Homeschooling in Alaska: the law and how to start

Yes. Alaska's compulsory attendance law applies to children aged 7 to 16, but it lists several exemptions. The one most homeschoolers rely on was added in 1997: a child is exempt if they are being educated in the child's home by a parent or legal guardian. This option has no notice, testing, subject or record-keeping rules.

Other legal routes exist too:

• Public correspondence (homeschool) programs. Alaska school districts run correspondence programs for families who want to homeschool, and some are open statewide. Your child is a public school student, and the program gives you a student allotment for approved education expenses.
• Private or religious school. Some families operate as, or enroll in, a private or religious school, which has its own reporting duties to the state and district.
• Certified tutor. A tutor holding a valid Alaska teaching certificate can provide instruction.
• School board exemption. A local school board can approve an exemption when it is satisfied the child is receiving an equivalent education.

Under the homeschool statute: there is nothing to file with the state. If your child has never been enrolled in school, you can simply begin. If your child is enrolled, send the school a short written note that you are withdrawing them to homeschool so they aren't recorded as absent, and keep a copy.

Through a correspondence program: pick a program from the state's Correspondence School Directory (district or statewide), apply directly to that program, and complete its enrollment steps. Because the program is a public school, enrolling there transfers your child out of their current school.

Before you decide, compare what each route asks of you. Independent homeschooling gives you the most freedom but no public funding; correspondence programs provide an allotment, curriculum support and a contact teacher, but you follow their plan and testing rules.

The homeschool statute does not set subjects, days or hours. You choose what and how to teach.

Correspondence programs are different: each student has an individual learning plan agreed with the program, and the program monitors progress against it. Ask a program what it expects before you enroll.

If you homeschool under the statute, there is no required testing, evaluation or record-keeping. Keeping your own records — work samples, books used and grades — is still a good idea, especially for high school.

Correspondence students are public school students, so they take part in statewide assessments and their program reviews their progress during the year.

Independent homeschoolers in Alaska issue their own transcripts and diplomas. Keep a running record of courses, credits and grades from ninth grade on.

Correspondence programs are public schools and can award a district diploma if your child meets the program's graduation requirements. If a public school diploma matters to you, ask about requirements early.

Alaska law (AS 14.30.365) lets some full-time students in grades 9–12 who are in an 'alternative education program' — a term that includes accredited home school programs — take part in interscholastic activities at a public school, subject to the school's and the athletic association's eligibility rules. Students generally participate at the school in their attendance area, or with approval from the school's governing body.

Because correspondence students are public school students, they often have easier access to activities. Ask your program and the local school what applies to your child.

If your child has a disability, contact your local school district about evaluations and services.

Alaska has no education savings account for independent homeschoolers. The public money available to homeschooling families comes through correspondence program allotments, which the program spends, or lets you spend, on approved materials and services. The amount varies by program and by year.

Allotments were challenged in court. In 2024 a superior court judge ruled parts of the correspondence law unconstitutional, but the Alaska Supreme Court reversed that ruling in June 2024 and, in its full 2025 opinion, held that the correspondence and allotment statutes are not unconstitutional on their face. The court left open whether particular uses — such as paying private school tuition — are allowed, so check your program's current spending rules.