Homeschooling in New York: the law and how to start

Yes. New York's compulsory education law requires children of compulsory age to receive full-time instruction, and that instruction can be given at home if it is "substantially equivalent" to what the local public school provides and is given by a competent teacher.

The rules for home instruction are set out in Commissioner's Regulation 100.10 (8 NYCRR 100.10). Day-to-day oversight sits with your local school district superintendent rather than with the State Education Department, so you'll deal mainly with your district.

• Send a notice of intent. Write to the superintendent of your school district of residence by July 1 each year. If you begin homeschooling during the school year, send it within 14 days of starting.
• Wait for the district's packet. Within 10 business days of receiving your notice, the district must send you a copy of Regulation 100.10 and an IHIP form.
• Submit your IHIP. Within four weeks of receiving those materials, or by August 15, whichever is later, submit the Individualized Home Instruction Plan. It lists your child's name, age and grade, the curriculum or materials for each required subject, the dates you'll submit quarterly reports, and the names of the people teaching.
• District review. The district reviews the IHIP for compliance and must respond to letters of intent and IHIPs at any point in the school year.

If your child is currently enrolled in school, your notice of intent to the superintendent is what moves your child to home instruction. Let the school know the date your child will stop attending so they are not marked absent.

Regulation 100.10 sets required subjects by grade band:

• Grades 1–6: arithmetic, reading, spelling, writing, English language, geography, United States history, science, health education, music, visual arts and physical education.
• Grades 7–8: English, history and geography, science and mathematics, plus physical education, health, art, music, practical arts and library skills.
• Grades 9–12: English, social studies (including American history, participation in government and economics), mathematics, science, art or music, health, physical education and electives.

Some topics are also required at certain points, such as patriotism and citizenship, the dangers of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, highway safety and fire safety. Instruction must total at least 900 hours a year in grades 1–6 and 990 hours a year in grades 7–12.

You file four quarterly reports on the dates in your IHIP. Each one gives the hours of instruction for the quarter, a description of the material covered in each subject, a grade or written narrative for each subject, and an explanation if less than 80% of the planned material was covered.

With the fourth quarterly report you also file an annual assessment:

• Standardized test: a commercially published, norm-referenced achievement test. A composite score above the 33rd percentile on national norms, or one year's academic growth, is considered adequate.
• Written narrative: an evaluation by a certified teacher, a home instruction peer review panel or another qualified person agreed with the superintendent. It can be used in grades 1–3, and no more than every other year in grades 4–8. Grades 9–12 must use a test every year.

If the assessment is not adequate, the home instruction program is placed on probation for up to two school years and you submit a remediation plan. Keep copies of your IHIP, quarterly reports and assessments.

Home-instructed students do not receive a New York State high school diploma. When your child completes the grade 9–12 requirements, you can ask your superintendent for a letter of substantial equivalency confirming that the instruction was substantially equivalent to a four-year high school course. The letter attests to instruction received, not to grades or mastery.

NYSED guidance says that for college admission in New York, a home-instructed student can meet the high school requirement where the superintendent certifies substantial equivalence; the superintendent's letter is the documentation a college keeps on file.

NYSED does not accept homeschool diplomas or online high school diplomas in some of its own processes, and instead asks for the superintendent's letter. A high school equivalency credential is another option for some students.

Interscholastic sports are generally closed to homeschoolers: NYSED's home instruction Q&A explains that Commissioner's Regulation 135.4 requires interscholastic athletes to be enrolled in the public school.

The same guidance says home-instructed children may take part in school-sponsored club activities and recommends that school boards adopt a policy on this. Ask your district what it allows.

If your child has or may have a disability, contact your district's Committee on Special Education. Under federal law, districts must locate and evaluate children with disabilities who live in the district, including those taught at home.

Bills in the 2025–2026 legislative session (Assembly Bill A323 and its amended versions) would lower New York's compulsory school starting age from 6 to 5. As of October 2026 this had not been confirmed as law, so the starting age remains 6. The kindergarten rules in Education Law 3205 that let districts require kindergarten for 5-year-olds do not apply to children in home instruction.

New York has statewide and regional homeschool organizations, along with many local support groups and co-ops that share curriculum ideas and help with the IHIP and quarterly report process. Your district's home instruction office can answer questions about its own timelines and forms.