Home Schooling Requirements For Elementary and Secondary Education

Under the mandatory formal education system in the United States, rules and regulations for home schooling requirements of preschool and elementary education would depend on each state and the respective counties and school districts for each state. Since preschool education is not mandatory in the U.S., the rules and regulations in home schooling for preschool children may or may not exist in every state, but home schooling for elementary and secondary education is regulated by every state.

If you are a parent who is considering home schooling your elementary age child, the first thing you should do is find out the specific  home schooling requirements of your state and local school district. It is also important that you should contact and join any support groups or organizations advocating home school for children that are available in your area or in the state. Those groups or organizations would help parents by giving correct information about laws, rules and regulations, the right educational books, supplies and materials needed for home school, support needed by home school parents or tutors, and other home schooling requirements.

It is important to remember that the laws and regulations on home schooling requirements for elementary and secondary education would vary from state to state, which could be few requirements in one state to very stringent requirements in another state. However, the home schooling regulations of the states are grouped into three categories of  requirements:

The requirements are categorized based on its treatment as a type of private school in which the states would require the parents or guardians to follow the same laws and regulations that are applicable to other private schools.

The requirements are categorized on the unique definition or description of the state's mandatory school attendance statute, but the states do not make any specific reference to the term “home schooling.” Hence, the home schooling requirements are regulated by the specific rules of the  mandatory school attendance statute of the state.

The requirements are categorized based on the group of statutes that specifically apply for home schooling, but the states refer to home schooling with the use of other applicable terms.