How to Start Homeschooling in Alaska

Yes. Homeschooling is legal in Alaska. Alaska does not have a standalone homeschool statute. Instead, AS 14.30.010(b)(12) says the compulsory attendance law does not apply to a child who is being educated in the child's home by a parent or legal guardian.

For the independent pathway, the state sets no notice, no subject list, no testing, and no recordkeeping rule.

Alaska's compulsory attendance ages are 7 through 16, set by AS 14.30.010(a). Every child between seven and 16 years of age is covered.

There is one special rule for six-year-olds. If you choose to enroll a six-year-old in first grade at a public school, the attendance law then applies to them. If you decide within 60 days of enrollment that first grade is not in your child's best interests, you may withdraw them, and the law does not apply again until they turn seven (AS 14.30.010(c)).

If your child is younger than 7 and not enrolled in public school, you have time to explore approaches before the law applies.

Starting homeschooling in Alaska is simple. Here is your step-by-step plan.

Step 1: Choose your pathway. Independent home education under AS 14.30.010(b)(12) gives you full freedom with no paperwork and no public funding. A correspondence study program gives you an assigned certificated teacher, an individual learning plan, and possibly a fund account, and your child takes part in statewide assessments.

Step 2: Withdraw your child from school (if currently enrolled). Alaska law does not require a withdrawal letter for independent homeschooling. If your child is in public school, you can let the principal or district office know in writing that your child is leaving to be educated at home. Keep a copy. If your child has never been enrolled, skip this step.

Step 3: If choosing a correspondence program, enroll. The Alaska Department of Education and Early Development lists correspondence programs in its Correspondence School Directory. Districts that offer a correspondence program keep enrollment open for the entire school year (4 AAC 33.421(g)), though a program that is a charter school may limit enrollment. State law requires no separate notice to the state or your district; enrolling with the program is the step.

Step 4: Start teaching. If you chose independent homeschooling, you are done. No forms. No filings. Just begin. If you enrolled in a correspondence program, your assigned teacher will work with you on the individual learning plan.

Independent homeschoolers in Alaska have no testing or assessment requirement. No standardized tests. No portfolio reviews. No evaluations. No progress reports.

Correspondence program students are different. Districts must have correspondence students take part in the statewide student assessment program (4 AAC 06.710-06.790), and the program keeps an ongoing assessment plan (4 AAC 33.421(f)). The assigned teacher reviews the student's work or progress at least quarterly. A student who did not meet standards on the most recent statewide assessment gets at least monthly teacher contact. The statewide tests are given every year: English language arts and mathematics in grades 3 through 8 and in high school years set by the commissioner, and science in grades 5, 8 and 10 (4 AAC 06.737). The district gives the tests; state law gives you no duty to report results, keep a gradebook, or keep attendance records. The certificated teacher assigns grades (4 AAC 33.421(a)(2)).

Some independent families choose to test anyway to track progress. That is entirely your choice.

Alaska gives families several ways to educate at home. Each comes with different levels of freedom, support, and oversight.

Independent Home Education under AS 14.30.010(b)(12). No notification, no required subjects, no testing, no reporting, no recordkeeping. No public funding.

Statewide Correspondence Study Programs under AS 14.03.300 and 4 AAC 33.421-33.426. Public school programs run by districts. Full-time enrollment in a department-approved program is an exemption from public school attendance (AS 14.30.010(b)(10)). Your child has an individual learning plan and an assigned certificated teacher, takes part in statewide assessments, and may have a fund account for instructional expenses (4 AAC 33.422).

Religious or Other Private School (AS 14.45.100-14.45.130). A religious or other private school can elect to follow AS 14.45.100-14.45.130. The parent files an annual notice of enrollment with the local superintendent on a department form, signed by the parent and the school's chief administrative officer. The school keeps monthly attendance records, operates on a regular schedule for at least 180 days a year, reports enrollment by grade and its calendar to the commissioner each year, and keeps permanent student records. It gives a nationally standardized test in English grammar, reading, spelling, and mathematics to students in grades four, six, and eight each year and makes composite results available to the department.

Other private school or tutoring options. AS 14.30.010(b)(1) also covers a private school whose teachers are certificated and tutoring by certificated personnel, when the child receives an education comparable to the local public schools. State law requires no notice from the parent for these routes; reporting duties fall on the school (AS 14.45.030). If the school elects AS 14.45.100-14.45.130, the parent files the annual notice of enrollment described above.

Fund accounts come only through correspondence programs. A correspondence program may provide a fund account for instructional needs in your child's learning plan (4 AAC 33.422). The district sets written standards for allowable purchases and approves each expense. Ask your program before you buy.

Know what happens if you leave a correspondence program. A student who leaves a district correspondence program may keep textbooks, equipment, and other curriculum materials from the program, including items bought with an allotment, if they are the type a student may keep when leaving a physical school in the district (AS 14.03.300(c)). Talk with your program before switching to independent homeschooling.

Keep records from day one. Alaska requires no records from independent homeschoolers, but your own records help later. Keep a list of courses and grades by year, samples of your child's work, and any test scores.

If your child has special needs. Correspondence students are enrolled in a public school district program, and a fund account may not be used to replace the district's IEP obligations (4 AAC 33.422(d)). Independent homeschoolers can still ask their district for an evaluation under federal Child Find rules (IDEA).

You issue the diploma. As an independent homeschooler, you can create your child's diploma and transcript. Correspondence programs may issue their own. Start building a transcript early in high school.