GEORGIA HOMESCHOOL LAW: SUMMARY
See common misunderstandings addressed at bottom of this page.
1. Teaching parent or tutor must have a high school diploma or GED.
2. Compulsory attendance ages are 6-16, but you should continue to report your homeschooling if your child wants to get or has a driver’s license, because the law requires all underage drivers to be in a recognized school situation.
3. The school year must consist of the equivalent of 180 days of 4½ hours each per twelve-month period.
4. At the beginning of each year, you must file a Declaration of Intent form. This asks only for your name and address, the names and ages of your homeschooled children and the dates of your school year. If it asks for anything more, you may feel free to ignore that part of it (i.e., some counties will ask you to make a mark by the names of children with special needs). This form must be filed within 30 days of beginning your first homeschool year and by Sept. 1 every year thereafter. We do not recommend waiting 30 days your first year – just go ahead and send it in right away.
5. You must send in monthly attendance forms, which show only which days your child did school and which he/she did not. You should have 180 days by the end of your school year. If part of your child’s year was in public or private school, on your last attendance form of the year, write a note indicating how many days that was and make sure your total adds up to at least 180.
Get forms from your county department of education or at www.heir.org (look at upper right side of web page for Declaration of Intent and Attendance Forms).
6. NOTE: If you are withdrawing a child from public school, do so formally so the school does not think he/she is truant.
7. You must write a progress report for each child every year. Keep these in your own records. Do not send them in to anyone.
8. You must teach reading, math, science, social studies and language arts, but you are not limited to these subjects.
9. You must test in third, sixth and ninth grades using a nationally recognized standardized test in consultation with someone trained in the administration and interpretation of norm-referenced tests. You do not send the results to anyone – you keep them in your own records. See Resources page for testing services – it’s not as intimidating as it sounds.
Georgia Homeschool code as stated on GA Dept. of Education web site (opens in pdf file): http://www.heir.org/pdf-files/homestudylaw.pdf
Keep up with legislation that could affect homeschooling in Georgia: http://www.hslda.org/hs/state/GA/default.asp
COMMON MISUNDERSTANDINGS
Local school officials, social services departments and others often misunderstand Georgia homeschool law or think they know things that they do not. This addresses some of the most commom misunderstandings.
Do homeschoolers have to report what curriculum or materials they are using?
No. The only things homeschoolers report is that they will be homeschooling (via the Declaration of Intent form) and their monthly attendance (via the monthly attendance forms). Regardless of what you’re told, you are not required to report on your curriculum.
Are homeschoolers required to use a correspondence course or accredited program?
No. Homeschoolers may use any materials they deem best for their children’s education.
Are homeschoolers required to have their children tested at a local school site or by school officials?
No. Homeschoolers take care of testing themselves. They may use a private testing service, such as Sylvan or Honors, or they may choose form a variety of testing services that cater to homeschoolers (see our Resources page).
Are homeschoolers required to keep the same schedule as public schools?
No. Homeschoolers may arrange their school year and days however they wish as long as they meet the 180-day requirement.
