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Homeschooling in Vermont

Homeschool rules in Vermont, in plain English

Vermont calls homeschooling "home study." Each year, send the Agency of Education a notice of intent at least 10 business days before you start, and wait for its written acknowledgment before you withdraw your child from school. Teach the required subjects for the equivalent of 175 days, assess each child at the end of the school year, and keep those records at home, since the state does not collect them.

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
Detailed: notices plus tests or reviews
School age
6 through 16
Time
175 days a year

Option 1

Home study program (16 V.S.A. 166b)

Families who teach their children at home, alone or with curriculum or an online academy, and who file the state home study notice each year.

  1. Before you startPaperwork

    Choose a start date and gather your forms

    Pick the date you will begin home study. First-year families file the Notice of Intent Form, online or on paper, from the Agency of Education. Returning families file the Annual Notice form instead.

  2. With your first-year noticePaperwork

    Attach first-year evidence

    If the child was not previously in a Vermont public school or home study program, attach either a Vermont public school report card or attendance record, or the Independent Professional Evidence (IPE) form, which states whether the child has a documented disability. A child with a disability needs an IEP or 504 plan as the alternative.

  3. Before you startWhat to teach

    Attest to your plan

    On the form, you attest that each child will get the equivalent of at least 175 days of instruction in the required subjects. You also attest that you will assess each child at the end of the year and keep the records. For a child with a documented disability, you attest that you will provide adaptations. You do not send a curriculum outline to the state.

  4. Within 10 business days of filingPaperwork

    Wait for the Agency's acknowledgment

    The Agency has up to 10 business days after a complete form to send a written acknowledgment. Keep that letter. It verifies enrollment. Keep your child in school until you receive it.

  5. After the acknowledgment arrivesGood to know

    Withdraw from school

    After you receive the acknowledgment, withdraw your child from the public or independent school and start home study.

  6. OngoingWhat to teach

    Teach the required subjects

    Cover the required subjects for the equivalent of 175 days each school year. Vermont does not set a number of hours. Choose any curriculum or method.

  7. At the end of each school yearTesting

    Assess each child's progress

    At the end of each school year, assess each child using one permitted method: a standardized test; a review by a person holding a current Vermont teacher certificate; a parent report with a portfolio that summarizes the year and includes at least four work samples; grades from an online academy or school; or evidence of passing the GED. Keep the record.

  8. Every year, at least 10 business days before the new school year startsPaperwork

    File the annual notice

    To continue, send the Annual Notice form for the next year. It attests that you completed the prior year and kept the assessment records.

  9. Within 10 business days of withdrawingPaperwork

    Notify the state if you stop

    If a child leaves home study, notify the Secretary of Education in writing within 10 business days of the withdrawal. Notify the Agency by writing or email.

Option 2

Enrollment at an approved or recognized independent school (16 V.S.A. 1121)

Families who want the child to attend a registered independent school in place of home study. The school handles most of the enrollment.

  1. Before the school year startsGood to know

    Enroll the child in the school

    Compulsory attendance is met when a child between 6 and 16 attends an approved or recognized independent school for the full school year. Check that the school is approved or recognized before you enroll.

  2. OngoingGood to know

    Keep the child attending

    Attendance at the school for the full number of school days meets the law. If you later move to home study, follow the home study steps.

Subjects to teach

  • For children under 13: basic communication (reading, writing, and the use of numbers)
  • For children under 13: citizenship, history, and government in Vermont and the United States
  • For children under 13: physical education and comprehensive health education
  • For children under 13: English, American, and other literature
  • For children under 13: the natural sciences
  • For children under 13: the fine arts
  • For children 13 and older: basic communication (reading, writing, and the use of numbers)
  • For children 13 and older: citizenship, history, and government in Vermont and the United States
  • For children 13 and older: English, American, and other literature
  • For children 13 and older: the natural sciences

Tests and reviews

Assess each child's progress at the end of each school year, using one of these: a standardized assessment (given by the local district, a testing service, or as approved by the test company); a review by a person who holds a current Vermont teacher certificate; a parent or guardian report and portfolio with a summary of the year and at least four samples of the child's work; grades from an online academy or school; or evidence of passing the GED. Keep your record of the assessment. You do not send it to the state.

Records to keep

  • Copy of each Notice of Intent or Annual Notice you filed
  • The Agency of Education's written acknowledgment of enrollment
  • Annual assessment record for each child (test results, teacher review, or parent report and portfolio)
  • At least four samples of each child's work, if you use the portfolio option
  • Parent report summarizing what each child learned during the year, if you use the portfolio option
  • Independent Professional Evidence (IPE) form or other documentation of a disability, if it applies
  • Adaptations provided for any child with a documented disability
  • Optional: a written curriculum outline (minimum course of study). The state no longer requires you to submit it, but the Agency suggests keeping a copy

About time

The law asks for the equivalent of at least 175 days of instruction in the minimum course of study each school year. It sets no number of hours.

Also good to know

  • Public school access: home study students may enroll at their local public school for up to 2 of the 5 main courses (math, science, reading and writing, history/civics/government, literature), plus electives, athletics, and activities as space permits. Parents arrange this with the school.
  • Career and technical education: home study students may apply to their regional CTE center and, if accepted, enroll at no cost.
  • Special needs: for a child with a documented disability, you must attest that you will provide adaptations. First-year families must provide evidence of the disability or an IPE form.
  • Religious waiver: after you file, the Secretary of Education may waive specific requirements for an organized group that holds a deep religious conviction, if the educational purposes are still met.
  • Diploma: the state does not issue a high school diploma for home study students. Parents issue their own. The GED is an accepted assessment option.
  • Leaving early or excused absences: a child may be excused from attendance if the child has completed the 10th grade, is mentally or physically unable to attend, is excused in writing by the superintendent or school directors, or is enrolled in and attending a postsecondary school.
  • Filing timing: the Agency's timeline lists a cut-off for enrollments for the current school year. Check the Agency page for the year you need.

What we couldn’t confirm

  • How long records must be kept. I did not find a retention period in the official sources I read.
  • Whether Act 122 of 2026, which amends the compulsory attendance statute, changes any home study rule. I read only an excerpt.
  • The exact approval steps and forms for an approved or recognized independent school.
  • The partial-year enrollment deadline. The Agency timeline lists an April 1 cut-off, but other sites list May 1, and I could not confirm which applies.
  • Immunization rules for home study students. I did not confirm them from an official source.

From Vermont’s own sources

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

How Study Naturally helps in Vermont

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Homeschooling in Vermont

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