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Homeschooling in Kansas

Homeschool rules in Kansas, in plain English

Kansas treats every home school as a nonaccredited private school. Register your school's name and address once with the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE), at no cost. Teach children ages 7 through 17 who have no diploma yet, using a competent instructor for about 186 days of 6 hours, or 1,116 hours a year for grades 1 through 11.

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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
Some paperwork
School age
7 through 17 (the law covers children from age 7 until age 18, or until they earn a high school diploma or GED)
Time
186 days a year or 1116 hours a year

Non-accredited private school (home school)

Any family that teaches its own children at home. Kansas law does not have a separate home school statute, so all home schools fall under the private school rules. No teaching license is needed.

  1. Before you startPaperwork

    Choose a school name and address

    Pick a name for your home school. You will also need the school's physical address and the name of the official custodian of records (usually a parent). Post office boxes are not accepted.

  2. Before you startPaperwork

    Register the school with KSDE

    File the Non-Accredited Private School Registration online at KSDE, or mail the paper form to KSDE in Topeka. Registration only records the school. KSDE does not approve it, charges no fee, and does not send a confirmation, so keep a copy.

  3. Before you startPaperwork

    Notify the previous school if a child is leaving a public or private school

    Tell the school your child attended before in writing that the child is moving to a non-accredited private school. If a child simply stops attending, the school must report the child as truant.

  4. OngoingWho teaches

    Provide instruction by a competent instructor

    Each course must be taught by a competent instructor. The state does not require a teaching certificate or degree.

  5. OngoingTime

    Meet the required amount of instruction time

    Classes must run for a period substantially equal to the public school year. KSDE describes this as at least 186 days of at least 6 hours a day, or 1,116 hours a year for grades 1 through 11. Kindergarten is 465 hours a year. Grade 12 is 1,086 hours a year.

  6. When details change or the school closesPaperwork

    Update or close the registration

    If the school name or address changes, update the online registration. If the home school closes, mark it non-active in the same online system.

  7. At graduationGood to know

    Issue your own diplomas

    A non-accredited private school issues its own high school diplomas. KSDE says the state does not recognize these diplomas as meeting any state requirement.

Tests and reviews

Kansas does not require standardized tests, evaluations, portfolio reviews, or state approval for non-accredited private schools. KSDE also says it provides no curriculum and that the Kansas Curricular Standards are optional guidelines. Court decisions on home schools have looked at whether instruction is planned, scheduled, and periodically tested, so keeping simple evidence of that is wise.

Records to keep

  • Registration copy from KSDE (the online or mailed form you submitted)
  • Written notice to any previous school your child attended
  • Attendance or instruction-time log showing days and hours taught

About time

The 186 days and 1,116 hours figures are the public school standard that KSDE applies to home schools. The standard is 186 days of 6 hours each, or 1,116 hours for grades 1 through 11. Kindergarten is 465 hours and grade 12 is 1,086 hours. The law does not require you to report days or hours to anyone.

Also good to know

  • Registration is a one-time filing. KSDE says you do not need to register again each year unless your school name or address changes.
  • Children ages 16 and 17 may be exempt from compulsory attendance if a parent gives written consent, or if the child and parent attend a final counseling session with the school and sign a disclaimer.
  • A child identified as exceptional under Kansas special education law is covered by that law and is exempt from the general compulsory attendance statute. KSDE notes children identified as handicapped may be under age 7 and still be covered.
  • Parents may withdraw a child under age 7 who is enrolled in school, and that child is then exempt until age 7 or re-enrollment.
  • Kansas does not have a state home school charter or state-run home school support program. Public school sports and activities are handled by the local district and KSHSAA.

What we couldn’t confirm

  • Whether children may enroll part-time in public school classes. Sources say this is up to each district, but I found no official state rule.
  • Whether public school sports and activities are open to home school students. Sources point to local district and KSHSAA rules, which I did not read.
  • How long records must be kept. No official source I read sets a retention period.
  • Whether the health assessment and immunization rules for first-time students (ages up to 9) apply to home schools. I did not confirm this.
  • Whether the 2025 Kansas bill HB 2763 changes the home school rules. I read only the bill text, not its effect on home schools.
  • The exact current text of K.S.A. 72-1111 and 72-53,101. I read the 2016 official statute pages, not a current version.

From Kansas’s own sources

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

How Study Naturally helps in Kansas

Choose Kansas in your dashboard and these steps sit on your home page, next to each child's work and progress.

  • Set each child’s lessons, in the subjects you teach
  • A patient tutor teaches every child at their own level
  • A learning record counts days and time against what the state asks
  • Print it, save it as a PDF, or download a spreadsheet for your files

Homeschooling in Kansas

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