Guide

Homeschool Letter of Intent: Which States Require One

Published October 29, 2026

A parent and child organize school supplies together at a home table.

A homeschool letter of intent or similar notice is required in 37 states, including Kentucky and Florida; 13 states do not require one, including Alaska and Texas.

Your state may call the filing a notice, affidavit, declaration, enrollment report, or something else. Check the rules for your state and use its official form when one is provided.

Homeschool notice at a glanceNotice rules vary by legal option, and some states without a routine notice still ask for one when a child leaves public school. Check the filing details and deadlines below.

NNo routine notice required (13)
YNotice required (37)

50 states · Letters or ages identify each tile; counts appear in the legend.

Key Takeaways

Thirty-seven states require a notice or a similar filing.
Required information and deadlines vary by state.
Thirteen states do not require routine notice, though some have option-specific filings.

What Does a Homeschool Notice Do?

A homeschool notice tells a state agency, school district, or other designated office that you are educating your child at home. It creates a record of the home education program and helps the responsible office track the child’s school status.

A filing does not always work the same way across states. Some states require only basic details, while others ask for an education plan, instructor qualifications, or proof that you meet specific rules. Use the state’s official form when one exists, and follow its directions for filing and follow-up.

Which States Require a Notice of Intent?

Thirty-seven states require a notice or a similar filing to begin or continue homeschooling. The filing’s name and process differ by state: you might submit a letter of intent, register a home school, file an affidavit, or send an annual enrollment report.

Some states require a yearly filing, while others require a one-time notice or a filing only after a change, such as moving to a new district. The table below gives the filing type, deadline, and recipient for each state with a notice requirement.

What Information Does a Notice Usually Include?

A notice may ask for your child’s identifying details and your contact information, then request information about the home education program. The exact form depends on your state.

Common items include the child’s name, age or birth date, grade, and home address. A state may also ask for subjects or a learning plan, the instructor’s qualifications, signatures, or other documents. Check your state’s form for the complete list before you submit it.

When Is the Notice Due, and Who Receives It?

You send the notice by the deadline set by your state to the office named in its rules. The recipient may be a school district superintendent, state education agency, county office, school principal, or another local official.

Some deadlines fall before instruction begins; others follow withdrawal from school or use an annual filing date. When a state offers an official form or portal, use it and keep a copy of your submission and any acknowledgment you receive.

Which States Do Not Require Notice?

Thirteen states do not require routine notice for at least one home education option, though some have separate filing rules or recommendations. Check the details for your chosen option and follow any steps required when withdrawing your child from school.

Alaska: Parent or guardian home education requires no notice; the separate religious or private school option requires an annual notice of enrollment.
Connecticut: State law does not specify a notice requirement, while the state education department asks parents to notify the local district and offers a sample form.
Idaho: No notice or registration is required; formally unenroll your child from public school first.
Illinois: No state filing is required. The state offers voluntary registration, and it recommends a dated letter when you withdraw a child from public school.
Indiana: No notice is required. The state may request a homeschool enrollment report, and you tell the principal in writing when withdrawing a child from public school.
Iowa: Filing depends on the instruction option you choose. Some families file Form A, including families using a licensed teacher outside a school assistance program and families who dual enroll or choose to report.
Michigan: The home education option under state law has no notice requirement. The state offers forms for the separate nonpublic school route.
Missouri: No state notice is required. If your child is leaving public school, you can give the district written notice and ask it to remove the child from its rolls.
New Hampshire: No notice is required. An optional signed declaration is needed when withdrawing from public school or seeking access to public school programs.
New Jersey: Routine notice is not required, though the state encourages parents to tell the local board. Some withdrawals or registration issues require a separate form or statement.
Oklahoma: State law does not specify a notice requirement; the state education department recommends a written note to the principal.
Texas: No state filing is required. A district may request a letter of assurance, and a signed, dated letter stating that your child is being homeschooled and giving the start date is enough to withdraw from school.
Wyoming: No ongoing notice or curriculum filing is required. When withdrawing a child under 18, you notify the district of home-based program enrollment or give written consent in person to a district counselor or administrator.

How Do Notice Rules Compare Across States?

Deadlines range from before instruction begins to annual filing dates, and the receiving office differs by state. Use the state-specific details below to identify the filing and recipient that apply to you.

State	Filing	When it is due	Who receives it
Alabama	Church school enrollment form or private tutor statement listing children, subjects, and instruction period.	Private tutor: before instruction begins, with later reports. Church school: no deadline specified in state law for the enrollment form.	County or city superintendent of education.
Arizona	Affidavit with the child’s name and birth date, school address, and custodian details.	Once, within 30 days after homeschooling begins.	County school superintendent.
Arkansas	Notice of Intent with child, parent, school, and education details.	By August 15 each school year, or five school days before a midyear withdrawal; other deadlines apply after a move into a district.	Superintendent of the resident school district.
California	Private school affidavit.	Every year between October 1 and October 15.	California Department of Education.
Colorado	Written notice with child details and hours of attendance; a curriculum description is also required in a specified truancy situation.	14 days before the program starts, then every year it continues. No notice is required before age 6 or after age 16.	Any Colorado school district.
Delaware	Homeschool registration and enrollment, followed by attendance and enrollment reports.	Register before public school withdrawal. Attendance is due by July 31; the enrollment statement is due no later than September 30 under state law. Agency guidance gives an enrollment window through October 5, or the Friday before if October 5 falls on a weekend.	Delaware Department of Education.
Florida	Signed written notice with each child’s legal name, address, and birth date.	Within 30 days of starting the program.	District school superintendent.
Georgia	Declaration of intent with student names and ages, program address, and school-year period.	Within 30 days of starting, then by September 1 each year.	Georgia Department of Education.
Hawaii	Form 4140 or a letter with the child’s details, signed by a parent.	Before homeschooling begins. A new notice is required after certain moves or school-level changes.	Principal of the local public school the child would otherwise attend.
Kansas	Registration with the State Board of Education, including the school’s name and address.	Once, when the school is set up.	Kansas State Board of Education.
Kentucky	Letter of intent with each child’s name, age, and home address.	Within the first two weeks of the school year or within two weeks of withdrawing from public school; file again each year.	Superintendent of the local school district.
Louisiana	Approved home study application or annual attendance submission for a nonpublic school not seeking approval.	Approved home study: within 15 days after starting, then by October 1 or within 12 months of first approval, whichever is later. Nonpublic school: yearly.	Louisiana Department of Education, for the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Maine	Signed notice with parent and child details, start date, instruction commitments, and annual assessment information.	Within 10 calendar days after instruction begins, then yearly by September 1.	Local school officials and Commissioner of Education.
Maryland	Signed notice on the state form, with a choice of oversight option.	At least 15 days before instruction begins, then annually before each school year.	Local superintendent of schools.
Massachusetts	Written district notice and a proposed home education plan for review.	Before homeschooling begins; the plan must be approved in advance.	Superintendent or school committee of the resident district.
Minnesota	Initial report with child and instructor details, planned annual test, and instructor qualifications; later filings report continuation and changes.	Deadlines include October 1 of the first school year after the child turns 7, filing within 15 days after certain withdrawals or moves, and each October 1 after that.	Superintendent of the school district where the child lives.
Mississippi	Annual certificate of enrollment on the state form.	By August 15 each year.	School attendance officer for the area where the child lives.
Montana	Notice that the child attends a home school; counties supply their own forms.	Each school fiscal year the child attends the home school.	County superintendent of schools.
Nebraska	Statement of Election and Assurances and an Authorized Parent Representative form.	When the exempt school begins, then by July 15 each year.	Nebraska Commissioner of Education, Exempt School Program office.
Nevada	Notice on the state form with child and parent details, educational plan, and responsibility statement.	Before homeschooling begins, or within 10 days after formal public school withdrawal; other deadlines apply after moving or a name or address change.	Superintendent of schools in the resident district.
New Mexico	Home school registration with district, parent, child, and instructor qualification details.	Within 30 days of starting, then on or before August 1 each later year.	New Mexico Public Education Department.
New York	Written notice of intent followed by an individualized home instruction plan.	By July 1 each year, or within 14 days of starting or moving into the district midyear. The plan has a separate deadline.	Superintendent of the local school district.
North Carolina	Notice with the home school’s name and address, administrator, and teacher qualification proof.	At least five business days before starting or before the child turns 7; filed once when the home school opens.	North Carolina Division of Non-Public Education.
North Dakota	Statement of intent with child and parent details, planned activities, and required supporting records.	At least five days before instruction begins, or within 14 days of moving into a district; then yearly.	Superintendent of the child’s school district, or county superintendent if the district has none.
Ohio	Notice with parent and child details and an assurance about required subjects.	Within five calendar days after starting, moving into a district, or withdrawing from school; then by August 30 each year.	Superintendent of the school district where the child lives.
Oregon	Written notice that the child is taught at home by a parent, guardian, or private teacher.	Within 10 days of school withdrawal or the start of the school year; a new notice is required after moving to a different education service district.	Education service district for the resident school district.
Pennsylvania	Notarized affidavit or unsworn declaration with child, supervisor, program, learning objective, and health details.	Before the program starts, then by August 1 each year.	Superintendent of the school district where the family lives.
Rhode Island	At-home instruction plan covering subjects, attendance, and attendance records.	Before instruction begins; approval is required first.	School committee of the city or town where the child lives.
South Carolina	District application under Option One, or membership in a qualifying home school association under Options Two or Three.	Option One: before instruction begins. Associations report their numbers by January 30 each year.	District board of trustees under Option One, or the chosen association under Options Two and Three.
South Dakota	State form with the child’s name, birth date, resident district, and parent signature.	Within 30 days of first starting alternative instruction; a new filing is due within 30 days after certain enrollment or district changes.	South Dakota Department of Education or local school district.
Tennessee	Intent to Home School form with proof of the parent’s high school diploma or equivalent.	Any time for the first year; before each later school year begins.	Local school district.
Utah	One-time initial notification, which may be a letter of intent.	When withdrawing an enrolled child or choosing not to enroll a school-age child; once per child.	Local school board for the child’s district of residence.
Vermont	Notice on the Agency of Education form, with child and parent details, education commitments, and required signatures.	At least 10 business days before instruction begins, then annually before the start date.	Secretary of Education, Agency of Education Home Study Office.
Virginia	Notice of intent, subject list, and evidence that the parent meets a qualification option.	By August 15 each year. Families starting or moving midyear notify as soon as practicable and meet the rest of the law within 30 days.	Division superintendent of the local school division.
Washington	Signed declaration with the child’s name and age and whether a certificated person will supervise.	By September 15 each year, or within two weeks of the start of a public school term.	Superintendent of the resident district or a nonresident district that accepts the child as a transfer student.
West Virginia	Notice with child and instructor details, required subject commitments, assessment plan, and instructor qualification proof.	Once, before home instruction begins; file a new notice after moving to another county.	County superintendent or county board of education.
Wisconsin	Online enrollment report, PI-1206, with program enrollment and required program statement.	Every school year, on or before October 15.	Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

Rules come from each state's official sources as recorded on our state guides. Requirements change, so confirm with the official source linked on each state guide before you file.