TL;DR
To homeschool high school in Nebraska, file for exempt school status with the Nebraska Department of Education each year, set your own graduation requirements, keep a transcript, and issue the diploma yourself. You file two forms, a Statement of Election and Assurances and an Authorized Parent Representative Form, online or by mail, and no teaching certificate or college degree is required. As of July 18, 2026, state statute bars anyone convicted of certain felony offenses from monitoring or providing instruction at an exempt school, and a separate provision blocks a new exempt school election during an active child abuse investigation involving the filing parent. Nebraska requires no testing and sets no graduation requirements, so a parent-issued diploma is what your student carries. The Access College Early scholarship can pay tuition and mandatory fees for dual credit, though eligibility is income based. Confirm current rules with the NDE.
Verified July 2026 against Nebraska Department of Education Exempt School Program guidance, Rule 13 and Section 79-1601, including statute revisions effective July 18, 2026, and Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education rules for the Access College Early scholarship. A revised Rule 13 was pending approval at the time of writing, so confirm the current rule and filing date at education.ne.gov.
Nebraska High School at a Glance
| Legal basis | File for exempt school status with the NDE each year under Rule 13 and Section 79-1601 |
|---|---|
| New for 2026 | Statute effective July 18, 2026 bars certain felony convictions among those instructing |
| State graduation requirements | None set for homeschoolers; you set your own |
| Who issues the diploma | You do; the state does not |
| ACE scholarship | Pays tuition and mandatory fees for dual credit; income based, first come first served |
| College admission | Parent transcript plus an ACT or SAT score; Nebraska colleges admit homeschool graduates |
How Homeschool High School Works in Nebraska
Nebraska calls home schools exempt schools, meaning private schools that elect not to meet state approval or accreditation requirements under Section 79-1601. You file for that status with the Nebraska Department of Education, submitting a Statement of Election and Assurances along with an Authorized Parent Representative Form, either through the state's online exempt school portal or on paper by mail or drop-off, and you refile each year. Nebraska asks for no teaching certificate, no college degree, no standardized testing, and no portfolio, and it sets no graduation requirements. So through high school you decide what your diploma requires, you keep the transcript, and you issue the diploma. A parent-issued Nebraska homeschool diploma is valid for college, work, and the military, with no GED required. We cover the filing in the Nebraska homeschooling guide.
What Changed in 2026
Two changes deserve your attention this year. State statute revisions effective July 18, 2026 provide that anyone monitoring or providing instruction at an exempt school must not have been convicted of certain felony offenses, including offenses under sections 28-319 to 28-322.05 and related child abuse and neglect statutes. For most families this changes nothing, but it is now a condition of operating your exempt school, so read the current Statement of Election and Assurances rather than reusing last year's understanding of it. Separately, Section 28-711.01 now blocks a parent who is the subject of an active child abuse or neglect investigation from transferring or disenrolling a student for fourteen days after notice, and any new exempt school election filed during that window is invalid. On top of both, a revised Rule 13 was pending the Governor's approval when this was written, so check the NDE exempt school page before you file, since forms and dates can shift with a new rule.
Set Graduation Requirements and Build the Transcript
Because Nebraska sets no requirements for homeschoolers, you set your own, often modeled on a standard college-prep pattern: four years of English, three or four of math, three of science and social studies, plus electives, the arts, and physical education. Write the plan at the start of ninth grade and build the transcript as you go, listing each course, its credits, and the grade, with a cumulative grade average. Nebraska requires no testing, which means your transcript and an outside test score carry the whole weight for admissions, so keep the record detailed and signed and plan an ACT or SAT even though the state does not ask for one.
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Paying for College Credit Early: The ACE Scholarship
Nebraska's Access College Early scholarship, run by the Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education, pays the tuition and mandatory fees for high school students taking college courses through dual or early enrollment at Nebraska colleges. Be clear on what it does not cover: matriculation fees, specific course fees, books, and supplies stay with you. Eligibility is income based, which sets it apart from the open-to-all programs some states run. A student qualifies through participation in a federal need-based program, through documented extreme hardship affecting family income, or through a designated Career Education program. Awards are first come, first served against limited funding, applications are filed per term, and a student cannot apply once high school enrollment is complete. Because the application asks students to select a high school, exempt school families should call the Commission before the term to confirm how to file. Even without ACE, Nebraska community colleges enroll homeschooled juniors and seniors at their own dual credit rates, so ask about those too. We link the details in our Nebraska homeschooling guide.
Issue the Diploma and Apply to College
Nebraska colleges admit homeschool graduates on a parent-created transcript paired with a test score, and that includes the University of Nebraska campuses at Lincoln, Omaha, and Kearney, Creighton, and the state's community colleges. Since Nebraska requires no testing during high school, the ACT or SAT is the outside measure admissions officers rely on, so plan it for junior year with room to retake. Dual credit coursework, funded or self-paid, does the same job from another angle by putting graded college work on an official transcript. When your student meets the requirements you set, you issue the diploma, dated and signed, and it stands for college, employment, and the military. Our step-by-step guide is a useful resource for planning the high school years.
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Students With Learning Differences
If your student had an Individualized Education Program in public school, those services end when you file for exempt school status, and that includes high school. You can build accommodations into your own program, and college disability services open once your student enrolls, including through dual credit. Plan documentation early, since colleges and ACT or SAT testing accommodations can ask for recent records.
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☕ Buy us a coffee ($5)A Note from Homeschool Teacher Guide: What This Really Means for You
Nebraska asks little of you year to year, which makes it easy to file on autopilot, and this is the year not to. The statute changed on July 18, 2026, and a revised Rule 13 was still pending, so pull up the current forms rather than working from memory or from a guide written last spring. Past that, the shape of high school here is straightforward: no testing means your transcript and a test score do all the talking, so build one carefully and schedule the other early. If money is tight, look hard at the ACE scholarship, and call the Commission rather than assuming an exempt school student cannot apply. Our Nebraska homeschooling guide covers the filing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a Nebraska Homeschool Diploma Valid?
Yes. Nebraska sets no graduation requirements for homeschoolers, so you set your own and issue the diploma. It is valid for college, work, and the military, and no GED is required.
What Changed for Nebraska Homeschools in 2026?
State statute revisions effective July 18, 2026 bar anyone convicted of certain felony offenses from monitoring or providing instruction at an exempt school, and a revised Rule 13 was pending approval, so check the current forms before filing.
How Do I File as an Exempt School in Nebraska?
You submit a Statement of Election and Assurances and an Authorized Parent Representative Form to the Nebraska Department of Education, either through the online exempt school portal or by mail, and you refile each year.
Can Nebraska Homeschoolers Get the ACE Scholarship?
ACE pays tuition and mandatory fees for dual credit but is income based and first come, first served, and it does not cover books or course fees. Exempt school families should call the Coordinating Commission to confirm how to apply.
Do Nebraska Colleges Accept a Homeschool Diploma?
Yes. The University of Nebraska campuses, Creighton, and the community colleges admit homeschool graduates on a parent transcript, and an ACT or SAT score carries added weight since Nebraska requires no testing.