Homeschooling in Connecticut? Here’s your plan.

Connecticut's homeschool law is one sentence in C.G.S. Section 10-184. A parent must send a child to public school unless the parent "is able to show that the child is elsewhere receiving equivalent instruction in the studies taught in the public schools." The statute does not set hours or days, approve curricula, or require testing. State law has no notification requirement and no annual renewal.

The same section lists what all parents must instruct their children in: reading, writing, spelling, English grammar, geography, arithmetic, United States history, and citizenship, including a study of town, state, and federal governments.

Connecticut's compulsory education age runs from five years of age to under eighteen. A parent of a five-year-old may wait until the child is six, and a parent of a six-year-old may wait until the child is seven, by personally appearing at the school district office and signing an option form (C.G.S. Section 10-184).

No notification required by state law. Connecticut statutes do not require you to file a notice of intent, register your homeschool, or submit a curriculum plan. Some school districts have their own forms or requests. Because the statute expects you to be able to show equivalent instruction, keep good records of what you teach.

Required subjects. C.G.S. Section 10-184 lists reading, writing, spelling, English grammar, geography, arithmetic, United States history, and citizenship, including a study of town, state, and federal governments. You have discretion over how you teach them.

Compulsory education until eighteen. Connecticut's compulsory attendance law covers children five years of age and over and under eighteen. Plan for instruction through the teen years.

Parents' authority is protected. C.G.S. Section 10-184b says the Commissioner of Education may not use waiver powers to limit parents' authority to provide equivalent instruction.

High school diplomas. You can create your own diploma and transcripts for your homeschool.

Special education. Under C.G.S. Section 10-184a, school boards are not required to provide special education programs or services to a child educated at home whose parent refuses to consent to them. If your child has an IEP, ask your district what services are available and what consent it needs. Under federal law (IDEA), districts must still locate and evaluate children who may have a disability.

Keep records even though you do not have to. Connecticut sets no recordkeeping rule, but curricula, work samples, instruction logs, and transcripts help you show equivalent instruction and help later with college admissions or returning to public school.