Homeschooling in Alabama: what the state requires
The rules for homeschooling in Alabama, in plain English, from the state’s own sources.
Checked October 1, 2026 against official Alabama sources. State page: Alabama State Department of Education — Homeschool FAQs (ALSDE does not license or regulate church schools). Compulsory school age: 6 to 17 (parent may notify the local board in writing that a 6-year-old will not be enrolled until age 7).
Church school (home program under a church school)
Child is enrolled in a church school — a school operated as a ministry of a local church, group of churches, denomination and/or association of churches that receives no state or federal funding — which since Act 2014-245 may include home programs. Church school students are exempt from compulsory attendance if they comply with the enrollment and reporting procedure in Ala. Code 16-28-7.
For every child
| Notice or registration | Required. The parent or guardian files documentation of the child's enrollment and attendance in the church school with the local public school superintendent, on a form provided by the superintendent; the church school administrator countersigns the enrollment form. If the child leaves the church school, the church school notifies the superintendent (with the parent's prior consent). (Ala. Code 16-28-3, 16-28-7) |
|---|---|
| Required subjects | — No state-required subjects found for church schools. |
| Days | No state minimum found for church schools. |
| Hours | No state minimum found for church schools. |
| Testing or evaluation | Not required. No state testing requirement found. |
| Records | Required. Enrollment and attendance are reported to the local public school superintendent by the parent or guardian on the superintendent's form (16-28-7). |
| Teacher | No state teacher qualification found; ALSDE states it is not authorized to license or regulate any nonpublic or church school (except child-protection laws). |
By grade
No rule in this option changes with the grade.
High school and graduation
Set by the church school. For transcripts, ALSDE directs families to the church school itself.
Official sources:
- ALSDE 2025-2026 Alabama Attendance Manual (quotes Ala. Code 16-28-3, 16-28-5, 16-28-7)
- ALSDE 2015 Alabama Attendance Manual (Act 2014-245 changed definitions of private and church school to include home programs)
- ALSDE — Homeschool FAQs
- U.S. Department of Education, Office of Non-Public Education — State Regulation of Private and Home Schools: Alabama (updated April 30, 2013; cites Ala. Code 16-28-1, 16-28-3, 16-28-7)
Not confirmed on an official state page yet: Ala. Code 16-28-1 and 16-28-7 could not be read on the official code site (alison.legislature.state.al.us is script-only; alisondb and arc-sos act pages blocked). The filing procedure comes from the U.S. Department of Education's state summary (a federal source, last updated 2013), which may predate Act 2014-245; ALSDE's attendance manuals only cross-reference 16-28-7. No filing deadline or attendance-reporting frequency was found in an official source. Church school definition wording seen only on FindLaw.
Private tutor certified by the State Superintendent
Child is taught by a private tutor holding a certificate issued by the State Superintendent of Education, at least 3 hours a day for 140 days a year between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., in English, in the subjects required in public schools.
For every child
| Notice or registration | Required. Prior to beginning instruction — Before instruction begins, the tutor files with the county or city superintendent of education a statement showing the children to be instructed, the subjects to be taught and the period of time instruction will be given. |
|---|---|
| Required subjects | the several branches of study required to be taught in the public schools — Instruction must be in English. |
| Days | 140 days — 140 days each calendar year. |
| Hours | 140 days of at least 3 hours. — At least three hours a day, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. |
| Testing or evaluation | Not required. None stated. |
| Records | Required. Keep a register of work showing daily the hours used for instruction and the presence or absence of each child; report at least weekly the names and addresses of children absent without excuse. |
| Teacher | Must hold a certificate issued by the State Superintendent of Education. |
By grade
No rule in this option changes with the grade.
High school and graduation
No homeschool graduation requirements found.
Official sources:
Not confirmed on an official state page yet: Statute text confirmed only through ALSDE's Attendance Manual, not the official code site.
High school: the public-school diploma as a guide
Optional for homeschools in most states, but the credit plan most colleges and employers recognize, and a sound default for a homeschool transcript. Shown in the subject areas this site uses.
| English | 4.0 |
| Mathematics | 4.0 |
| Science | 4.0 |
| Social Studies | 4.0 |
| Physical Education & Health Physical Education 1; Health Education 0.5 | 1.5 |
| Career & Technical | 1.0 |
| Electives Career and Technical Education and/or World Languages and/or Arts Education 3; Electives 2.5 | 5.5 |
| Total | 24.0 |
|---|
Alabama High School Diploma, classes of 2026 and 2027 (Option A), Ala. Admin. Code 290-3-1-.02(8). Also: pass the Civics Exam; submit a FAFSA or a non-participation waiver; beginning with the class of 2026, earn at least one approved college and career readiness indicator.
After graduation: what to plan for
Suggestions from Homeschool Corral, not state rules. Most families keep the college path open through 10th grade, then narrow.
- 4 English, 4 math (through Algebra II, pre-calculus if they can), 3–4 science with 2 labs, 3–4 social studies, 2–3 years of one foreign language, 1 fine arts
- A one-paragraph description for every high-school course; the parent signs the transcript and diploma
- PSAT in 10th and 11th; SAT or ACT by spring of 11th; dual credit, AP or CLEP where it fits
- A log of activities, service and work from 9th grade; two adults who can recommend them
- A Scholarship Finder profile by 11th grade; FAFSA when it opens in the fall of 12th
- A diploma and transcript with 4 English, 3 math, 3 science, 3 social studies; applied math every year
- Dual-credit career and technical courses in 11th–12th; OSHA 10 and first aid/CPR; a driver’s license
- Real projects and a part-time job logged as credits, with references; visit the union hall about pre-apprenticeships in 11th
- A parent-issued diploma and full transcript, signed and dated; recruiters ask for both
- Strong reading and arithmetic for the entrance test; a practice ASVAB in 11th
- Physical fitness as a logged course; service and leadership; for an academy or ROTC, the college list plus the SAT/ACT early
- The diploma and transcript anyway; personal finance and business basics as credits
- Work experience logged with hours and a reference from 10th grade; typing, spreadsheets, a clear email
- Keep the college path open: a foreign language and Algebra II cost little now
My Homeschool turns these into a checklist for each child, with the credits recorded in Transcripts counted against the plan.
Act 2014-245 also added home programs to the definition of 'private school'; homeschooling as a private school is not described by ALSDE and was not included as an option. The 3-credit CTE/World Languages/Arts row is a merged cell in the ALSDE table; the 3 credits may be split among those areas.
This is a plain-English summary of the state’s official sources, checked on the date shown. It is not legal advice, and laws change. Read the linked official pages, and check with the state or your local school district if anything is unclear.
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