Virginia Homeschool Deadlines & Calendar

Initial filing deadline

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

Annual renewal deadline

August 15 annually

Send to

superintendent of the local school division

Va. Code §22.1-254.1(A)

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)).

Frequency

annual

Submit to

division superintendent

See our full assessment guide for Virginia for accepted test types and scoring details.

Va. Code §22.1-254.1(C)

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

Va. Code §22.1-254.1(A), (C)

These deadlines are for Option I -- Parent Holds High School Diploma. Virginia offers 5 pathways, and each may have different deadlines:

• •
  Option I -- Parent Holds High School Diploma(this page): 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 calculates the right deadlines for your pathway. Compare all pathways for Virginia