For the latest NYS updates, check the NYSED website.
This post updated October 2022.
New York has the reputation of being a tough place to homeschool. Not true! I homeschooled two kids from kindergarten until college, so believe me when I say it's possible to educate your children at home, in a way that works for you, with minimal stress, and still meet NYS regulations.
Yes, it's true that New York, unlike some other states, requires parents to submit written reports and students (in some years) to take standardized tests.
And as a result of COVID-19 school shutdowns in 2020 and 2021, more families are homeschooling in New York State than ever. According to the Albany Times Union in June 2022, data from districts and the state Education Department showed a 70 percent increase in the Capital District, from 2,027 home-schoolers in September 2019 to 3,446 home-schoolers two years later. In New York City, where homeschooling was less popular than in more rural area, homeschooling has more than doubled, to around 15,000 students. There are roughly 55,000 homeschoolers statewide, an increase of 65 percent since the 2019-2020 school year.
School officials had said back in 2020 that they expected many students to return after a year; now it is clear that home schooling has become an attractive permanent education alternative for thousands of parents.
If you are thinking of homeschooling in New York State, don't let the rumors and misinformation scare you. Here are the facts about what it is like to homeschool in New York — along with tips, tricks, and resources that will help you cope with the regulations as painlessly as possible.
New York State Homeschooling Regulations
In most of New York, parents of students who are subject to compulsory attendance regulations, between the ages of 6 and 16 must file homeschooling paperwork with their local school districts. (In New York City, Brockport, and Buffalo it's 6 to 17.)
"The regs" — NYS Education Department Regulation 100.10 — specify what paperwork you must provide to your local school district, and what the school district can and can't do in terms of overseeing homeschoolers. They can be a useful tool when disputes between the district and the parent arise. Quoting the regulations to the district is the quickest way to resolve most problems.
Only loose guidelines are given as to what material should be covered — math, language arts, social studies including U.S. and New York State history and government, science, and so on. Within those topics, parents have a lot of leeway to cover what they wish.
For instance, instead of covering state history one year and U.S. history another, I was able to meet the requirements by covering world history chronologically from the earliest humans to the present, putting American history and local events into context as we went along.
And many everyday activities can also be categorized under various subjects, if you describe them in “educationese.”
Getting Started in New York
It's not hard to get started homeschooling in New York State. If your children are in school, you can withdraw them at any time throughout the year. You have 14 days from the time you start homeschooling to begin the paperwork process (see below).
And you do not have to get permission from the school to start homeschooling. In fact, once you begin to homeschool, you will be dealing with the district and not the individual school.
The district's job is to confirm that you are providing educational experiences for your children, within the general guidelines set out in the regulations. They do not judge the content of your teaching material or your teaching techniques. This gives parents a lot of freedom in deciding how best to educate their children.
Filing Homeschool Paperwork in New York
Click to enlarge!
Here's the timetable for the back-and-forth exchange of paperwork between homeschoolers and their school district, according to New York State regulations. Note that the school year runs from July 1 to June 30, and every year you must file new paperwork. For homeschoolers who start midyear, for that year you only need the report for time remaining until June 30.
1. Letter of Intent (LOI): At the start of the school year (July 1), or within 14 days of starting to homeschool, parents submit a Letter of Intent to their local school district superintendent. The letter can simply read: "This is to inform you that I will be homeschooling [child’s name] for the coming school year." You must also provide your address and your child’s age if asked to show that you live in the district and your child is the age of compulsory schooling.
2. Response from the District: Once the district receives your Letter of Intent, they have 10 business days to respond with a copy of the homeschooling regulations and a form on which to submit an Individualized Home Instruction Plan (IHIP). Parents are allowed, however, to create their own forms, and most do.
See My Samples of NYS Paperwork
3. Individualized Home Instruction Plan (IHIP): Parents have four weeks from the time they receive the materials from the district to submit an IHIP (or by August 15 of that school year, whichever is later).
The IHIP can be as simple as a one-page list of resources that you plan to use throughout the year. Any changes that come up as the year progresses can be noted on the quarterly reports. Many parents include a disclaimer like the one I used with my children:
Texts and workbooks listed in all subject areas will be supplemented by books and materials from home, the library, the internet, and other sources, together with field trips, classes, programs, and community events as they arise. More details will appear in the quarterly reports.
Note that the district does not judge your teaching materials or plan. They simply acknowledge that you have a plan in place, which in most districts can be as loose as you like. If you’re stuck on this step, a quick and inexpensive solution is an all-in-one homeschool workbook. Then add more resources activities as the year progresses.
4. Quarterly Reports: Parents set their own school year, and specify on the IHIP what dates they will submit quarterly reports. The quarterlies can simply be a one-page summary listing what was covered in each subject. You are not required to give students a grade. A line stating that the student was learning the minimum number of hours required for that quarter takes care of attendance. (For grades 1 through 6, it's 900 hours per year, and 990 hours per year after that.)
5. Annual Assessment: At the end of the year, along with the fourth quarterly report, parents must submit one of two forms of assessment. They are:
Written Narrative: This can be a one-line statement that the student has "made adequate academic progress according to the requirements of Regulation 100.10" (using that wording). In most districts, you may write this evaluation yourself. You may use this option every year through fourth grade, and alternate years through eighth grade.
Standardized Test: In other years, you will have to show that your child has taken a standardized test. The list of acceptable standardized tests (including the supplemental list) includes some like the PASS test which can be given by the parents at home. Parents are not required to submit the test score itself, just a report that the score was in the 33rd percentile or above, or showed a year's growth over the previous year's test. You can also request that your student take the appropriate test for their grade at your local public school, or find a private school that will allow your student to participate in testing.
Since parents are not required to submit paperwork once the child is past the age of compulsory education (16 or 17, depending on where you live), it's possible to only use standardized tests in fifth, seventh, and ninth grades. However, there are reasons to keep submitting reports (see below).
Hot Tip: Sometimes you can convince the district to bend the rules. I received permission from my district to have my children take the SAT in 10th and 11th grade. Then, in 12th grade, they took the GED to show high school completion, so no further tests were necessary.
The most common disputes with districts occur with those few who refuse to allow the parent to write their own narrative assessment statement or administer the standardized test. They can usually be resolved by finding a homeschooling parent with a valid teaching license to provide one or the other. Parents also can band together to form a peer panel and sign off on each other’s paperwork.
Points to Note:
Special education services: Students with special needs are entitled to receive services from the public school system. However, you may have to bring the student to the school to access them.
Hiring a tutor: You are allowed to have someone else do the homeschooling, whether a friend, family member, or a tutor that you hire. However, you as parent are still responsible for handling the paperwork.
Online schools: You can enroll your children in an online school, but New York State still considers you to be homeschooling. You are still required to submit homeschooling paperwork, and the state does not recognize diplomas from online schools. (See below.)
Homeschooling with other families: If you are thinking of joining a consortium or coop, or forming a homeschooling pod with other families, be aware that there are limits on how much instruction can take place in a group setting. According to the state’s “Q&A” commentary on the regulations:
Parents providing home instruction to their children may arrange to have their children instructed in a group situation for particular subjects but not for a majority of the home instruction program. Where groups of parents organize to provide group instruction by a tutor for a majority of the instructional program, they are operating a nonpublic school and are no longer providing home instruction.
High School to College
Students who homeschool through the end of high school do not receive a diploma, but they have other options to show they completed a high school education.
This is particularly important for students who want to go on to earn college degrees in New York State, since showing some form of high school completion is required to receive a college degree (although not for college admission) — both public and private colleges. It’s a confusing policy, but you can read the latest version on the NYSED website.
The most popular options for showing high school completion include:
Letter of Substantial Equivalency: Students may request a letter from the local district superintendent stating they have received the substantial equivalent of a high school education. (The letter must contain that wording.) While districts are not required to supply the letter, most do. Usually, they ask that you continue submitting paperwork through 12th grade to use this option.
High School Equivalency Diploma: Homeschoolers may also earn a high school equivalency diploma by taking a two-day standardized test. That diploma is considered the same as a high school diploma for most types of employment as well. (Note: As of 2022, NYS has returned to the GED — and you can take it online at home!)
24-Credit Program: Students who take a specific sequence of classes at community college can qualify to receive the equivalent of a high school diploma.
Rest assured that no matter how they show high school completion, both public and private colleges in New York are welcoming to homeschool students!
Available as a PDF from Teachers Pay Teachers
New York State Education Department Information
NYSED Home Instruction home page (with updates regarding changes due to COVID)
NYSED Codes, Rules, and Regulations (including homeschooling, compulsory attendance, student employment, and other issues)
NYSED Key Laws and Regulations Relating to Home Instruction (including special education, vaccinations, and going on to college)
NYSED Regulations 100.10 Home Instruction (“the regs”)
NYSED homeschooling Questions and Answers (clarification from the state on some homeschooling issues)
New York City Homeschooling Information
New York City Home Schooling information (may not apply to other parts of the state)
NYC COVID Updates to Homeschooling (including the difference between remote learning and homeschooling)
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