How to Homeschool in Vermont (2026): Annual Enrollment, the Assessment, and What the Law Requires

Vermont's Home Study Law

Vermont Statutes Title 16 Section 166b sets the rules for home study, which is Vermont's term for home schooling. The law asks three things each year: enroll your home study program with the Vermont Agency of Education, cover a minimum course of study in a set of required fields, and file an assessment of your child's progress. There is no parent credential requirement, and enrollment is a notice rather than an approval you wait on.

Vermont's compulsory school age runs from 6 through 16. A child in that range who is not enrolled in a public or approved independent school must be enrolled in a home study program with the Agency of Education. Filing that enrollment is the step that places your home school within the law.

The annual cycle, enroll, teach the required fields, complete the assessment, then re-enroll with the assessment attached, is the rhythm of home study in Vermont. Understanding the cycle before you start means no year catches you off guard. The enrollment and the assessment are connected, which is worth holding in mind from the beginning.

Filing Your Annual Enrollment

Each year, file a home study enrollment notice with the Vermont Agency of Education. File at least ten business days before the date you intend to start instruction for the year. The Agency provides the enrollment form and accepts filings through its home study office. Count the ten business days on the calendar before your target start date so you give yourself enough lead time.

The enrollment notice carries more detail than a simple letter of intent. It includes the child's name and age, contact information for the parent and the instructor, a description of the content you will cover in each required field, the name of your resident school district, the people who will provide instruction in each subject, and, for a child who was enrolled in home study the previous year, that year's assessment of progress. Keep a copy of each year's enrollment and any confirmation you receive.

Before you write your content descriptions, run a free reading and academic assessment so you know where your child stands. That baseline helps you write accurate descriptions and choose the right level of materials for the year ahead.

The Minimum Course of Study

Vermont names a minimum course of study your home study program must cover each year. The required fields are basic communication, including reading, writing, and the use of numbers; citizenship, history, and government in Vermont and the United States; physical education and health education; English, American, and other literature; the natural sciences; and the fine arts.

You describe the content you will cover in each of these fields as part of your enrollment, which is why some planning before you file pays off. Vermont does not dictate which curriculum or textbooks you use, and the Agency does not review or approve your materials before you begin. You choose the approach that fits your child. Most standard home study curriculum packages from established publishers cover the required fields in a structured sequence. If you build your own program from individual resources, check it against the required field list so each area is represented through the year.

The full planning guide walks through how to map the required fields to a curriculum before you purchase anything, so your content descriptions for the enrollment are accurate and your year has a clear scope before you start.

The Annual Assessment

Vermont requires an assessment of your child's progress each year, and it gives you three ways to meet it. The first is a report by a Vermont licensed teacher who has met with your child and reviewed a portfolio of the child's work. The second is the complete results of a standardized achievement test. The third is a report by the instructor, meaning you, accompanied by a portfolio of the child's work for the year.

The assessment you complete for one year is included with your enrollment filing for the next year. That connection is the hinge of the annual cycle. Choose your assessment method early in the school year so you are building toward it throughout the year rather than assembling it at the deadline. If you use the instructor report with a portfolio, keep representative work samples from the start of the year so the portfolio builds organically. If you choose a licensed teacher or a standardized test, arrange it in the spring so the results or the report are ready when you re-enroll.

Keeping dated work samples in a folder throughout the year is a low-effort habit that makes the portfolio-based options far easier to prepare. If your child moves from one grade to the next, a folder of dated work gives you a concrete record of progress that both the assessment and any future transcript questions can draw from.

What Vermont Does Not Require

It helps to see what is not on the list. Vermont does not require a parent teaching credential. Enrollment is a notice rather than an approval, so you do not wait for the Agency to grant permission before you begin, as long as you filed within the timeline. The Agency does not approve your curriculum or send an inspector to your home, and there is no set minimum number of instructional hours for home study programs.

That leaves the day-to-day teaching in your hands, with the enrollment and the assessment as the two annual anchors. Keeping organized records, your content descriptions, work samples, and your assessments, makes both anchors easier each year. Those records also make building a high school transcript far easier when your student reaches those grades.

Withdrawing from a Vermont Public School

If your child is currently enrolled in a Vermont public school, file your home study enrollment with the Agency of Education and notify your child's school that you are withdrawing. Keep copies of both. Filing the enrollment and informing the school closes out the public enrollment and prevents absences from being recorded as truancy while records are updated at the school and district level.

If your child has an Individualized Education Program, the mandatory special education services provided through the public school end when you withdraw. Vermont may make some services available to home study students on a limited basis, so ask your district what remains available after withdrawal. Contact your district's special education office before withdrawing if services are in place and you want to understand your options.

High School, Transcripts, and Diplomas in Vermont

Vermont does not set graduation requirements or diploma standards for home study families, and there is no state approval process for a home study diploma. You establish the graduation requirements, track credits through grades 9 to 12, and issue the diploma when your student meets them. A parent-issued Vermont home study diploma and transcript are accepted by the state's public colleges, employers, and professional licensing boards.

The University of Vermont, Vermont State University campuses, and the Community College of Vermont all review home study applications. Most ask for ACT or SAT scores alongside the transcript, so plan for your student to sit for a college entrance test beginning in grade 10 or 11. A clear transcript that lists courses by name, credit hours, and grades by year is the standard document. Dual enrollment is available to Vermont high school students through state programs, and home study students can take part; contact the specific institution or program for its requirements. The full high school planning guide walks through building a four-year curriculum, structuring a transcript, and preparing a college application from a Vermont home study program.

A Note from Homeschool Teacher Guide: What This Really Means for You

Vermont runs on a cycle, and once you see the cycle it is manageable. The two anchors are enrollment and the assessment, and they connect: the assessment you finish this year rides along with next year's enrollment. We would build the assessment as you go rather than at the end, especially if you choose the instructor report with a portfolio, because saving work samples from week one turns a stressful deadline into simple assembly.

The enrollment itself rewards a little planning, since you describe the content for each required field as part of the filing. Sketch your year before you file so those descriptions match what you will teach. Mind the ten-business-day lead time so you are filing ahead of your start date, not scrambling after it. Handle the enrollment and the assessment on schedule, cover the required fields through the year, and Vermont's framework holds together year after year. Our planning guide can help you map the required fields to a curriculum before you file, so your content descriptions are grounded in a real plan.