What is required to homeschool in Hawaii?

A notice (Form 4140 or a letter) to the principal of your child's home public school before you start, a record of your planned curriculum kept at home, a progress report to the principal each year, and a nationally normed test in grades 3, 5, 8 and 10. No teacher qualification, no curriculum submission, no days or hours.

How do I start homeschooling in Hawaii?

Submit Form 4140 or a letter to the principal, withdraw your child, write the curriculum record, and plan the year's progress report.

What homeschool forms must I submit in Hawaii?

Form 4140 (or a letter) once, and a progress report each year. The notice is not refiled while the reports continue, except when your child moves to a new local school. Tell the principal when you end homeschooling; your child re-enrolls within five school days unless another program is in place.

Are standardized tests required for Hawaii homeschoolers?

Yes, in grades 3, 5, 8 and 10: a nationally normed standardized test, taken at the school at no cost or privately at your expense. The principal may approve another means, and the scores may serve as that year's progress report.

How many instructional hours does Hawaii require?

None. The curriculum record states the hours a week you plan; the state sets no minimum days or hours.

Can I write my own progress report in Hawaii?

Yes. Your own written evaluation, with progress in each subject, work samples, and tests and grades if given, is one of the three routes, beside a nationally normed test score and a Hawaii-certified teacher's evaluation.

2026–2027 Homeschool Laws and Requirements

How to Homeschool in Hawaii

Yes, you can homeschool your child in Hawaii. You do not need a teaching license or an approved curriculum; you design a program suited to your child and choose your materials and your hours. Hawaii asks for a notice to the principal of your local public school before you start, a record of your planned curriculum kept at home, a progress report each year, and test scores in grades 3, 5, 8 and 10.

Updated 9 October 2026 · Sources read 8 October 2026

Free printable guide

The Hawaii homeschool quick reference, 2026–2027

One page to keep: what Hawaii requires, the dates, and the official links, checked for the 2026–2027 school year. Open it here first, then download it.

Download the PDF (311 KB)

What Hawaii homeschool law requires

The whole list for the 2026–2027 school year, from Hawaii Administrative Rules chapter 8-12 and the Department of Education:

Hawaii: homeschool requirements at a glance
Requirement	What Hawaii asks	Where it says so
Notice	Form 4140 or a letter to the principal of the public school your child would attend, before you start: your child's name, address, telephone number, birth date and grade level, with your signature. The principal and complex area superintendent sign and return it; it is for the record, not an approval, and homeschooling begins when you submit it. Not filed again each year while you submit the progress report, except when your child moves to a new local school.	HAR § 8-12-13; HIDOE, Homeschool
Curriculum record	A record of your planned curriculum, kept at home: start and end dates, hours a week, subjects, how mastery is judged, and the textbooks and materials. Structured, sequential and suited to your child; an elementary program may include language arts, mathematics, social studies, science, art, music, health and physical education. The school may ask to see it.	HAR § 8-12-15
Progress report	To the principal each year: a nationally normed test score (or a year's progress on one), a written evaluation by a Hawaii-certified teacher, or your own written evaluation with progress in each subject, work samples, and tests and grades if given.	HAR § 8-12-18
Tests	A nationally normed standardized test in grades 3, 5, 8 and 10, taken at the school at no cost or privately at your expense; the principal may approve another means, and the scores may serve as that year's progress report.	HAR § 8-12-18
Teacher, hours, ending	No teacher qualification, no curriculum submission, no required days or hours. Tell the principal when you end homeschooling; your child re-enrolls within five school days unless another program is in place.	HAR § 8-12-13; HIDOE FAQ (February 2026)

HIDOE's homeschool page Form 4140 (PDF)

How to start homeschooling in Hawaii

Submit Form 4140, or a letter with the same details (your child's name, address, telephone number, birth date and grade level, signed by you), to the principal of the public school your child would attend. Homeschooling begins when you submit it; the signatures that come back are for the record, not an approval.
Withdraw your child from the school if enrolled, with your copy of the notice.
Write the curriculum record and keep it at home: start and end dates, hours a week, subjects, how mastery is judged, and the textbooks and materials. Faith Schooling's programs publish their own scope and sequence, which fills the language arts and mathematics lines.
Plan the year. Hawaii sets no days or hours; the free Homeschool Rhythm Builder turns your week into a printable plan with its hours, which is the record's calendar.
Send the principal a progress report at the end of each school year: a nationally normed test score, a Hawaii-certified teacher's written evaluation, or your own written evaluation with progress in each subject and work samples. Arrange the test in grades 3, 5, 8 and 10, at the school at no cost or privately.

How Faith Schooling covers Hawaii's requirements

Hawaii sets no days or hours. A year of 36 weeks with four or five mornings a week is the common shape, and it is yours to set.

Hawaii's rules describe the curriculum they want on record: structured, sequential, suited to the child, with the textbooks named. Faith Schooling's programs are that record for language arts and mathematics: Phonics, Decoding, and Early Fluency, Grammar Garden and Building Number Sense, each a sequenced textbook with a teaching guide and a scope you can copy onto the curriculum record, and their dated, finished pages are the work samples a yearly progress report needs. Social studies, science, art, music, health and physical education are yours to choose.

Hawaii asks for a record of your planned curriculum at home and a progress report to the principal each year. The dated, finished pages of each program are that record, and a HARVEST report is a placement note for the file.

Language arts: Phonics, Decoding, and Early Fluency and Grammar Garden reading in Phonics, Decoding, and Early Fluency; grammar, writing and composition in Grammar Garden
Mathematics: Building Number Sense K–5 mathematics textbooks; Kindergarten to Grade 2 add practice workbooks and teaching guides
Social studies, science, art, music, health and physical education: Your choice Faith Schooling does not publish these subjects; choose what fits your family
Bible: The Apostolic Academy not something Hawaii requires; free: Scripture memory, Bible study and printables for the family

The curriculum map Phonics, Decoding, and Early Fluency Grammar Garden Building Number Sense HARVEST placement Homeschool Rhythm Builder

What Hawaii does not require, and you should still do

Place your child before grade 3. Hawaii's first test comes at the end of third grade; HARVEST, the free placement check, tells you at the start where your child stands in reading and math and names the grade and quarter to begin.
Plan the year. The Homeschool Rhythm Builder turns your week into a printable plan with its hours, which is the curriculum record's calendar written for you.
Keep the pages dated. Your own written evaluation is one of Hawaii's three progress-report routes, and dated work samples are what it rests on.

HARVEST free placement Homeschool Rhythm Builder The Apostolic Academy

Common questions

What is required to homeschool in Hawaii?: A notice (Form 4140 or a letter) to the principal of your child's home public school before you start, a record of your planned curriculum kept at home, a progress report to the principal each year, and a nationally normed test in grades 3, 5, 8 and 10. No teacher qualification, no curriculum submission, no days or hours.
How do I start homeschooling in Hawaii?: Submit Form 4140 or a letter to the principal, withdraw your child, write the curriculum record, and plan the year's progress report.
What homeschool forms must I submit in Hawaii?: Form 4140 (or a letter) once, and a progress report each year. The notice is not refiled while the reports continue, except when your child moves to a new local school. Tell the principal when you end homeschooling; your child re-enrolls within five school days unless another program is in place.
Are standardized tests required for Hawaii homeschoolers?: Yes, in grades 3, 5, 8 and 10: a nationally normed standardized test, taken at the school at no cost or privately at your expense. The principal may approve another means, and the scores may serve as that year's progress report.
How many instructional hours does Hawaii require?: None. The curriculum record states the hours a week you plan; the state sets no minimum days or hours.
Can I write my own progress report in Hawaii?: Yes. Your own written evaluation, with progress in each subject, work samples, and tests and grades if given, is one of the three routes, beside a nationally normed test score and a Hawaii-certified teacher's evaluation.

Official Hawaii homeschool resources

Read from the state's own pages for the 2026–2027 school year on the date shown. Hawaii Administrative Rules chapter 8-12 and the Department of Education are the final word; this page is a plain-language guide, not legal advice.

Homeschool laws in other Pacific states

Compare all fifty states and Washington, D.C.