2026–2027 Homeschool Laws and Requirements
How to Homeschool in Vermont
Yes, you can homeschool your child in Vermont. You do not need a teaching license or an approved curriculum; you choose your materials, and since 2023 no course-of-study outline is submitted. Vermont calls it a home study program and asks for an enrollment notice to the Agency of Education before you begin and each year after, the equivalent of 175 days of instruction in the minimum course of study, and an assessment of progress at the end of each year, which you keep.
Updated 9 October 2026 · Sources read 9 October 2026
Free printable guide
The Vermont homeschool quick reference, 2026–2027
Two pages to keep: what Vermont requires, the dates, and the official links, checked for the 2026–2027 school year. Open it here first, then download it.
What Vermont homeschool law requires
The whole list for the 2026–2027 school year, from 16 V.S.A. §§ 166b, 906 and 1121 and the Agency of Education's home study pages:
| Requirement | What Vermont asks | Where it says so |
|---|---|---|
| Enrollment notice | To the Secretary of Education on the Agency's form, at least 10 business days before you begin, and a renewal notice on or before the start of each following year (2026–2027 enrollments opened in June; partial-year enrollments stay open to March 31, 2027). It carries each child's name, age and date of birth, your contact details, an attestation that you will assess each child's progress at the end of the year and keep the records, an attestation of 175 days in the minimum course of study, and every custodial parent's signature. The Agency acknowledges a complete notice in writing within 10 business days; then you withdraw your child and begin. | 16 V.S.A. § 166b; AOE, Home Study |
| The first year | A new student's notice adds independent professional evidence regarding whether the child has a documented disability: a form completed by an unrelated licensed professional, or a Vermont public school report card, an IEP or a 504 plan. The child need not have a disability. No course-of-study outline is submitted; the 2023 amendment removed it. | 16 V.S.A. § 166b (2023, No. 66); AOE, Home Study |
| Subjects | The minimum course of study: basic communication skills including reading, writing and the use of numbers; citizenship, history and government in Vermont and the United States; physical education and comprehensive health education; English, American and other literature; the natural sciences; the fine arts. From age 13 the first, second, fourth and fifth of those. Your materials, your methods; a parent of a child with a disability attests to providing adaptations. | 16 V.S.A. §§ 906(b) and 166b |
| Year-end assessment | At the end of each school year, one of: a standardized assessment; a review of progress by a person holding a current Vermont teacher's certificate; your own report and portfolio, with a summary of what the student learned and at least four samples of work; grades from an online academy or school; or a passed GED. You keep it; it is not submitted, and next year's notice attests to it. | 16 V.S.A. § 166b; AOE, Home Study |
| Ages, withdrawal, waivers | Compulsory attendance from six to 16. Tell the Secretary in writing within 10 business days of withdrawing a student. If deep religious conviction keeps a program from a specific requirement, the Secretary may waive it where the section's purposes are substantially met. No teacher qualification, no curriculum approval, no hour count. | 16 V.S.A. §§ 1121 and 166b |
Agency of Education: home study (enroll online) 16 V.S.A. § 166b, home study programs
How to start homeschooling in Vermont
- Send the enrollment notice to the Secretary of Education on the Agency's form at least 10 business days before you begin: each child's name, age and date of birth, your contact details, an attestation that you will assess each child's progress at the end of the year and keep the records, an attestation of 175 days in the minimum course of study, and every custodial parent's signature. A new student's notice adds independent professional evidence regarding whether the child has a documented disability (a form completed by an unrelated licensed professional, or a Vermont public school report card, an IEP or a 504 plan); the child need not have one.
- Wait for the Agency's written acknowledgment of a complete notice, which comes within 10 business days, then withdraw your child and begin.
- Plan at least 175 days in the minimum course of study: basic communication skills including reading, writing and the use of numbers; citizenship, history and government in Vermont and the United States; physical education and comprehensive health education; English, American and other literature; the natural sciences; the fine arts. Faith Schooling covers reading, writing, numbers and literature; you add the rest. The free Homeschool Rhythm Builder turns your week into a printable plan with its days counted.
- Keep four samples of work per subject through the year. Your own report and portfolio, with a summary of what the student learned and at least four samples, is one of the year-end assessments.
- At the end of the school year, complete one assessment and keep it: a standardized assessment; a review of progress by a person holding a current Vermont teacher's certificate; your own report and portfolio; grades from an online academy or school; or a passed GED. It is not submitted; next year's renewal notice attests to it. Tell the Secretary in writing within 10 business days if you withdraw a student.
How Faith Schooling covers Vermont's requirements
Vermont asks for the equivalent of 175 days of instruction a year in the minimum course of study, with no hour count: 35 weeks of five days, or 44 weeks of four.
Vermont's statute lets the Secretary waive a specific requirement for a family's deep religious conviction, and its portfolio assessment asks for a summary of the year and four samples of work. Three of the minimum course of study's strands are ours in full: reading and literature are Phonics, Decoding, and Early Fluency, writing is Grammar Garden, the use of numbers is Building Number Sense, each a sequenced textbook with a teaching guide for every grade from Kindergarten to Grade 5, and their dated, finished pages are the four samples and the summary. Citizenship, history and government, physical education and health, the natural sciences and the fine arts are yours to choose.
Vermont asks for a year-end assessment of each child's progress, kept at home, with an attestation of it on next year's notice. 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
- Writing
- Grammar Garden K–5 language and writing coursebooks, four a year, with Preceptor Guides
- The use of numbers
- Building Number Sense K–5 mathematics textbooks; Kindergarten to Grade 2 add practice workbooks and teaching guides
- English, American and other literature
- Phonics, Decoding, and Early Fluency
- Citizenship, history and government in Vermont and the United States, physical education and comprehensive health education, the natural sciences and the fine arts
- Your choice Faith Schooling does not publish these subjects; choose what fits your family
- Bible
- The Apostolic Academy not something Vermont 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 Vermont does not require, and you should still do
- Place your child. Vermont's assessment comes at the end of the year and is yours to keep; HARVEST, the free placement check, names the grade and quarter to start in reading and math.
- Plan the 175 days. The Homeschool Rhythm Builder turns your week into a printable plan with its days counted, which is the attestation on the notice written for you.
- Keep four samples per subject. The parent report and portfolio is the assessment most families choose; set a few dated pages aside each month and the year-end summary writes itself.
HARVEST free placement Homeschool Rhythm Builder The Apostolic Academy
Common questions
- What is required to homeschool in Vermont?
- An enrollment notice to the Secretary of Education 10 business days before you begin and a renewal notice before each following year, 175 days in the minimum course of study, and a year-end assessment of each child kept at home. No teacher qualification, no curriculum approval, no hour count, and no course-of-study outline since 2023.
- How do I start homeschooling in Vermont?
- File the notice on the Agency's form with every custodial parent's signature (and, for a new student, the disability evidence form), wait for the written acknowledgment, withdraw your child, and plan the 175 days.
- Are standardized tests required for Vermont homeschoolers?
- Not necessarily. A standardized assessment is one of five year-end options; a certified teacher's review, your own report and portfolio with four work samples, grades from an online academy or school, or a passed GED are the others. The assessment is kept, not submitted.
- How many instructional days does Vermont require?
- 175 a year in the minimum course of study, attested on the notice. No hour count.
- Can I homeschool kindergarten in Vermont?
- Yes. Compulsory attendance runs from six to 16, so the enrollment notice is due from the year your child is six.
- What is the disability evidence on a Vermont home study notice?
- Independent professional evidence regarding whether a new student has a documented disability: a form completed by an unrelated licensed professional, or a Vermont public school report card, an IEP or a 504 plan. The child need not have a disability; a parent of a child who does attests to providing adaptations.
Official Vermont homeschool resources
Read from the state's own pages for the 2026–2027 school year on the date shown. Title 16 and the Agency of Education's Home Study Office are the final word; this page is a plain-language guide, not legal advice.
- 16 V.S.A. § 166b — home study programs (as amended by 2023, No. 66, effective 1 July 2023): the enrollment notice 10 business days before and each following year, its contents, the attestation of a year-end assessment with records kept by the parent, the independent professional evidence for a new student, 175 days in the minimum course of study, the acknowledgment within 10 business days, the assessment options, withdrawal within 10 business days, the religious waiver — checked 2026-10-09
- 16 V.S.A. § 906 — the minimum course of study: basic communication skills including reading, writing and the use of numbers; citizenship, history and government in Vermont and the United States; physical education and comprehensive health education; English, American and other literature; the natural sciences; the fine arts — checked 2026-10-09
- 16 V.S.A. § 1121 — attendance by children of school age required: between the ages of six and 16, at a public school, an approved or recognized independent school, an approved education program, or a home study program — checked 2026-10-09
- Vermont Agency of Education — Home Study: the 2026–2027 enrollment window (open from June 2026, partial-year enrollments to 31 March 2027), the first-time enrollment (the notice of intent and independent professional evidence or a Vermont public school report card, IEP or 504 plan), the annual re-enrollment attestation, 175 days, year-end assessments kept by the family and not submitted, the acknowledgment, withdrawals — checked 2026-10-09