NewsNew: talk to your tutor out loud and get instant feedback on every answer.

Homeschooling in Kentucky

Homeschool rules in Kentucky, in plain English

Kentucky treats a homeschool as a private school. Each year, within two weeks of the first day of school, send a written notice to your local school district superintendent with each child's name, age, and home address. Teach your children, keep attendance records and scholarship reports, and keep them available for inspection by the district or the Kentucky Department of Education.

See another state

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
6 through 16 under state law, and local school boards may extend it to 18. The state's own homeschool packet says 6 through 18, so check with your district.
Time
170 days a year or 1062 hours a year

Option 1

Home school as a private school (non-certified)

Families who want to teach their children at home without state certification of their school. The state treats this as a private school and does not approve curriculum, teachers or accreditation.

  1. Before you startGood to know

    Set up your homeschool

    Give your homeschool a name, such as 'The Smith Family Academy.' The state calls this establishing a bona fide school. There is no state registration of the name.

  2. Before you startGood to know

    Withdraw your child from public school, if enrolled

    If your child is now in a public school, notify that school in writing that you are withdrawing to homeschool.

  3. Within two weeks of the first day of school, or within two weeks of withdrawing from public schoolPaperwork

    Send the notice of intent to homeschool

    Send a written letter to the superintendent of your local school board. It must include each child's name, age and home address. The state's packet includes a sample letter. The district must accept it and cannot reject it. Older state guidance suggests sending it by certified mail.

  4. OngoingWhat to teach

    Teach your children in English

    Instruction must be given in English. The state does not set a required curriculum, textbooks or teaching methods for non-certified homeschools.

  5. OngoingRecords

    Keep attendance records

    Keep a daily or periodic record of school days. Digital or paper records are both accepted. Records must be open to inspection by the district's Director of Pupil Personnel and Department of Education officials.

  6. OngoingRecords

    Keep scholarship reports

    Keep a record of the courses your child completed and the grades earned. The state's packet recommends keeping detailed reports. These are kept at home and are not sent to the state.

  7. Every year within two weeks of the first day of schoolPaperwork

    Renew the notice every year

    The notice must be sent again each school year. The state's packet says it must be resubmitted annually.

Option 2

Certified nonpublic school

Families who want their school to be certified by the state. Certification is optional and handled by the Kentucky Non-Public Schools Commission. Read the commission's requirements before choosing this route.

  1. Before you startGood to know

    Contact the Kentucky Non-Public Schools Commission

    Certification of nonpublic schools is managed by the Kentucky Non-Public Schools Commission under the state's rules for nonpublic schools. Ask them for the current application steps and requirements.

  2. Every school yearTime

    Meet the certified school calendar

    The state's packet says certified homeschools must run at least 1,062 hours of instruction over at least 170 student attendance days each school year.

  3. Every year within two weeks of the first day of schoolPaperwork

    Send the annual notice of intent

    The state's packet says all homeschools must notify the local superintendent of their intent to homeschool each year, within two weeks of the first day of school.

Subjects to teach

  • Reading
  • Writing
  • Spelling
  • Grammar
  • History
  • Mathematics
  • Science
  • Civics

Tests and reviews

The state does not require standardized tests or portfolio reviews for homeschools. The Department of Education says it may not set curriculum, teacher certification or accreditation standards for homeschools. Your scholarship reports are the main record of progress.

Records to keep

  • Attendance records showing the days of instruction, open to inspection by the district's Director of Pupil Personnel and Department of Education officials
  • Scholarship reports showing courses completed and grades earned
  • Copy of each year's notice of intent, with names, ages and home address
  • Courses taken and grades, kept for high school transcripts

About time

These numbers apply to certified homeschools under the state's packet. Non-certified homeschools have no set minimum, but the Department of Education recommends they meet 170 days and 1,062 hours. Districts that run year-round calendars may require 185 days.

Also good to know

  • The Kentucky Department of Education does not recognize homeschool diplomas. Parents issue their own diplomas and transcripts.
  • The No Pass, No Drive driving law applies to homeschooled students, according to the state's packet.
  • Each school district decides whether homeschooled students may take part in school activities such as extracurricular programs.
  • A district's Director of Pupil Personnel may visit a home to confirm that the child is enrolled and that the school meets the child's educational needs. The Department of Education's attendance manual describes this authority.
  • If your child is enrolled in public school, withdraw in writing before starting home instruction.

What we couldn’t confirm

  • Whether a 2025 change to the state's school-term rules removed the 185-day, 170-day and eight-subject requirements for non-certified homeschools. Some third-party sites say so, but I could not confirm the current statute text from an official source.
  • The exact compulsory attendance age limit. The statute index says 6 to 16 with a local option to extend to 18. The state's packet says 6 to 18.
  • How long attendance records and scholarship reports must be kept. No official source I read states a period.
  • The required steps and documents for state certification of a nonpublic school.
  • Rules for re-enrolling in public school and how credits from a homeschool are placed or accepted.
  • Whether a notice must use a specific form. The state provides a sample letter but I did not confirm a required form.
  • Exact rules for exemptions, such as early graduation or opting out of attendance for medical reasons.

From Kentucky’s own sources

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

How Study Naturally helps in Kentucky

Choose Kentucky 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 Kentucky

A patient tutor for every child, and the records to show for it

Set each child's lessons, let them learn at their own level, and print days, time and subjects whenever your state asks. Try the tutor yourself free for 14 days, no card needed.

Questions? hello@studynaturally.com