Homeschooling in Kentucky: the law and how to start

Yes. Kentucky has no separate homeschool statute. Instead, a homeschool is a private school under KRS 159.030, which exempts children who attend private, parochial or church schools from public school attendance. The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) explains the requirements in its Homeschool Information Packet, most recently updated in May 2026.

KDE says it may not prescribe curriculum, teacher certification or accreditation standards for homeschools. What the law does expect is an annual notice to your local school board, a basic set of subjects, and attendance and scholarship records.

Some families instead enroll their children in an existing private or church school that supports home-based learning; that school then handles notice and records.

• Write a notice of intent to homeschool that lists the name, age and home address of each child you are teaching. Many districts offer a form, but a letter works.
• Send it to your local board of education (usually through the district's director of pupil personnel or superintendent's office) within the first two weeks of the school year. If your child is six by August 1, the notice applies to them.
• Withdrawing from public school? Send the notice within two weeks of withdrawal and tell the school in writing that your child is leaving to be homeschooled. Keep copies.
• Repeat every year. KDE says the notice must be resubmitted annually. Older KDE guidance mentioned a 10-day deadline; meeting it is a safe, conservative choice.

Kentucky's private school rules expect instruction in reading, writing, spelling, grammar, history, mathematics and civics. Beyond that, you choose your curriculum, materials and teaching style; KDE does not approve or prescribe homeschool curricula.

Kentucky public schools are required to provide 1,062 hours of instruction a year, and homeschools are expected to keep an attendance record of a comparable school term. Check KDE's packet or your district for how this is interpreted locally.

Kentucky doesn't require homeschooled children to take standardized tests or have an annual evaluation.

You do need to keep two kinds of records:

• Attendance: KRS 159.040 calls for attendance to be kept in a register. KDE says it doesn't enforce the use of a particular paper register, so a dated log or digital record is fine.
• Scholarship reports: report cards that record the courses your child completed and the grades awarded, kept in a similar way to your local public schools.

Keep them organized and up to date in case your district has questions about your homeschool.

As a private school, your homeschool issues its own diploma and transcript. Base the transcript on the scholarship reports you keep each year.

Homeschooled juniors and seniors who live in Kentucky can apply for the state's Dual Credit Scholarship, administered by the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA), for approved dual credit classes at participating colleges. KHEAA has a separate application for homeschoolers with fall and spring deadlines, and students must complete a short college success counseling session each year an award is made. For 2025–26, the scholarship covered up to two general education courses — check KHEAA for current limits and deadlines.

A 2026 bill (HB 275) proposed expanding KEES (Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship) awards to homeschool graduates; we did not confirm whether it passed.

Sports: Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA) rules require athletes to be full-time students at the member school they compete for, so homeschoolers can't play on public school teams or in KHSAA postseason events. Since a 2018 law, member schools may compete against approved homeschool teams during the regular season, and KHSAA clarified in 2023 that homeschool students on its approved list can be admitted to regular-season individual-sport events. Bills to give homeschoolers full access (sometimes called the Play Fair Kentucky Act) were filed again in 2026, but we did not find that any had passed.

Classes: Kentucky has no state law guaranteeing homeschoolers part-time access to public school classes; ask your district about its policy.

Special education: Under the federal IDEA, school districts must locate and evaluate children who may have a disability, including those taught in private schools and homeschools. Contact your district's special education office to ask about an evaluation and what services it offers.

Kentucky has statewide homeschool organizations, regional support groups and many local co-ops, plus homeschool sports leagues. Public libraries, museums and state parks run programs that work well for homeschoolers.

KDE's Homeschool Information Packet is the best single official summary of what Kentucky expects.