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Homeschooling in Rhode Island

Homeschool rules in Rhode Island, in plain English

In Rhode Island, homeschooling is legal only after your local school committee approves your at-home instruction plan. You must teach the required subjects in English in a way that is thorough and efficient, and keep attendance records. The state Department of Education does not supervise home instruction. Approval, reports and rules are handled by your town's school district.

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 17
Time
180 days a year or 1080 hours a year

Home instruction approved by your local school committee

Parents who want to teach their child at home instead of a public or approved private school. No teaching certificate or degree is required. Approval is needed each year, and the school committee decides whether your plan meets the state conditions.

  1. Before you beginPaperwork

    Enroll in your district of residence

    If your child is moving into Rhode Island or has not been enrolled in your town's public schools, the district where you live must enroll the child first. Approval is only given by the school committee of the town where the child lives.

  2. Before you beginWhat to teach

    Write your at-home instruction plan

    Plan to teach reading, writing, geography, arithmetic, United States history, Rhode Island history and the principles of American government, all in English. You may teach other subjects in any language too. Plan for about the same amount of time as public school. Describe how you will check your child's progress.

  3. Before you beginPaperwork

    Send your letter of intent to the superintendent

    Send a letter of intent to homeschool, with your plan, to your district superintendent's office. Ask the office for its own form or application, since districts handle this differently. Keep a copy and proof that it was delivered.

  4. Before you beginPaperwork

    Get school committee approval

    The superintendent passes your plan to the school committee for a decision. Do not start home instruction until the committee approves it. If the committee refuses, you may appeal to the Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education, who must hold a hearing at no cost to you.

  5. Before you beginTesting

    Agree on how progress will be checked

    You and the school committee should agree on how your child's progress will be evaluated in the required subjects. This may be testing, progress reports or another method the district accepts. If testing is used, you may hold it at home or at the public school, as you agree.

  6. OngoingRecords

    Keep an attendance register

    Record your child's instruction days and hours. The register must be kept in the same way public schools keep theirs. Keep records of the subjects taught and the time spent on each.

  7. Ongoing, as your district setsPaperwork

    Send regular reports to your superintendent

    Send the progress reports or other records your district requires to your superintendent or the person your district names for home instruction. The schedule is set locally.

  8. Every school year, before you startPaperwork

    Renew your approval for the next school year

    Many districts require a new letter of intent and plan each year. Ask your superintendent's office for the deadline and whether it wants a new approval before the next year starts.

Subjects to teach

  • Reading
  • Writing
  • Geography
  • Arithmetic
  • History of the United States
  • History of Rhode Island
  • Principles of American government
  • Health and physical education (listed in Department of Education guidance)
  • Taught in English. You may also teach other subjects in any language.

Tests and reviews

State law does not set a statewide test. You and your school committee agree on how progress is evaluated, and that method is part of approval. Some districts may ask for testing or progress reports, so check with your district.

Records to keep

  • Attendance register, kept the same way as public school registers
  • Progress reports or test scores, if you and the school committee agree to test at home
  • Regular reports sent to your superintendent or the district's home instruction contact

About time

The law requires home instruction to be substantially equal in time to public school. The Department of Education reads this as 1,080 school hours a year, which is about 5.5 hours a day for at least 180 days. Your schedule does not have to match the public school calendar.

Also good to know

  • Your local school committee must lend you textbooks, including e-books, in math, science, modern foreign languages, English language arts and history or social studies, if they are on the state approved list.
  • Rhode Island has no state rule for special education in home instruction. The Commissioner has said parents may homeschool a child who receives special education services. Districts must offer services in a way similar to services for parentally placed private school students. Contact your district's special education office.
  • Children 16 and 17 may leave school with a waiver from the superintendent, but only with an alternative learning plan for a high school diploma or its equivalent. Parents may appeal a superintendent's decision to the school committee and then to the Commissioner.
  • Some districts issue a certificate of completion for a homeschool program. Others issue certificates for individual courses. The state does not issue a diploma for homeschoolers.

What we couldn’t confirm

  • How long you must keep attendance registers and other records.
  • The name and content of any standard state notice form. Districts use their own forms.
  • Whether the state sets a deadline for annual renewal. Districts set their own timing.
  • How private day schools approved by the Commissioner work, since that is a separate route under the compulsory attendance law.

From Rhode Island’s own sources

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

How Study Naturally helps in Rhode Island

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  • 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 Rhode Island

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