Homeschooling in Arkansas: the law and how to start

Yes. Arkansas law requires children of compulsory school age to be enrolled in a public, private or parochial school or to be taught in a home school. Home schools are governed by the home school statutes and the Arkansas Department of Education's home school rules (6 CAR pt. 33).

The main legal duty is an annual Notice of Intent (NOI). The Department of Education's Home School Office describes the NOI as the registration that gives you legal protection, since state law requires every child of compulsory age to be enrolled somewhere. The Home School Office can also give you a letter verifying the years and grade levels your child was home schooled, which can help with college or job applications.

• File the Notice of Intent. The preferred method is the state's online NOI system; you can also give a paper form to your resident school district. For the 2026–27 school year, submissions opened on June 1, 2026.
• Meet the deadline. File by August 15 to home school from the start of the school year.
• Withdrawing during the year? After August 15, the public school may require a waiting period of five school days after you file before it releases your child. The superintendent or local school board can waive this.
• Refile every year. A new NOI is due each school year. A notice filed partway through the year covers the rest of that year.
• Keep the district informed. Tell your resident superintendent if you move or stop home schooling.

The waiting period used to be 14 days; a 2021 law (HB 1429) shortened it to five days.

Arkansas does not prescribe subjects, a number of school days or daily hours for home schools. You choose your curriculum and schedule.

Most families still cover reading, writing, math, science and history each year, and keep high school coursework in line with what colleges expect.

There is no state testing or evaluation requirement for home schoolers.

Keep copies of each year's NOI, plus your own records of courses, materials, work samples and grades. They help if your child later enrolls in a school or applies to college.

You set graduation requirements for your home school and issue the transcript and diploma. The Home School Office can provide a letter confirming the years your child was registered as home schooled.

Arkansas colleges and universities set their own rules for admitting home schooled students and for concurrent enrollment while still in high school; ask the admissions office early.

Arkansas law lets home school students take part in interscholastic activities, generally at their resident public school, subject to eligibility rules. A student who leaves an Arkansas Activities Association member school to home school can usually take part, but cannot play a varsity sport at the resident district within 365 days of withdrawing from that varsity sport there (they may still try out and practice).

Rules on taking individual academic classes vary, so ask your resident district. If your child has a disability, contact the district's special education office about evaluations and available services.

Arkansas's Education Freedom Account (EFA) program, created by the LEARNS Act in 2023, became open to all Arkansas students in 2025–26, and the state's EFA rules expressly include students enrolled in a home school. Funds go into an account for approved education expenses; they are not cash. You still file your home school NOI separately, and EFA participation must be renewed every year.

In June 2026 the Arkansas Legislative Council approved updated EFA rules for 2026–27. Changes include Department of Education pre-approval for purchases outside core education expenses, cutting the amount that can roll over between years from $20,000 to $8,500, and allowing some community or homeschool athletic league fees while excluding sports that select players by tryout, plus equipment and travel. Check the Department of Education's EFA pages for current award amounts, application dates and spending rules.