Is Homeschool Legal? (And What Do I Actually Need to Do?)

Okay, so lets talk. When we first started looking into homeschooling, I legit googled:
“Is homeschooling even legal???”

Because it felt… kind of rebellious? A little scary? A little bit like am I even allowed to tell the school I'm not sending my kids in? Like seriously guys, we just moved earlier this year, and I am still nervous about sending in our first letter of intent to the local school district.  😅 I know homeschooling is legal and I'm still nervous.

So if you’re here and you’re wondering the same thing—hi. You’re not alone. And yes, the good news is:

Homeschooling is legal in all 50 states.

The slightly more complicated news is... every state has its own rules. Because why wouldn't they all have their own set of laws.

🗺️ Step 1: Check Your State Laws

Before you go downloading curriculum or printing a daily schedule (or panic buying every FB sponsored curriculum add you see for the next 6 months)... just pause and check the law in your state. The best site I’ve found for this is hslda.org/legal. You can just click your state and it breaks it down into normal-human language.

Some states are super chill—like, just write a letter of intent and you’re done. Others want a little more, like testing or portfolio reviews. But none of it is impossible.

📄 Step 2: The Basics Most People Need

Now this totally depends on your state, but here are some things that are common (but not required everywhere):

• A Letter of Intent — You just send a little note to your school district saying, “Hey, we’re homeschooling now. Thanks, bye.”
• A portfolio — This is basically a scrapbook of your child’s work. Some states want you to keep it. Some don’t care.
• An evaluator or testing — A few states want a certified teacher to look at your portfolio once a year or for your child to take a standardized test. Again, not all.

But you do not need to:

• Be a certified teacher
• Have a degree in education
• Know how to do Algebra II

You are allowed to homeschool your kids even if you forgot what PEMDAS means.
(Parentheses, Exponents… something, something. It’s fine. We’re fine.)

🙃 Step 3: Don’t Panic.

Seriously.I know it can feel overwhelming. But most of this stuff becomes second nature really quickly. When I first started, I was so afraid I’d forget a form or miss a deadline and ruin my child’s life forever. I would (Spoiler: I didn’t.) The truth is, most school districts are used to homeschoolers and the process is actually super doable once you get into it. And for the ones that aren't, stick to what you legally know. Those laws come from the state, not from the local school district. Just because they say something is different from the law doesn't automatically make them right.

And honestly? A lot of this is just noise at the beginning.If you can figure out:

• What your state needs from you
• What your kid needs from you

Then everything else becomes manageable.

You do not have to have it all figured out today. Just take one step at a time. You are allowed to learn as you go. This is a part of redeeming your own education. This is the real life application of that.

And I’ll say this too, because maybe someone needs to hear it: You are not under-qualified to teach your child. No matter what your high school GPA was. No matter if you finished college. No matter what your mother-in-law says. God gave you these kids, on this journey, for a reason.

You're doing better than you think. And I'm right here, cheering you on.

—Lori 💛

To Know God and to Make Him Known