2026–2027 Homeschool Laws and Requirements
How to Homeschool in Missouri
Yes, you can homeschool your child in Missouri. You do not need a teaching license or an approved curriculum; there is no registration, no approval and no test, and you choose your books and your methods. Missouri asks two things of a home school: 1,000 hours of instruction a year, 600 of them in five core subjects, and a written record of the work, for each child from age 7 until 16.
Updated 9 October 2026 · Sources read 8 October to 9 October 2026
Free printable guide
The Missouri homeschool quick reference, 2026–2027
One page to keep: what Missouri requires, the dates, and the official links, checked for the 2026–2027 school year. Open it here first, then download it.
What Missouri homeschool law requires
The whole list for the 2026–2027 school year, from the Revised Statutes of Missouri, sections 167.012, 167.013, 167.031 and 167.042, as in force since 28 August 2025:
| Requirement | What Missouri asks | Where it says so |
|---|---|---|
| What a home school is | Private or religious-based instruction for your own children (no more than four unrelated pupils) that charges no tuition. Nothing is filed: no registration, no notice to the state and no approval. If your child is enrolled in a public school, write to the school that you intend to pursue other educational options under section 167.031, and it must drop the child from its rolls. | RSMo 167.012; 167.042 |
| Hours | At least 1,000 hours of instruction a year, 600 of them in reading, language arts, mathematics, social studies and science, or academic courses related to them and suited to your child's age and ability, and at least 400 of those 600 at your regular home school location. You choose the days. | RSMo 167.012 |
| Records | A plan book, diary or other written record of the subjects taught and the activities done, a portfolio of samples of your child's academic work, and a record of evaluations of academic progress, or other written or credible evidence that amounts to the same. | RSMo 167.012 |
| Teacher, curriculum, tests, ages | No teacher qualification, no state curriculum and no test: the state may not set a curriculum for home schools, and your religious convictions govern what you include. The hour and record rules stop at 16; compulsory attendance from 7 to 17 (or sixteen credits toward graduation), and a child of 5 or 6 who is enrolled may be withdrawn by a written request. | RSMo 167.012; 167.031 |
| Family Paced Education | An FPE school is a separate arrangement with the same hours, kept in a daily log, for families in the MOScholars scholarship program; an ordinary home school does not need it. | RSMo 167.013 |
RSMo 167.012: what a home school is DESE: the compulsory attendance law
How to start homeschooling in Missouri
- If your child is enrolled in a public school, write to the school that you intend to pursue other educational options under section 167.031; it must drop the child from its rolls. Nothing is filed with the state: no registration, notice or approval.
- Plan at least 1,000 hours of instruction a year, 600 of them in reading, language arts, mathematics, social studies and science (or academic courses related to them and suited to your child), and at least 400 of those 600 at your regular home school location. The free Homeschool Rhythm Builder turns your week into a printable plan with an hour count.
- Choose your materials. The state may not set a curriculum for home schools, and your religious convictions govern what you include; Faith Schooling's reading, language arts and mathematics programs fill three of the five core subjects, and you add social studies and science.
- Keep three records until your child is 16: a plan book, diary or other written record of the subjects taught and the activities done; a portfolio of samples of your child's academic work; and a record of evaluations of academic progress (or other written or credible evidence that amounts to the same).
- Keep the pages dated. The portfolio is a stack of finished work; set a few pages aside each month and the record keeps itself.
How Faith Schooling covers Missouri's requirements
Missouri asks for 1,000 hours of instruction a year, about 5.6 hours a day over 36 weeks of five days, or 45 weeks of four. Six hundred of those hours are in reading, language arts, mathematics, social studies and science, and 400 of the 600 at your regular home school location.
Missouri's statute calls a home school private or religious-based instruction and says your religious convictions govern what you include. Three of its five core subjects are ours in full: reading and language arts are Phonics, Decoding, and Early Fluency and Grammar Garden, mathematics is Building Number Sense, each a sequenced textbook with a teaching guide for every grade from Kindergarten to Grade 5, and the lesson count printed in each book makes the 600 core hours a tally rather than a guess. Social studies and science are yours to choose.
Missouri asks for a plan book or diary of the subjects taught and the activities done, a portfolio of samples of your child's work, and a record of evaluations of academic progress, until your child is 16. 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
- 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 and science
- Your choice Faith Schooling does not publish these subjects; choose what fits your family
- Bible
- The Apostolic Academy not something Missouri 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
Financial assistance for Missouri homeschoolers
MOScholars, Missouri's education savings account program run by the State Treasurer's Office through approved educational assistance organizations, reaches a home-educated child through a Family Paced Education (FPE) school under § 167.013, the arrangement the requirements table above describes. A qualified student has an IEP under IDEA, or lives in a household at or under 300 percent of the free and reduced lunch income standard and attended a public school full time for a semester in the previous twelve months, is entering kindergarten or first grade, or is the sibling of a scholarship student; the award is based on the state adequacy target.
- A qualified student has an approved individualized education plan under IDEA, or is a member of a household whose total annual income does not exceed 300% of the income standard used to qualify for free and reduced lunches and attended a public school as a full-time student for at least one semester during the previous twelve months, is eligible to begin kindergarten or first grade, or is a sibling of a qualified student who received a scholarship grant in the previous school year. Source: Missouri State Treasurer's Office, MOScholars: Parents and Students, read 9 October 2026.
- Qualified students may receive scholarship funding based on the state adequacy target as defined in section 163.011. Source: Missouri State Treasurer's Office, MOScholars: Parents and Students, read 9 October 2026.
- An FPE school is a separate arrangement with the same hours as a home school, kept in a daily log, for families in the MOScholars scholarship program; an ordinary home school does not need it. Source: RSMo 167.013, read 8 October 2026.
MOScholars for parents and students (Missouri State Treasurer)
What Missouri does not require, and you should still do
- Place your child. Missouri tests no homeschooled child; HARVEST, the free placement check, names the grade and quarter to start in reading and math, and its report is the first entry in the record of evaluations.
- Plan the 1,000 hours. The Homeschool Rhythm Builder turns your week into a printable plan with an hour count, so the 600 core hours and the 400 at home are counted as you go, not reconstructed in May.
- Keep the pages dated. The portfolio Missouri names is a stack of finished work; set a few pages aside each month and the record keeps itself.
HARVEST free placement Homeschool Rhythm Builder The Apostolic Academy
Common questions
- What is required to homeschool in Missouri?
- At least 1,000 hours of instruction a year (600 in reading, language arts, mathematics, social studies and science, 400 of those at home) and three records kept at home: a plan book or log, a portfolio of work samples, and a record of evaluations. No notice, registration, test, curriculum approval or teacher qualification.
- How do I start homeschooling in Missouri?
- Write to the public school that you are pursuing other educational options, plan the 1,000 hours, open the log and the portfolio, and begin. Nothing is filed with the state.
- Are standardized tests required for Missouri homeschoolers?
- No. Missouri requires no test; the record of evaluations of academic progress can be whatever written or credible evidence you keep.
- How many instructional hours does Missouri require?
- 1,000 a year, 600 of them in the five core subjects and at least 400 of those 600 at your regular home school location. The hour and record rules stop at 16.
- Can I homeschool kindergarten in Missouri?
- Yes. Compulsory attendance begins at seven, and a child of five or six who is enrolled may be withdrawn by a written request, so the early years carry no hour rule.
- What is Family Paced Education in Missouri?
- A separate arrangement under section 167.013 with the same hours, kept in a daily log, for families in the MOScholars scholarship program. An ordinary home school does not need it.
Official Missouri homeschool resources
Read from the state's own pages for the 2026–2027 school year on the date shown. The Revised Statutes of Missouri and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education are the final word; this page is a plain-language guide, not legal advice.
- RSMo 167.012 — what a home school is: no tuition, four unrelated pupils at most, 1,000 hours with 600 in the core subjects and 400 at the home school location, the records, no rules past sixteen — checked 2026-10-08
- RSMo 167.013 — the Family Paced Education (FPE) school and its daily log — checked 2026-10-08
- RSMo 167.031 — compulsory attendance, ages 7 to 17 or sixteen credits, the written request for a child of 5 or 6, no state curriculum for home schools — checked 2026-10-08
- RSMo 167.042 — a written notice of intent to pursue other educational options, and the public school drops the child from its rolls — checked 2026-10-08
- Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education — Compulsory Attendance Law (the ages, home school among the options) — checked 2026-10-08
- Missouri State Treasurer's Office — MOScholars, Parents and Students: who qualifies, the award based on the state adequacy target — checked 2026-10-09