A major benefit of homeschool is the flexibility it provides families. Many parents will say the biggest benefit is getting out of the fixed school schedule of a traditional education. But as a new homeschool parent, you might wonder if you’re spending too much or too little time learning. So how long is a day of homeschool? The short answer is “It depends.” States have differing requirements for the length of homeschool days. Keep reading to learn more!
General Guidelines: How Long Should Your Day of Homeschool Be?
The amount of time spent teaching homeschool should vary based on your child’s age. When your children are younger, they don’t need as much instruction time, which is a good thing because they have no attention span to speak of. As they get older, instruction time will increase.
- Kindergarten: Half an hour to one hour
- Elementary: Two to four hours
- Middle School: Five to six hours
- High School: Seven to eight hours
As you can see, these times can be quite a bit shorter than hours spent in public schools. These are general guidelines to follow, but don’t worry if you don’t fall directly into these categories. Your child might need more or less time than average and the time needed might differ based on your chosen homeschool curriculum too.
State Requirements for Homeschool Hours
Some States have requirements for days and hours spent on homeschool. Here’s a summary:
States with Instruction Day Requirements
- Colorado: 172 days, averaging 4 hours per day
- Georgia: 180 days, averaging 4.5 hours per day
- Indiana: 180 days
- Kansas: 186 days, averaging 6 hours per day
- Louisiana: 180 days
- Maine: 175 days
- Massachusetts: 180 days
- New Mexico: 180 days
- North Dakota: 175 days, averaging 4 hours per day
- Pennsylvania: 180 days or 900 hours for Grades K-6 / 990 hours for Grades 7-12
- Rhode Island: 180 days, averaging 5.5 hours per day
- South Carolina: 180 days, averaging 4.5 hours per day
- Tennessee: 180 days, averaging 4 hours per day
- Virginia: 180 days, consisting of 540 hours for Kindergarten / 990 hours in Grades 1-12
- Washington: 180 days or 1,000 hours
States with Instruction Hours Requirements
- Idaho (assuming 180 days per year)
- Kindergarten: 450 hours per year (2.5 hours per day)
- Grades 1-3: 810 hours per year (4.5 hours per day)
- Grades 4-8: 900 hours per year (5 hours per day)
- Grades 9-12: 990 hours per year (5.5 hours per day)
- Kentucky: 1,062 hours per year and must exceed 170 days per year (177 days, averaging 6 hours per day)
- Missouri: 1,000 hours per year
- Montana (assuming 180 days per year)
- Half day kindergarten: 360 hours per year (2 hours per day)
- Full day kindergarten – grade 3: 720 hours per year (4 hours per day)
- Grade 4 – grade 12: 1,080 hours per year (6 hours per day)
- Nebraska (assuming 180 days per year)
- Grades K-8: 1,032 hours per year (5.75 hours per day)
- Grades 9-12: 1,080 hours per year (6 hours per day)
- New York (requires 180 days per year)
- Grades 1-6: 900 hours per year (5 hours per day)
- Grades 7-12: 990 hours per year (5.5 hours per day)
- Ohio: 900 hours per year (5 hours per day, assuming 180 days)
- Wisconsin: 875 hours per year (Under 5 hours per day, assuming 180 days)
States with Other Requirements
- North Carolina: The homeschool must operate on a regular schedule for 9 months of the year, excluding holidays and vacations
Wrapping Up
Ultimately, the most important thing in homeschool is ensuring your child is progressing at or above their grade level, regardless of the time spent. And don’t forget that instruction time doesn’t always mean traditional lessons and study. Principles like those in Unschooling can lead to learning outside the bounds of a regular curriculum.
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Note: Nothing in this post is intended to be legal advice. Please contact your local state government agency for more detailed information.