2026–2027 Homeschool Laws and Requirements
How to Homeschool in Kentucky
Yes, you can homeschool your child in Kentucky. You do not need a teaching license or an approved curriculum; the state may not prescribe either, and you choose your books and your schedule. Kentucky treats a homeschool as a private school: you name it, tell your local superintendent each year, and keep attendance and grade records.
Updated 9 October 2026 · Sources read 8 October 2026
Free printable guide
The Kentucky homeschool quick reference, 2026–2027
One page to keep: what Kentucky requires, the dates, and the official links, checked for the 2026–2027 school year. Open it here first, then download it.
What Kentucky homeschool law requires
The whole list for the 2026–2027 school year, from the Kentucky Revised Statutes and the Department of Education's homeschool packet of May 2026:
| Requirement | What Kentucky asks | Where it says so |
|---|---|---|
| Letter of intent | Name your school and write to the superintendent of the district you live in within the first two weeks of the school year, or within two weeks of withdrawing a child from a public school, with each child's name, age and home address (the Department's packet ends with a sample letter). The district must accept it; nothing is approved, and there is no fee or registration. | KRS 159.160; KDE Homeschool Information Packet (May 2026) |
| Records | Attendance, in any form, and a scholarship report for each child listing the courses completed and the grades given, both open to the district's director of pupil personnel and to the Department. Work samples are not required, though the Department recommends a portfolio. | KRS 159.040; KDE packet |
| Term | No minimum term for an ordinary homeschool. The Department recommends the public-school minimum, 1,062 hours over at least 170 days, which a homeschool that chooses state certification must keep. You choose the calendar. | KRS 158.070 and 158.080; KDE packet |
| Subjects, tests, teacher | No set subjects, no curriculum approval, no test and no teacher qualification: since the Rudasill decision of 1979 the Department may not prescribe curriculum, certification or accreditation for a homeschool. It points families to the Kentucky Academic Standards as one way to see what public-school students learn at each grade. | KDE packet; KDE, Homeschool |
| Ages and diplomas | Compulsory attendance from 6 (a child who is six by August 1) to 18 in every district. A homeschool issues its own diploma; Kentucky has no statewide one, so the Department suggests the GED or a similar exam for college or work. | KRS 159.010; KDE packet |
KDE: Homeschool The Homeschool Information Packet (May 2026, PDF)
How to start homeschooling in Kentucky
- Name your school and write to the superintendent of the district you live in within the first two weeks of the school year, or within two weeks of withdrawing a child from a public school: each child's name, age and home address. The Department's packet ends with a sample letter; the district must accept it, and nothing is approved.
- Withdraw your child from the public school once the letter is sent.
- Choose your materials. Kentucky sets no subjects and approves no curriculum; the Kentucky Academic Standards show what public-school students learn at each grade, and Faith Schooling's reading, language arts and mathematics programs give the year a sequence.
- Plan the year. No minimum term applies to an ordinary homeschool; the Department recommends the public-school minimum, 1,062 hours over at least 170 days. The free Homeschool Rhythm Builder turns your week into a printable plan and an attendance record.
- Keep two records at home, open to the district's director of pupil personnel and the Department: attendance, in any form, and a scholarship report for each child listing the courses completed and the grades given. The Department recommends a portfolio beside them.
How Faith Schooling covers Kentucky's requirements
Kentucky sets no days or hours for an ordinary homeschool. The Department recommends the public-school minimum, 1,062 hours over at least 170 days, about 6.2 hours a day, which a homeschool that chooses state certification must keep.
Kentucky treats a homeschool as a private school and may not prescribe its curriculum. Faith Schooling's programs are the courses a scholarship report lists: a sequenced reading, language arts and mathematics textbook for every grade from Kindergarten to Grade 5 with teaching guides, so each child's report names the course and the grade you gave, and the Kentucky Academic Standards the Department points to are a checklist to hold them against. Science, social studies and health are yours to choose.
Kentucky asks for attendance, in any form, and a scholarship report for each child of the courses completed and the grades given, open to inspection. The dated, finished pages of each program are that record, and a HARVEST report is a placement note for the file.
- Reading
- Phonics, Decoding, and Early Fluency K–5 reading textbooks in four quarterly volumes a year, with complete teaching guides
- Language arts and writing
- Grammar Garden K–5 language and writing coursebooks, four a year, with Preceptor Guides
- Mathematics
- Building Number Sense K–5 mathematics textbooks; Kindergarten to Grade 2 add practice workbooks and teaching guides
- Everything else
- Your choice Kentucky names no subjects; science, social studies, health and the arts are yours to choose
- Bible
- The Apostolic Academy not something Kentucky 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 Kentucky does not require, and you should still do
- Place your child. Kentucky tests no homeschooled child; HARVEST, the free placement check, names the grade and quarter to start in reading and math.
- Plan the year. The Homeschool Rhythm Builder turns your week into a printable plan and an attendance record, which is one of the two records Kentucky asks you to keep.
- Keep a portfolio. The Department recommends one beside the scholarship report; a dated stack of finished pages is that portfolio, and it is the record a school will want if your child ever returns.
HARVEST free placement Homeschool Rhythm Builder The Apostolic Academy
Common questions
- What is required to homeschool in Kentucky?
- A letter of intent to your district superintendent each year within the first two weeks of the school year (or within two weeks of withdrawing a child), and two records kept at home: attendance and a scholarship report of courses and grades. No set subjects, hours, test, curriculum approval or teacher qualification.
- How do I start homeschooling in Kentucky?
- Name your school, send the letter with each child's name, age and address to the superintendent, withdraw your child, and start the attendance record.
- Are standardized tests required for Kentucky homeschoolers?
- No. Since the Rudasill decision of 1979 the Department may not prescribe curriculum, certification or accreditation for a homeschool, and no test is required.
- How many instructional hours does Kentucky require?
- None for an ordinary homeschool. The Department recommends the public-school minimum, 1,062 hours over at least 170 days, which a homeschool that chooses state certification must keep.
- Can I homeschool kindergarten in Kentucky?
- Yes. Compulsory attendance begins at six (a child who is six by August 1), so the letter is due from that year.
- Does a Kentucky homeschool issue a diploma?
- Yes, its own. Kentucky has no statewide homeschool diploma, so the Department suggests the GED or a similar exam for college or work.
Official Kentucky homeschool resources
Read from the state's own pages for the 2026–2027 school year on the date shown. The Kentucky Revised Statutes and the Department of Education are the final word; this page is a plain-language guide, not legal advice.
- KRS 159.010 — compulsory attendance: a child who is six, with every district's policy extending it to eighteen — checked 2026-10-08
- KRS 159.030 — a child in a private, parochial or church school is exempt; the school, or the parent, notifies the local board — checked 2026-10-08
- KRS 159.160 — the report to the superintendent of names, ages and residences within two weeks of the start of the school year — checked 2026-10-08
- KRS 159.040 — attendance register and scholarship reports, open to inspection by the director of pupil personnel — checked 2026-10-08
- KRS 158.080 — a certified private school teaches in English, the branches of study of the public schools, on the school calendar of KRS 158.070 (1,062 hours on at least 170 days) — checked 2026-10-08
- Kentucky Department of Education — Homeschool (updated 11 August 2026) — checked 2026-10-08
- Kentucky Department of Education — Homeschool Information Packet (May 2026): the letter of intent within two weeks, the records, the recommended term, diplomas — checked 2026-10-08
- Kentucky Department of Education — Kentucky Public School Enrollment Requirements (updated 6 October 2026): attendance between the ages of 6 and 18 — checked 2026-10-08