Homeschool Law
Is Homeschooling Regulated? What the Law Requires
Homeschooling is legal in all 50 states. What each state asks of families after that ranges from annual assessments to nothing at all.
Is homeschooling regulated in the United States? It is legal in all 50 states, and in most of them the requirements end almost as soon as they begin. Some states ask for annual notice or periodic assessments. Others never ask to hear from a homeschooling family at all, which is why nobody can say exactly how many homeschooled kids exist.[1]
Key points
- There is no federal homeschooling law. Each state sets its own rules, and they differ on notification, assessment, and record keeping.
- Tess Ulrey, executive director of the Coalition for Responsible Home Education, told the show that in 48 states a person convicted of a violent crime against children can still legally homeschool their own child (hear her explain).
- CRHE's Make Homeschool Safe Act, published in 2024, is model legislation for basic safeguards.[4]
- Nebraska and Connecticut both passed new homeschool laws in 2026, the first movement of its kind in years.[5][7]
What states actually require
The rules are a patchwork. A handful of states ask for assessments or portfolio reviews. Many require a one-time or annual notice. And in a large group of states, families never have to tell anyone they are homeschooling, which is how the Washington Post ended up building its own national dataset district by district just to estimate enrollment.[1]
An investigation by ProPublica and Capitol News Illinois documented what the loosest version looks like in practice: in Illinois, homeschooling parents do not have to register with any agency, track attendance, or show student progress, and there was no rule stopping a parent under an abuse investigation from pulling a child out of school.[2] Stateline's reporting on the resulting policy fights ran under a phrase from a child-welfare advocate that stuck with me: these kids are invisible.[3]
The gaps advocates point to
On the show, Tess Ulrey laid out the numbers CRHE returns to again and again: 48 states where a violent crime against children does not bar someone from homeschooling, and 49 where a family in an active child welfare investigation can withdraw a child from school (that part of the conversation). Her point, and CRHE's, is not that homeschooling should end. CRHE was founded by homeschool alumni. The argument is that the kids inside the system deserve a floor.[8]
What is changing
The Make Homeschool Safe Act is CRHE's model bill: background checks, basic registration, and contact with mandatory reporters (Tess walks through its pillars here).[4] In 2026 the model started becoming law.
Nebraska's LB1224, introduced by Senator Megan Hunt and signed in April 2026, bars people convicted of certain crimes against children from homeschooling and delays school withdrawal during an active child welfare investigation, making Nebraska the second state with such a waiting period. The measure passed unanimously (the Nebraska story on the show).[5][6]
Connecticut went further. House Bill 5468, signed in May 2026, created the state's first homeschool registration system: an annual notice from families that feeds a state registry, plus a background check before a child is withdrawn from public school. It means Connecticut will finally know how many of its children are homeschooled (why that matters).[7]
Why alumni voices matter
One piece of testimony from the Nebraska fight stuck with me: a homeschool alum who told legislators that the children who need these laws cannot show up to ask for them (hear it). That is what this show is for. Alumni telling their own stories is how the conversation moves.
Watch the episode: Our Voices Can Make A Difference In Homeschooling Legislation
Related reading: how many kids are homeschooled in the US, or browse all the news and stories.
Sources
- The Washington Post, Takeaways from The Post's home-schooling data analysis and poll
- ProPublica, Small Group Goes to Great Lengths to Block Homeschooling Regulation
- Stateline, Child abuse deaths spur clash over homeschool regulation
- Coalition for Responsible Home Education, Make Homeschool Safe Act
- Nebraska Legislature, LB1224 (official bill page)
- Nebraska Public Media, Nebraska becomes second state to delay moving students to homeschool during investigations
- CT Mirror, CT adopts homeschool regulation
- Coalition for Responsible Home Education, Policy Recommendations
