Start homeschooling · Kentucky

How to start homeschooling in Kentucky

Everything Kentucky asks of a homeschool family, in order, from the state’s own sources, checked October 1, 2026. Each step links to a free tool that does it, and there’s a checklist to print at the end.

Legal options1
NoticeRequired
Days or hoursSet by the state
TestingNot required
RecordsRequired

Step by step

  1. Know what Kentucky requires

    A homeschool operates as a bona fide private school: notify the local superintendent of enrolled children each year, teach in English the subjects taught in public schools for the public-school term, and keep attendance and scholarship records.

    Required school ages in Kentucky: 6 to 18. KRS 159.010 sets a base of 6 to 16 and requires 6 to 18 statewide once 55% of districts adopt it; KDE states children ages 6-18 must be enrolled (a child who is six by August 1 must be enrolled). Teacher qualification for this option: No parent qualification stated in the statutes or KDE packet.

  2. If your child is in school now, withdraw in writing

    Send the school a dated withdrawal letter saying your child will be educated at home, and keep a copy. Kentucky also asks for a notice under this option (the next step); file it by its deadline.

    Write the withdrawal letter

  3. File your notice

    Required.

    When: Within two (2) weeks of the beginning of each school year (KRS 159.160); KDE packet (rev. 2021) says within ten days of the beginning of the school year.

    What it includes: The school's principal/teacher reports the names, ages and residence of all pupils to the local superintendent of schools (KRS 159.160). KDE: letter to the local board with each child's name, age and residence; the school must have a designated name.

    Write the notice of intent

  4. Plan your school year: days and hours

    Kentucky sets a minimum.

    KRS 158.080 (eff. June 27, 2025): operate on a school calendar with a minimum school term and student instructional year as defined in KRS 158.070 — instructional year of at least 1,062 hours on not less than 170 student attendance days (school term of 185 days includes non-instructional days). 1,062 hours of instructional time (KRS 158.070).

    Check your days and hoursMake a school calendar

  5. Cover the required subjects

    Reading, writing, spelling, grammar, history, mathematics, science, civics.

    KRS 158.080: instruction in English 'in the several branches of study required to be taught in the public schools of the state'; subject list is from the KDE homeschool packet.

    Find curriculum with lesson counts

  6. Testing or evaluation

    Not required under this option.

    KDE: no state testing required.

  7. Keep the records the state asks for

    Required.

    Attendance register (on forms provided by the Kentucky Board of Education) and scholarship (progress) reports made in the same manner as public schools (KRS 159.040); KDE: at the same intervals as local public schools. School is open to inspection by directors of pupil personnel and Department of Education officials. KDE recommends keeping a portfolio.

    Printable logsKeep them in My Homeschool

  8. Start teaching

    Put your books on a lesson schedule, and the planner spreads the lessons across your school days and moves them when a day is missed. Log attendance in a tap, and keep grades, a portfolio and a transcript as you go.

    Start a free plan in My HomeschoolAll free tools

  9. High school and graduation

    KDE: homeschools issue their own diplomas, which KDE does not recognize.

    Keep a transcriptGPA calculatorSample transcript

Official sources for this option

Not confirmed on an official page: The newer KDE homeschool packet (May 2026) returned 404; the 2021 packet was used. KDE's 'ten days' notice deadline differs from KRS 159.160's 'two weeks'. Whether the 170-day/1,062-hour definition is how KDE now applies KRS 158.080 to homeschools was not confirmed. Check these points with the state or your local school district before you rely on them; everything else above comes from the official sources listed.

Your Kentucky checklist

Tick as you go, or print it. Nothing here is saved or sent anywhere.

Homeschool Corral · How to start homeschooling in Kentucky · homeschoolcorral.com

  • Read Kentucky’s rules for “Home school as a private, parochial or church school”
  • Withdraw from school in writing (if enrolled), and keep a copy
  • File the notice (Within two (2) weeks of the beginning of each school year (KRS 159.160); KDE packet (rev. 2021) says within ten days of the beginning of the school year)
  • Set the first and last day, school days and breaks (meeting the state minimum)
  • Choose curriculum for each required subject
  • Start the required records from day one
  • Make a first-week plan and start

Questions Kentucky parents ask

Do I have to notify anyone to homeschool in Kentucky?

Yes. When: Within two (2) weeks of the beginning of each school year (KRS 159.160); KDE packet (rev. 2021) says within ten days of the beginning of the school year. What to file: The school's principal/teacher reports the names, ages and residence of all pupils to the local superintendent of schools (KRS 159.160). KDE: letter to the local board with each child's name, age and residence; the school must have a designated name.

How many days or hours do homeschoolers need in Kentucky?

KRS 158.080 (eff. June 27, 2025): operate on a school calendar with a minimum school term and student instructional year as defined in KRS 158.070 — instructional year of at least 1,062 hours on not less than 170 student attendance days (school term of 185 days includes non-instructional days). 1,062 hours of instructional time (KRS 158.070).

Do homeschoolers have to take tests in Kentucky?

No. KDE: no state testing required.

Do I need a teaching certificate to homeschool in Kentucky?

No parent qualification stated in the statutes or KDE packet.

What subjects are required in Kentucky?

Reading, writing, spelling, grammar, history, mathematics, science, civics.

What records do I need to keep in Kentucky?

Attendance register (on forms provided by the Kentucky Board of Education) and scholarship (progress) reports made in the same manner as public schools (KRS 159.040); KDE: at the same intervals as local public schools. School is open to inspection by directors of pupil personnel and Department of Education officials. KDE recommends keeping a portfolio.

Keep going

Kentucky homeschool rules in fullEvery option, by grade, with the state’s sources Moving to or from Kentucky?See what changes, side by side Kentucky scholarshipsFor homeschool students, with deadlines Plan your year, freeMy Homeschool, free while we’re in beta; an invite code is needed to create an account

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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