and at least four samples of student work, grades from an online academy or school, or evidence of passing the GED. The Agency of Education says families no longer send the end-of-year assessment to it. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: 16 V.S.A. 166b, home study program (Vermont Legislature)
Records: The parent or guardian keeps the record of the end-of-year assessments. The Agency of Education says to keep a copy of the minimum course of study and of each assessment for your own records, and not to send them to the Agency unless you want them reviewed. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: Vermont Agency of Education: Home Study

Who must attend school: The parent or guardian of a child between six and 16 years of age must have the child attend a public school, an approved or recognized independent school, an approved education program, or a home study program for the full number of days the school is held, unless an exception applies, such as having completed the 10th grade (16 V.S.A. 1121). Vermont calls home school 'home study'. Source: 16 V.S.A. 1121, attendance by children of school age required (Vermont Legislature)
Education savings accounts and vouchers: No program foundWe did not find a state-funded education savings account or voucher open to homeschool families. The Agency of Education's home study page says that by enrolling in a Home Study program families choose not to access a publicly funded education, and that no money is available to pay for a Home Study program at the state or local level (checked 2026-10-27). Source: Vermont Agency of Education: Home Study

What to do first

Read Vermont's own pages, linked under each row below, so you know what applies to your situation.
Notice: At least 10 business days before starting, and each year before the start of home study To: Secretary of Education (Agency of Education Home Study Office).
If your child is in school now: The statute says to notify the Secretary in writing within 10 business days following the date a student is withdrawn from home study. The Agency of Education's page also asks families to notify the Home Study Office in writing 10 days before ending a program to return to a public or independent school.
Plan the year around the days or hours and the subjects below.
Start your records on day one: a simple attendance log, a list of books read and a work sample or two for each subject.
Put the testing or evaluation date on your calendar.

The state's own form or page: education.vermont.gov/home-study

Records to keep

The parent or guardian keeps the record of the end-of-year assessments. The Agency of Education says to keep a copy of the minimum course of study and of each assessment for your own records, and not to send them to the Agency unless you want them reviewed. 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

Law change: since July 1, 2023 (H.461) families no longer send the minimum course of study, the end-of-year assessment or adaptations to the Agency; they attest on the notice forms, keep their own records, and the Agency's hearing procedures were removed.
Section 1121 (attendance) was amended by 2025 Act 122, effective July 1, 2026, according to its history line on the Legislature's site.
Children with disabilities: the Agency of Education says students in home study are not entitled to special education supports and services through the school, and families must provide adaptations to support their student's education.
Religious waiver: after the notice is filed, if a home study program cannot comply with a specific requirement due to deep religious conviction shared by an organized group, the Secretary may waive it if the educational purposes are being substantially met (16 V.S.A. 166b(j)).
The Agency of Education says students enrolled in home study do not receive grades or diplomas from the State.

Where this comes from

16 V.S.A. 166b, home study program (Vermont Legislature) (the law)
16 V.S.A. 906, course of study (Vermont Legislature) (the law)
16 V.S.A. 1121, attendance by children of school age required (Vermont Legislature) (the law)
Vermont Agency of Education: Home Study (state education department)

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.