Below is a summary of New York Homeschool Laws to help you ensure your homeschool is compliant.
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Note: The information below is not to be considered legal advice. I’m a homeschool mom with an interest in helping you, not a lawyer. I strongly recommend that you contact your state education department if you have questions specific to your circumstances.
Homeschool
New York has several requirements including notification, planning documents, quarterly reports, annual assessments, attendance, and required subjects
Can I Teach?
There is no requirement for you to meet in order to teach.
Do I Have to Notify the State?
Yes. Homeschooling in New York will mean ongoing communication of records to the school district.
Notice of Intent to Homeschool
You must provide a notice of your intent to homeschool to your local superintendent by July 1st of each year, or within 14 days of starting instruction (when starting after the beginning of the school year or moving into a school district).
Individualized Home Instruction Plan (IHIP)
The superintendent’s office will send you a form to submit your Individualized Home Instruction Plan (IHIP). You must complete and return this form and your IHIP within four weeks of receipt, or August 15th, whichever is later.
If you need assistance completing these forms, contact the school district and they should be able to help you.
The IHIP needs to include the following information:
- Child’s age, name, and grade level
- Syllabi, curriculum materials, textbooks, or the plan of instruction to be used in each of the required subjects (more below)
- Dates when you will submit your quarterly reports (see below)
- Names of the individuals providing instruction
- If applicable, a statement that your child will be enrolled for at least 12 semester hours or its equivalent through full-time study at a degree-granting institution
Quarterly Reports
You must submit quarterly reports to your local superintendent containing the following:
- Number of hours of instruction in the quarter
- Description of material covered in each subject listed in your IHIP
- A grade or written narrative in each subject
- If applicable, a statement explaining why less than 80% of the material in any planned subject was completed.
Annual Assessments
You must submit the results of an annual assessment with your fourth quarterly report. New York prefers this assessment to be a standardized test such as:
- Iowa Test of Basic Skills
- California Achievement Test
- Stanford Achievement Test
- Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills
- Metropolitan Achievement Test
- A State Education Department Test
- Another test approved by the State Education Department
There are four ways that your child can be tested:
- At a public school by professional staff
- At a registered nonpublic school by its professional staff
- At an unregistered nonpublic school by its professional staff, with consent from the superintendent of the school district
- At your home or any other reasonable location by a New York state-certified teacher or by another qualified person, with consent from the superintendent of the school district
If you choose not to do a standardized test, there are alternatives.
For grades 1-3, you can submit a written narrative of your child’s progress that was prepared by a New York state-certified teacher, a home instruction peer group review panel, or another person who has interviewed your child and reviewed a portfolio of his or her work.
For grades 4-8, you can submit a narrative as described above, but you cannot do it more than every other year. Your child must take a standardized test at least every other year.
Attendance Records
You must keep attendance records to submit with your quarterly reports. Make sure this includes days and hours of instruction.
Required Subjects
New York requires you to teach the following core subjects:
Grades 1-6
- Arithmetic
- Reading
- Spelling
- Writing
- Geography
- US History
- Science
- Health Education
- Music
- Visual Arts
- Physical Education
- Bilingual Education
Grades 7-8
- English
- History
- Geography
- Science
- Mathematics
- Physical Education
- Health Education
- Art
- Music
- Practical Arts
- Library Skills
At least once between Grades 1-8
- US History
- New York State History
- US Constitution
- NY Constitution
Grades 9-12
- English
- Social Studies
- American History
- Government
- Economics
- Mathematics
- Science
- Art and/or Music
- Health Education
- Physical Education
- 3 Elective Units
At least once between Grades K-12
- Patriotism and Citizenship
- Health Education regarding alcohol
- Drug and tobacco misuse
- Highway Safety, Traffic Regulations, and Bicycle Safety
- Fire and Arson Prevention and Safety
How Many Days a Year do I Have to Teach?
New York requires at least 180 days of instruction per year. That’s 45 days per quarter.
For Grades 1-6, you are required to provide 900 hours of instruction each year. That’s 225 hours per quarter.
For Grades 7-12, you are required to provide 990 hours of instruction each year. That’s just under 250 hours per quarter.
Compulsory Attendance Age
The compulsory attendance age is the age range in which your child must be attending school of some type.
In New York, if your child is 6 years old on or before December 1st of the current school year they must be enrolled. They must be enrolled until the last day of the school year when they turn 16 years old or have graduated.
Some school districts may have raised the attendance age from 16 to 17 years old, so check with your local district to make sure.
Public School Sports
New York does not allow homeschool students to participate in extracurricular activities.
I recommend seeing if a local private school will allow your child to participate. If not, there may be homeschool groups or club activities your child can participate in.
Wrapping Up
Hopefully this summary of New York Homeschool Laws gets you started on your homeschool journey with your family!
If you’re just getting started, you’re probably feeling a bit overwhelmed.
The Home Learning Kit can help!
It’s a package of handy learning tools to make your homeschool more fun and engaging, curated by yours truly. Check it out!
