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Homeschooling in Hawaii

Homeschool rules in Hawaii, in plain English

Hawaii families homeschool under a notice-and-progress model. Before you start, file a Notice of Intent (Form 4140 or a signed letter) with the principal of the public school your child would otherwise attend. Each year, send that principal a progress report, test in grades 3, 5, 8 and 10, and keep a record of the planned curriculum at home.

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This explains each state's homeschool rules in plain English, from the state's own published sources. It isn't legal advice, and we aren't lawyers. Laws change and every family is different, so check with your state, your school district or a lawyer before you rely on it.

How much it asks
Detailed: notices plus tests or reviews
School age
5 through 17
Time
No set number

Option 1

Home education under the state homeschool exception

Parents who teach their own child at home. The parent is treated as the qualified instructor, and no teaching degree or certificate is needed.

  1. Before you startPaperwork

    Choose your notice format

    Use the state Exceptions to Compulsory Education form, called Form 4140, or write a letter. A letter must include the child's name, address, phone number, birth date, grade level, and the parent's signature.

  2. Before you startPaperwork

    File the notice with the principal

    Send the notice to the principal of the public school your child would normally attend, based on your address. The principal and the complex area superintendent sign and return a copy for your records. Homeschooling can begin once you submit it.

  3. Before you startPaperwork

    Withdraw from any current school

    If your child is enrolled in a public or private school, tell that school you are withdrawing to homeschool. The notice goes to the school your child is leaving.

  4. Before you startRecords

    Start your planned curriculum record

    Write down the start and end dates, the hours per week of instruction, the subjects, how you will judge mastery, and a list of textbooks and materials, with author, title, publisher and date for each book.

  5. OngoingWhat to teach

    Teach the program

    Give structured, organized instruction that is sequential and matches your child's needs. The state does not set a minimum number of days or hours.

  6. In grades 3, 5, 8 and 10Testing

    Take state tests in grades 3, 5, 8 and 10

    Your child must have test scores in these grades. Your child may take the Statewide Testing Program at the local public school, or you may pay for private testing. Ask the principal for the details.

  7. Every school yearTesting

    Submit the annual progress report

    Send the principal a report on your child's progress. You may use a nationally normed test score, a written evaluation by a Hawaii-certified teacher, or a written evaluation by you. A parent evaluation must describe progress in each subject, include samples of work, and include tests or graded assignments.

  8. After each annual reportTesting

    Respond to a progress review

    The principal reviews whether progress is adequate. If it is not, the principal meets with you and helps set a plan for improvement.

  9. When you move or change school levelPaperwork

    Update the notice when you change schools

    You do not refile every year if you submit annual progress reports. Send a new notice to the new principal when your child moves to a different school level, such as elementary to middle, or when your family moves to another school's area.

  10. When you stop homeschoolingPaperwork

    Notify the principal if you stop

    Tell the principal in writing or by phone that homeschooling is ending and where your child will go. The child must re-enroll in a public or licensed private school within five school days unless a new approved program is in place.

Option 2

Alternative educational program approved by the superintendent

Families who want a non-home program in a non-school setting, such as one run by a tutor who is not the parent. The program must be approved by the state superintendent.

  1. Before you startPaperwork

    Submit Form 4140 for approval

    Complete Form 4140, Exceptions to Compulsory Education, and submit it to the local public school. Ask for the superintendent's approval of your program.

  2. Before you startWhat to teach

    Plan to meet the state standards

    The program must address the Hawaii Content and Performance Standards. A tutor is an individual other than the parent who teaches the child.

  3. In grades 3, 5, 8 and 10Testing

    Test in grades 3, 5, 8 and 10

    The state's testing rules for these grades apply to the child in this pathway as well. Check with the principal about how testing is arranged.

  4. At the end of each school yearTesting

    Send the end-of-year report

    At the end of each school year, send the local principal a narrative progress report and report card from the professional staff or tutor. The principal may ask for more frequent reports.

Option 3

Enrolled in a licensed private school

Families who choose a licensed private school instead of home education. Attendance at a private school meets the compulsory attendance law.

  1. Before the school year beginsGood to know

    Enroll in a licensed private school

    Compulsory attendance can be met at a public or private school. The private school sets its own rules, which this guide does not cover.

  2. When you withdraw from homeschoolingPaperwork

    Tell the public school if you were homeschooling

    If you were homeschooling, notify the principal that homeschooling is ending and name the private school your child is entering.

Subjects to teach

  • Language arts
  • Mathematics
  • Social studies
  • Science
  • Art
  • Music
  • Health
  • Physical education
  • English (secondary)
  • Guidance (secondary)

Tests and reviews

Test scores are required in grades 3, 5, 8 and 10. Those tests may come from the Statewide Testing Program or private testing at your cost. Every year, send the principal an annual progress report using one of four methods: a grade-level score on a nationally normed test, a score showing one grade level of progress, a written evaluation by a Hawaii-certified teacher, or a written evaluation by you. If progress is not adequate, the principal meets with you to plan improvements.

Records to keep

  • Record of the planned curriculum, with start and end dates
  • Hours per week of instruction
  • Subject areas to be covered
  • Method used to judge mastery of material
  • List of textbooks and other instructional materials, with author, title, publisher and date
  • Filed copy of Form 4140 or your notice letter, with the signed acknowledgment
  • Annual progress reports sent to the principal
  • Test scores and private testing results, if used
  • Work samples, tests and graded assignments for the parent evaluation

About time

The state sets no minimum number of school days or instructional hours. The planned curriculum record must still list the hours per week of instruction.

Also good to know

  • Your child earns no course credits for time spent homeschooling.
  • To earn a high school diploma from the local public high school, a homeschooled child must attend high school for at least three full years, meet graduation credit requirements, and perform satisfactorily on the Hawaii State Test of Essential Competencies.
  • A homeschooled child who is at least 16 can earn a diploma from the community school for adults by completing at least one semester of homeschooling under state procedures and passing the GED.
  • If a child is evaluated and certified as needing special education or related services, those services must be offered at the home public school site when the family requests them.
  • The parent is responsible for the child's total educational program, including athletics and other co-curricular activities.
  • A homeschooled child may take college entrance exams offered to other students. The principal of the local public high school will provide written proof of home schooling on request.
  • If the principal has reasonable cause to believe there is educational neglect, the department may intervene. Refusing requests that go beyond the rules is not, by itself, reasonable cause.

What we couldn’t confirm

  • How long families must keep records. The sources I read do not state a retention period.
  • The exact due date for the annual progress report. The rules say each year but do not give a date.
  • The statute sets compulsory attendance from age 5 by July 31, but the homeschool rule's definition of school-age child uses age 6. I could not resolve this difference.
  • Some non-official sites say an alternative educational program requires a bachelor's degree. I could not confirm that in an official source, so I have left it out.
  • Whether the state requires a specific Form 4140 version or a particular format for the letter option beyond the listed items.
  • Part-time enrollment and returning to public school mid-year beyond the five-school-day rule.

From Hawaii’s own sources

Last checked against these sources on November 7, 2026. We check every state each week.

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Homeschooling in Hawaii

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