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South Dakota Homeschool Documents & Templates

Every document you need to homeschool legally in South Dakota, based on SDCL Chapter 13-27 (Alternative Instruction, as amended by 2021 SB 177).

These are general templates for Alternative Instruction, the most common of South Dakota's 2 pathways. Our free wizard generates personalized documents with your name, address, and district filled in.

What documents do you need?

Notice of Intent

Required. Send to South Dakota Department of Education or local school district by within 30 days of beginning alternative instruction

Notice of Intent

What to file
simple notice
Send to
South Dakota Department of Education or local school district
Deadline
within 30 days of beginning alternative instruction
How often
one time

Your notice must include:

  • •child's name
  • •child birthdate
  • •resident district
  • •open enrolled district
  • •parent signature
Practical tip: The DOE provides both a standard paper form and an online notification system. Either satisfies the requirement. You will receive a signed or stamped copy as proof of notification. The notification is kept confidential.

SDCL 13-27-7; SDCL 13-27-8

If withdrawing from school

Status
Not required, but recommended to prevent truancy concerns
Send to
current school
Practical tip: File the alternative instruction notification simultaneously with or before the withdrawal to avoid any gap in compliance. Keep copies of all correspondence with the school.

Other ways to homeschool in South Dakota

This page covers Alternative Instruction. South Dakota offers 2 different ways to homeschool, and each may require different documents:

  • •
    Alternative Instruction(this page): You file a one-time notification with the SD Department of Education or your local school district, teach language arts and math for at least 175 days, and that is all South Dakota requires. No testing, no curriculum approval, and no ongoing reporting. One of the simplest homeschool frameworks in the country.
  • •
    Alternative Instruction Program: You operate under a more formalized alternative instruction program structure, with the same basic requirements — language arts, math, 175 days, and one-time notification. This pathway is designed for organized programs rather than individual families. Most families use the basic alternative instruction pathway instead.

Our wizard helps you choose the right one and generates the correct documents. Compare all pathways for South Dakota

Get your personalized documents

These are general templates. The wizard generates documents with your name, address, and district already filled in, ready to download and send.

Get your South Dakota documents

Requirements sourced from SDCL Chapter 13-27 (Alternative Instruction, as amended by 2021 SB 177). Verified against primary legal sources. Last verified: March 2026