Georgia Homeschool Laws

Homeschooling in Georgia

How do I start homeschooling?

According to Georgia’s home study law, parents who wish to homeschool their child should:

1. Have a high school diploma or GED.
2. Submit annually a declaration of intent to homeschool to the Georgia Department of Education by Sept 1st or within 30 days of establishing your homeschool.
3. Choose the curriculum that best suites your families needs. In the state of Georgia this is left up to the parents to decide.
4. Teach the required subjects and no less than 180 days each year.
5. Have their child participate in standardized testing every three years after third grade. Keep records of such tests.

Georgia’s homeschool regulations require parents to:

Have a high school diploma or GED.
Comply with compulsory school attendance for any child six years old by Sept 1. Homeschooling is one way to comply.
Provide a basic academic educational program of five subjects (math, science, English language arts, social studies and reading).

Modify™ can help you with your tracking, portfolio and record keeping. Download the app today.

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Homeschool Laws

Georgia Education Code (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-690.1) establishes that “mandatory attendance in a public school, private school, or home school program shall be required for children between their sixth and sixteenth birthdays. Such mandatory attendance shall not be required where the child has successfully completed all requirements for a high school diploma.”

According to the Georgia Department of Education, homeschool parents must have a high school diploma or GED. Alternately, parents have the option to hire a tutor who has at least a high school diploma or GED.

In accordance with Georgia Law (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-690), as the parent or guardian, you need to register your homeschool by submitting a paper or online Declaration of Intent Form (online is preferred).

Note: “the Georgia Department of Education has a very limited role related to home school. The Georgia Department of Education is only responsible for maintaining the Declaration of Intent records.”

Homeschool Requirements

Georgia homeschool requirements you must satisfy when you homeschool:

Begin homeschooling by age 6.
File the required Declaration of Intent form to register your homeschool by September 1st or within 30 days after a home study program is established.
Provide instruction for at least 180 instructional days, at least 4.5 hours per day (unless your child is physically unable to comply).
Teach at least these five content areas: mathematics, English language arts, science, social studies, and reading (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-690).
Assess your child every three years beginning at the end of third grade (see details below).
Stay current with homeschooling laws and requirements.

Record Keeping

When homeschooling in Georgia, parents are required to keep the following records:

Copy of the Declaration of Intent document
Record of required testing

We also recommend that you keep the following records:

Attendance
Immunization records
Lists of texts and workbooks used
Student schoolwork samples and/or portfolios
Additional testing and evaluation results
Correspondence with school officials

You can find out more information about Georgia's homeschool requirements through your local school district.

Modify™ offers a easy and reliable place to track the necessary things and keep records for your students.

Graduation requirements

Georgia diploma requirements.
Parents determine when their student has fulfilled graduation requirements and can issue their own homeschool diploma; students of private/online schools may receive diplomas from those institutions.

Georgia high school testing requirements.
Homeschool students are also not subject to testing requirements for graduation.

Georgia high school transcripts.
Homeschool parents may create their own student transcripts, and may include any information they deem pertinent to colleges, military, and/or future workplace organizations. Download the Modify™app to create official transcripts.

Georgia high school course credits.
Parents determine when their student has fulfilled graduation requirements; for the purpose of creating transcripts, some homeschool parents do assign credits to individual courses.

GED eligibility
The same requirements for eligibility apply to homeschoolers as to public school students.

Modify™ helps homeschoolers to keep all necessary records and transcripts.

REFERENCE GUIDE:

Homeschool laws can change often, so please check for updates at the Georgia Department of Education website.

Georgia Cyber Academy
Georgia Connections Academy

Intent to Homeschool Form
Online Declaration of Intent Form

O.C.G.A. § 20-2-690.1

Note: All information on this site is provided with no guarantee of accuracy. Modify™ is not responsible for any errors, omissions, or outdated information, or for the results yielded through use of this information.

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