What is required to homeschool in Nebraska?

A yearly exempt-school election to the Department of Education (by July 15), 1,032 hours a year in grades K to 8 and 1,080 in grades 9 to 12, a sequential program in language arts, mathematics, science, social studies and health, an instructor you are satisfied is qualified, and the home's health and safety and immunization rules. No test, no curriculum approval, no certificate.

How do I start homeschooling in Nebraska?

File the Statement of Election and Assurances and the information form with the Department, with birth certificates the first time, withdraw your child, and plan the hours.

Are standardized tests required for Nebraska homeschoolers?

No. Nebraska requires no test and approves no curriculum.

How many instructional hours does Nebraska require?

1,032 a year in grades K to 8 and 1,080 in grades 9 to 12, prorated when you start mid-year. You choose the calendar.

Can I homeschool kindergarten in Nebraska?

Yes. Mandatory attendance covers a child who turns six before January 1 of the school year, and a parent may delay a six-year-old to seven by affidavit; a younger child needs no election.

Does Nebraska give a homeschool diploma?

No. The state issues none for an exempt school; you issue your own.

2026–2027 Homeschool Laws and Requirements

How to Homeschool in Nebraska

Yes, you can homeschool your child in Nebraska. You do not need a teaching certificate or an approved curriculum; you choose your books and your methods. Nebraska calls a homeschool an exempt school: each year you file a short election with the Department of Education saying that the state's approval rules either violate your religious beliefs or interfere with your decisions about your child's education, and you assure five subjects and a year's worth of hours.

Updated 9 October 2026 · Sources read 8 October 2026

Free printable guide

The Nebraska homeschool quick reference, 2026–2027

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

Download the PDF (317 KB)

What Nebraska homeschool law requires

The whole list for the 2026–2027 school year, from Nebraska Revised Statutes 79-1601 and 79-201 and the Department of Education's 2026–2027 filing packet:

Nebraska: homeschool requirements at a glance
Requirement	What Nebraska asks	Where it says so
The exempt-school election	Filed each year, online or on paper, with the Department of Education: the two-page Statement of Election and Assurances, in which you tick one of two boxes (the approval and accreditation rules violate your sincerely held religious beliefs, or they interfere with your decisions in directing your child's education) and assure the requirements below; an information form listing each child of mandatory attendance age; and, the first time, a certified copy of each child's birth certificate (or other proof of identity and age with an affidavit) and any custody order. The Department asks for it by July 15 for the coming year and accepts it after; a family leaving a school mid-year files promptly.	Neb. Rev. Stat. 79-1601; NDE 2026–2027 instructions and forms
Program and hours	A sequential program of instruction leading to basic skills in language arts, mathematics, science, social studies and health, for at least 1,032 hours a year in grades K to 8 and 1,080 in grades 9 to 12 (prorated when you start mid-year). You choose the calendar, the books and the methods.	Neb. Rev. Stat. 79-1601
Instructor	Anyone you are satisfied is qualified to monitor instruction in the basic skills, with no certificate required; since 2026 a person convicted of specified sexual or child-abuse felonies may not instruct.	Neb. Rev. Stat. 79-1601, as amended by LB 937 (2026)
Health, attendance, immunization	Meet the health, fire and safety standards that apply to the home, report attendance when asked under the attendance law, and comply with the immunization law (which has its own medical and religious exemptions).	Neb. Rev. Stat. 79-1601; NDE
Tests, diploma, ages	No test, no curriculum approval and no diploma from the state: you issue your own. Mandatory attendance covers a child who turns six before January 1 of the school year and is under 18; a parent may delay a six-year-old to seven by affidavit.	Neb. Rev. Stat. 79-201; NDE

NDE: exempt schools (file online) The 2026–2027 instructions and forms (PDF)

How to start homeschooling in Nebraska

File the exempt-school election with the Department of Education by July 15 for the coming year (it is accepted after, and a family leaving a school mid-year files promptly), online or on paper: the two-page Statement of Election and Assurances, in which you tick one of two boxes (the approval and accreditation rules violate your sincerely held religious beliefs, or they interfere with your decisions in directing your child's education), and an information form listing each child of mandatory attendance age.
The first time, attach a certified copy of each child's birth certificate (or other proof of identity and age with an affidavit) and any custody order.
Withdraw your child from the public school.
Plan at least 1,032 hours a year in grades K to 8 and 1,080 in grades 9 to 12 (prorated when you start mid-year), in a sequential program leading to basic skills in language arts, mathematics, science, social studies and health. Faith Schooling covers language arts and mathematics; you add the rest. The free Homeschool Rhythm Builder turns your week into a printable plan with an hour count.
Meet the health, fire and safety standards that apply to the home, comply with the immunization law (which has its own medical and religious exemptions), and report attendance when asked under the attendance law. Keep your filed election as proof of exemption.

How Faith Schooling covers Nebraska's requirements

Nebraska asks for 1,032 hours a year in grades K to 8, about 5.7 hours a day over 36 weeks of five days, or 45 weeks of four, and 1,080 hours in grades 9 to 12; a family starting mid-year prorates.

Nebraska's election form lets you say in your own hand that the approval rules violate your sincerely held religious beliefs, and asks you to assure a sequential program of instruction in five subjects. Two of the five are ours in full: language arts is 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, which is the sequential program the assurance describes. Science, social studies and health are yours to choose.

Nebraska asks for no records; attendance is reported when asked under the attendance law. 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
Science, social studies and health: Your choice Faith Schooling does not publish these subjects; choose what fits your family
Bible: The Apostolic Academy not something Nebraska 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 Nebraska does not require, and you should still do

Place your child. Nebraska tests no homeschooled child; HARVEST, the free placement check, names the grade and quarter to start in reading and math.
Plan the 1,032 hours. The Homeschool Rhythm Builder turns your week into a printable plan with an hour count and an attendance record, so the hours you assure in July are the hours you keep.
Keep the election and the pages. Your filed election is your proof of exemption; a dated stack of finished work is the record a school will want if your child ever enrolls.

HARVEST free placement Homeschool Rhythm Builder The Apostolic Academy

Common questions

What is required to homeschool in Nebraska?: A yearly exempt-school election to the Department of Education (by July 15), 1,032 hours a year in grades K to 8 and 1,080 in grades 9 to 12, a sequential program in language arts, mathematics, science, social studies and health, an instructor you are satisfied is qualified, and the home's health and safety and immunization rules. No test, no curriculum approval, no certificate.
How do I start homeschooling in Nebraska?: File the Statement of Election and Assurances and the information form with the Department, with birth certificates the first time, withdraw your child, and plan the hours.
Are standardized tests required for Nebraska homeschoolers?: No. Nebraska requires no test and approves no curriculum.
How many instructional hours does Nebraska require?: 1,032 a year in grades K to 8 and 1,080 in grades 9 to 12, prorated when you start mid-year. You choose the calendar.
Can I homeschool kindergarten in Nebraska?: Yes. Mandatory attendance covers a child who turns six before January 1 of the school year, and a parent may delay a six-year-old to seven by affidavit; a younger child needs no election.
Does Nebraska give a homeschool diploma?: No. The state issues none for an exempt school; you issue your own.

Official Nebraska homeschool resources

Read from the state's own pages for the 2026–2027 school year on the date shown. The Nebraska Revised Statutes, Rule 13 and the Department of Education are the final word; this page is a plain-language guide, not legal advice.

Homeschool laws in nearby states

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