Rhode Island Homeschool Requirements Checklist
Everything you need to do to homeschool legally in Rhode Island, based on R.I.G.L. Section 16-19-2. Rhode Island is classified as High regulation.
This is the general checklist for School Committee Approval. Our free wizard customizes this for your family, including grade, pathway, enrollment status, and IEP.
Your compliance checklist
Do first
Request approval
Submit your education plan to local school committee or superintendent of the town where the child resides and wait for approval before beginning instruction. Deadline: varies by municipality; some require submission before start of school year.
Deadline: varies by municipality; some require submission before start of school year
Send a withdrawal letter
If your child is currently enrolled in school, send a withdrawal letter to local school committee or superintendent.
Deadline: Before you start (if enrolled)
Ongoing
Required subjects
reading, writing, arithmetic, geography, United States and Rhode Island history, principles of American government, English
Meet instructional time requirements
Minimum: 180 days/year.
Keep basic records
You must maintain: attendance records. Records may be reviewed by the district.
Renew each year
You must renew your homeschool notice each year.
Good news
No testing or assessment required
No standardized testing or assessments required under this pathway.
Filing requirements
- What to file
- approval required
- Send to
- local school committee or superintendent of the town where the child resides
- Deadline
- varies by municipality; some require submission before start of school year
- How often
- annual
R.I.G.L. 16-19-2 (school committee approval of equivalent instruction)
Ongoing requirements
Required subjects
- ✓reading
- ✓writing
- ✓arithmetic
- ✓geography
- ✓United States and Rhode Island history
- ✓principles of American government
- ✓English
R.I.G.L. 16-19-2; R.I.G.L. 16-22-4
Instructional time
- Days per year:
- 180
R.I.G.L. 16-19-2 (instruction for period 'substantially equal' to public schools); R.I.G.L. 16-19-1 (compulsory attendance)
Recordkeeping
- ✓Attendance records
Records may be reviewed by the district.
R.I.G.L. 16-19-2(2)
Reporting
- Annual renewal
- Required
R.I.G.L. 16-19-2 (school committee sets reporting conditions as part of approval)
What you don't need to worry about
No testing or assessment required
No standardized testing or assessments required under this pathway.
Get your personalized checklist
This is the general checklist for the most common pathway. The wizard customizes it for your family's specific situation, including grade, pathway, and IEP status.
Get your Rhode Island checklistRequirements sourced from R.I.G.L. Section 16-19-2. Verified against primary legal sources. Last verified: March 2026