Skip to main content

Virginia Homeschool Requirements Checklist

Everything you need to do to homeschool legally in Virginia, based on Va. Code Section 22.1-254.1. Virginia is classified as Moderate regulation.

This is the general checklist for Option I -- Parent Holds High School Diploma, the most common of Virginia's 5 pathways. Our free wizard customizes this for your family, including grade, pathway, enrollment status, and IEP.

Your compliance checklist

Do first

File your Notice of Intent

Submit to superintendent of the local school division. Deadline: August 15 annually; if moving into a school division or beginning home instruction after the school year has begun, notify the division superintendent as soon as practicable and meet the remaining requirements within 30 days of that notice.

Deadline: August 15 annually; if moving into a school division or beginning home instruction after the school year has begun, notify the division superintendent as soon as practicable and meet the remaining requirements within 30 days of that notice

More details

Include: curriculum description, qualification evidence

Confirm your qualification

This pathway requires a high school diploma or GED.

Deadline: Before you start

Ongoing

Review curriculum requirements

Check the cited source for curriculum requirements that may be described without a subject-by-subject list.

Review instructional-time requirements

Check the cited source for the school-term or instructional-time rule that applies to your pathway.

Show your child's progress

Standardized test or Teacher evaluation or Other approved method — annually. Minimum: composite score in or above the fourth stanine on any nationally normed standardized achievement test. Conditions: Does not apply to children under age six as of September 30 of the school year (Va. Code § 22.1-254.1(C)).

More details

Submit by: 08-01. Conditions: Does not apply to children under age six as of September 30 of the school year (Va. Code § 22.1-254.1(C)).. Process: If evidence of progress is not provided, the program may be placed on probation for one year. You file evidence of your ability to provide an adequate education and a remediation plan; if the superintendent accepts them, home instruction continues for the probationary year (Va. Code 22.1-254.1(C)).. Timeline: One probationary year with remediation plan filed with division superintendent. Consequence: Home instruction shall cease and the parent must make other arrangements per Section 22.1-254

Renew each year

You must renew your homeschool notice each year by August 15.

Filing requirements

What to file
simple notice
Send to
superintendent of the local school division
Deadline
August 15 annually; if moving into a school division or beginning home instruction after the school year has begun, notify the division superintendent as soon as practicable and meet the remaining requirements within 30 days of that notice
How often
annual

Your notice must include:

  • •curriculum description
  • •qualification evidence
Practical tip: Include a description of your curriculum, limited to a list of subjects to be studied in the coming year, and evidence that you hold a high school diploma (Va. Code 22.1-254.1(A)(i), (B)).

Va. Code §22.1-254.1(A)

Ongoing requirements

Testing and assessment

Varies by pathway. Option I -- Parent Holds High School Diploma: "08-01"; Option II -- Parent is a Qualified Teacher: "08-01"; Option III -- Program of Study or Curriculum: "08-01"; Option IV -- Evidence of Ability to Provide Adequate Education: "08-01"; Religious Exemption: undefined

  • Does not apply to children under age six as of September 30 of the school year (Va. Code § 22.1-254.1(C)).
Accepted types
Standardized test, Teacher evaluation, Other approved method
Frequency
annually
Minimum score
composite score in or above the fourth stanine on any nationally normed standardized achievement test
Submission deadline:
08-01

If scores fall short:

  • Process: If evidence of progress is not provided, the program may be placed on probation for one year. You file evidence of your ability to provide an adequate education and a remediation plan; if the superintendent accepts them, home instruction continues for the probationary year (Va. Code 22.1-254.1(C)).
  • Timeline: One probationary year with remediation plan filed with division superintendent
  • Consequence: Home instruction shall cease and the parent must make other arrangements per Section 22.1-254
Practical tip: Submit evidence of progress to the division superintendent by August 1 following the school year: a composite score in or above the fourth stanine on a nationally normed achievement test (or an equivalent ACT, SAT, or PSAT score), or an evaluation the superintendent accepts, such as a letter from a licensed teacher or a person with a master's degree or higher. Children under six as of September 30 are exempt (Va. Code 22.1-254.1(C)).

See our full assessment guide for Virginia for details.

Va. Code §22.1-254.1(C)

Reporting

Varies by pathway. Option I -- Parent Holds High School Diploma: "08-01"; Option II -- Parent is a Qualified Teacher: undefined; Option III -- Program of Study or Curriculum: undefined; Option IV -- Evidence of Ability to Provide Adequate Education: undefined; Religious Exemption: undefined

Annual renewal
Required by August 15
Evidence required:
standardized test or evaluation
Submission deadline:
08-01
Practical tip: File your notice by August 15 each year, and submit evidence of progress by August 1 following each school year (Va. Code 22.1-254.1(B), (C)).

Va. Code §22.1-254.1(A), (C)

Instructor qualifications

Varies by pathway. Option I -- Parent Holds High School Diploma: true; Option II -- Parent is a Qualified Teacher: true; Option III -- Program of Study or Curriculum: true; Option IV -- Evidence of Ability to Provide Adequate Education: true; Religious Exemption: false

The instructor must have a high school diploma or GED.

Documentation of qualifications is required.

Va. Code §22.1-254.1(A)(i)

Other ways to homeschool in Virginia

This checklist covers Option I -- Parent Holds High School Diploma, the most common pathway. Virginia offers 5 different ways to homeschool, each with different requirements:

  • •
    Option I -- Parent Holds High School Diploma(this checklist) : You notify your division superintendent by August 15 each year, with a description of the curriculum (limited to a list of subjects to be studied) and evidence that you hold a high school diploma (Va. Code 22.1-254.1(A)(i), (B)). If you begin home instruction or move into the division after the school year has begun, notify the superintendent as soon as practicable and comply within 30 days. By August 1 after each year, you provide evidence of progress: a composite score in or above the fourth stanine on a nationally normed achievement test (or an equivalent ACT, SAT, or PSAT score), or an evaluation the superintendent accepts, such as a letter from a licensed teacher or a person with a master's degree or higher, or a report card or transcript from a college, college distance learning program, or home-education correspondence school (22.1-254.1(C)). No required subjects, hours, or recordkeeping.
  • •
    Option II -- Parent is a Qualified Teacher : You file a Notice of Intent with your local superintendent by August 15 each year, including a curriculum description and evidence that you are a teacher of qualifications prescribed by the Virginia Board of Education (Va. Code 22.1-254.1(A)(ii)). Same annual assessment requirement as Option I.
  • •
    Option III -- Program of Study or Curriculum : You provide your child with a program of study or curriculum, which may be delivered through a correspondence course, a distance learning program, or in any other manner (Va. Code 22.1-254.1(A)(iii)), and file a Notice of Intent with your local superintendent by August 15. No specific parent credential is required. Annual assessment is still required.
  • •
    Option IV -- Evidence of Ability to Provide Adequate Education : You file a Notice of Intent with your local superintendent by August 15, along with evidence that you are able to provide an adequate education for your child. No specific credential is required. Annual assessment is still required.
  • •
    Religious Exemption : Under Va. Code 22.1-254(B)(1), a school board shall excuse from school attendance a pupil who, together with the parents, is conscientiously opposed to attendance at school by reason of bona fide religious training or belief. Political, sociological, or philosophical views or a merely personal moral code do not qualify. Under 22.1-254(I), Article 1, which includes the home instruction statute 22.1-254.1, does not apply to a child excused this way. The statute sets no filing deadline and no renewal requirement, so procedures vary by school board. Confirm with your school board what it expects.

Our wizard helps you choose the right one. Compare all pathways for Virginia

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 Virginia checklist

Requirements sourced from Va. Code Section 22.1-254.1. Last reviewed October 2026