How to Start Homeschooling in Vermont

Yes. Homeschooling is legal in Vermont. Vermont's compulsory attendance law, 16 V.S.A. Section 1121, lists a home study program as one of the ways a child can meet the attendance requirement.

Vermont homeschool law is built on 16 V.S.A. Section 166b, which creates the Home Study Program. You send the Secretary of Education a notice of intent on the Agency of Education's form. Within 10 business days of a complete notice, the Secretary or a designee sends you a written acknowledgment of receipt, and that acknowledgment is your enrollment verification under Section 1121.

There is also a second option. Section 1121 also lists approved or recognized independent schools. If you enroll in an approved independent school under 16 V.S.A. Section 166, the school handles the state requirements. In that route the school, not your family, carries the state duties: it reports its enrolled students to the Secretary of Education each October 1, provides the minimum course of study, keeps the daily attendance register and student progress records, and runs at least as many instructional hours as a public school. State law does not require your family to file a notice, test, or keep records.

Vermont requires a parent or guardian of a child between 6 and 16 years of age to have the child attend school or a home study program. This comes from 16 V.S.A. Section 1121, which also lists exceptions, such as a child who has completed the 10th grade.

If your child is younger than 6, you do not need to file anything. You can start learning together whenever you like. The paperwork begins when your child reaches compulsory age.

Here is how to start homeschooling in Vermont under the Home Study Program. These steps follow 16 V.S.A. Section 166b.

Step 1: Pick your pathway. For teaching at home, the Home Study Program is the pathway with its own enrollment process. If you choose an approved independent school instead, the school handles the state requirements, and your family has no separate notice, testing, or recordkeeping duty under state law.

Step 2: File your enrollment notice. Send a notice of intent to the Vermont Secretary of Education on the Agency of Education's form, at least 10 business days before you begin. The notice includes your child's name, age, and date of birth; the names and contact information of the parents or guardians with legal custody; an attestation that you will assess your child's progress at the end of each school year and keep the record; an attestation that your child will receive the equivalent of at least 175 days of instruction in the minimum course of study; and the signatures of the parents or guardians with legal custody. If your child has not been enrolled in a Vermont public school or Vermont home study before, include independent professional evidence about whether your child has a documented disability. Find the forms on the Agency of Education's home study page.

Step 3: Wait for your acknowledgment. Within 10 business days of a complete notice, the Secretary sends a written acknowledgment. The Agency of Education advises that a child in school should keep attending until you receive this confirmation.

Step 4: Withdraw from school if needed, then begin. Once you have your acknowledgment, let your child's school know and start teaching. Cover the minimum course of study at a level that fits your child's age and ability.

Step 5: Assess your child each year. At the end of each school year, assess your child's progress using one of the five permitted methods. Keep the record at home.

Step 6: Renew annually. File an annual notice on or before the start of each following year, at least 10 business days before your intended start date, using the Agency's form. On it, you attest that you completed the previous year and kept a record of the annual evaluation.

Your key document is the enrollment notice. You file it with the Vermont Secretary of Education using the Agency of Education's form. Forms and instructions are on the Agency's home study page at education.vermont.gov.

First-time filers submit a notice of intent. It includes your child's name, age, and date of birth; parent or guardian names, mailing and email addresses, town of legal residence, and phone numbers; an attestation about annual assessment and record keeping; an attestation about 175 days of instruction in the minimum course of study; and signatures. If your child has not been enrolled in a Vermont public school or Vermont home study before, you also provide independent professional evidence about whether your child has a documented disability. For a child with a documented disability, you attest that you will provide adaptations to support your child.

Returning families file an annual notice at least 10 business days before the intended start date of the new year.

Ending your program? Under Section 166b(c), notify the Secretary in writing within 10 business days after your child is withdrawn from home study.

The Secretary acknowledges a complete notice in writing within 10 business days, and that acknowledgment is your enrollment verification.

Vermont requires the minimum course of study in 16 V.S.A. Section 906, adapted to your child's age and ability. Section 166b sets which fields apply.

For a child younger than 13, the fields are: basic communication skills, including reading, writing, and the use of numbers. Citizenship, history, and government in Vermont and the United States. Physical education and comprehensive health education, including the effects of tobacco, alcoholic drinks, and drugs. English, American, and other literature. The natural sciences. The fine arts.

For a child 13 or older, the fields are basic communication skills; citizenship, history, and government; literature; and the natural sciences.

You have real freedom in how you teach these. Vermont does not require any specific curriculum, textbook, or teaching method. Textbooks, unit studies, project-based learning, online courses, or a mix of everything all work.

One Vermont-specific detail stands out. The citizenship field includes Vermont history and government, not just U.S. history. Field trips to Vermont historical sites can bring this to life.

Vermont requires you to attest that your child will receive the equivalent of at least 175 days of instruction in the minimum course of study each year (16 V.S.A. Section 166b(a)(5)). The statute does not set a number of hours per day or per year.

There is no attendance log to submit and no schedule to send in. Plan your year so it adds up to the equivalent of at least 175 days, and arrange your days however works for your family.

Annual assessment under 16 V.S.A. Section 166b is one of Vermont's core homeschool requirements. At the end of each school year, assess your child's progress using one of five permitted methods:

Standardized assessment. It may be given by your local school district or a testing service, or administered in a way the testing company approves. No minimum score is set.

Teacher review. A review of your child's progress by someone who holds a current Vermont teacher's certificate.

Parent report and portfolio. A summary of what your child learned during the year, plus at least four samples of your child's work.

Online academy or school grades. Grades from an online academy or school your child attended.

GED. Evidence of passing the GED.

Since July 1, 2023, families no longer submit assessment results to the Agency of Education. Assessments still must be completed each year, and you keep a copy for your child's records. On your annual notice, you attest that you kept the record of the annual evaluation.

Vermont's attendance law lists several ways to meet the requirement, including a home study program and an approved or recognized independent school.

Home Study Program (16 V.S.A. Section 166b). The pathway for teaching at home. File an enrollment notice with the Agency of Education, provide the minimum course of study for the equivalent of at least 175 days, and assess your child at the end of each year.

Approved Independent School (16 V.S.A. Section 166). Enroll in an approved independent school instead. In that route the school, not your family, carries the state duties: it reports its enrolled students to the Secretary of Education each October 1, provides the minimum course of study, keeps the daily attendance register and student progress records, and runs at least as many instructional hours as a public school. State law does not require your family to file a notice, test, or keep records.

The two pathways have different rules, so be sure you know which one you are following.

File early in the summer. The Agency of Education recommends submitting by early August if you plan to start at the beginning of the school year.

Public school courses and activities. Each school board must have a policy that lets home study students take courses and join cocurricular and extracurricular activities (16 V.S.A. Section 563(24)). Your school board's policy sets the details.

Know what the state does and does not provide. The Agency of Education notes that no state or local money is available to pay for a home study program, and that home study students do not receive grades or diplomas from the State. Keep your own transcript and course records, especially in the high school years.

Special needs families: plan ahead. Children with IEPs or 504 plans may lose district services when they withdraw for home study. For a child with a documented disability, your enrollment notice includes an attestation that you will provide adaptations. Contact your district to ask what services are available, and to ask about an evaluation if you suspect a disability.

Remember the exit notice. If your child leaves home study, notify the Secretary in writing within 10 business days after the withdrawal.

Keep your assessment records safe. Each year's assessment record is the one record Vermont requires you to keep. Store it with your curriculum notes and work samples.