Homeschool record requirements vary enormously between states. Some ask for nothing at all. Some want attendance only. A handful require a portfolio of work that an evaluator will actually look at.
The practical takeaway is that you should know which of three groups your state falls into, and then keep slightly more than it asks for, because the cost of keeping records is small and the cost of not having them when asked is not.
Laws change. Always confirm with your state homeschool association or department of education before relying on any summary, including this one.
Every state, and what it asks you to keep
Use the filter to find yours. The level is how much the state involves itself, not how hard homeschooling is there. Confirm against your state before relying on it, because these change.
51 of 51 rows shown
Alabama
- Level
- Low
- What you are asked to keep
- Notice through a church or private school; attendance records
Alaska
- Level
- None
- What you are asked to keep
- Nothing filed; records for your own use
Arizona
- Level
- Low
- What you are asked to keep
- Notice of intent; keep your own records
Arkansas
- Level
- Moderate
- What you are asked to keep
- Notice of intent each year; records of instruction
California
- Level
- Moderate
- What you are asked to keep
- Private school affidavit; attendance register and course list
Colorado
- Level
- Moderate
- What you are asked to keep
- Notice; attendance, immunization and test or evaluation every other year
Connecticut
- Level
- None
- What you are asked to keep
- Nothing required; portfolio only if you opt into review
Delaware
- Level
- Low
- What you are asked to keep
- Enrollment and attendance reported annually
District of Columbia
- Level
- High
- What you are asked to keep
- Notice; portfolio available for review; annual reporting
Florida
- Level
- High
- What you are asked to keep
- Notice; portfolio of work and log kept two years; annual evaluation
Georgia
- Level
- Moderate
- What you are asked to keep
- Declaration of intent; attendance; annual progress reports kept
Hawaii
- Level
- Moderate
- What you are asked to keep
- Notice; record of curriculum; annual progress report
Idaho
- Level
- None
- What you are asked to keep
- Nothing filed; records for your own use
Illinois
- Level
- None
- What you are asked to keep
- Nothing filed; records for your own use
Indiana
- Level
- Low
- What you are asked to keep
- Attendance records, produced on request
Iowa
- Level
- Low
- What you are asked to keep
- Options range from none to reporting; depends on the route chosen
Kansas
- Level
- Low
- What you are asked to keep
- Register as a non-accredited private school; keep attendance
Kentucky
- Level
- Low
- What you are asked to keep
- Notice; attendance and scholarship records
Louisiana
- Level
- Moderate
- What you are asked to keep
- Application or notice; portfolio or test results annually
Maine
- Level
- Moderate
- What you are asked to keep
- Notice; annual assessment by test or portfolio review
Maryland
- Level
- High
- What you are asked to keep
- Notice; portfolio reviewed by the district up to three times a year
Massachusetts
- Level
- High
- What you are asked to keep
- Prior approval of your plan; progress reports as agreed
Michigan
- Level
- None
- What you are asked to keep
- Nothing filed under the home education route
Minnesota
- Level
- Moderate
- What you are asked to keep
- Notice; annual testing; records of subjects and attendance
Mississippi
- Level
- Low
- What you are asked to keep
- Certificate of enrollment filed annually
Missouri
- Level
- Moderate
- What you are asked to keep
- No notice, but a log of hours, samples of work and evaluations kept
Montana
- Level
- Low
- What you are asked to keep
- Notice; attendance and immunization records kept
Nebraska
- Level
- Moderate
- What you are asked to keep
- Notice and information filed annually; attendance records
Nevada
- Level
- Low
- What you are asked to keep
- Notice of intent filed once; records for your own use
New Hampshire
- Level
- Moderate
- What you are asked to keep
- Notice; portfolio kept two years; annual evaluation
New Jersey
- Level
- None
- What you are asked to keep
- Nothing filed; records for your own use
New Mexico
- Level
- Low
- What you are asked to keep
- Notice filed annually; immunization records
New York
- Level
- High
- What you are asked to keep
- Notice; individualised plan; quarterly reports; annual assessment
North Carolina
- Level
- Moderate
- What you are asked to keep
- Notice; attendance and immunization; annual standardised test kept
North Dakota
- Level
- Moderate
- What you are asked to keep
- Notice; annual testing in certain grades; records kept
Ohio
- Level
- High
- What you are asked to keep
- Notice; annual academic assessment by test or portfolio review
Oklahoma
- Level
- None
- What you are asked to keep
- Nothing filed; records for your own use
Oregon
- Level
- Moderate
- What you are asked to keep
- Notice on starting; testing at certain grades, results kept
Pennsylvania
- Level
- High
- What you are asked to keep
- Affidavit; log, portfolio, and annual evaluator review
Rhode Island
- Level
- Moderate
- What you are asked to keep
- District approval; attendance and progress as the district requires
South Carolina
- Level
- High
- What you are asked to keep
- Association or district option; portfolio, log and progress records
South Dakota
- Level
- Low
- What you are asked to keep
- Notice; testing at certain grades
Tennessee
- Level
- Moderate
- What you are asked to keep
- Notice; attendance; testing at certain grades depending on route
Texas
- Level
- None
- What you are asked to keep
- Nothing filed; keep curriculum evidence for your own use
Utah
- Level
- Low
- What you are asked to keep
- One-time affidavit; records for your own use
Vermont
- Level
- High
- What you are asked to keep
- Enrollment filed annually; assessment and progress report
Virginia
- Level
- Moderate
- What you are asked to keep
- Notice; annual evidence of progress by test or evaluation
Washington
- Level
- Moderate
- What you are asked to keep
- Declaration of intent; annual test or assessment, results kept
West Virginia
- Level
- Moderate
- What you are asked to keep
- Notice; annual academic assessment kept
Wisconsin
- Level
- Low
- What you are asked to keep
- Annual enrollment report filed
Wyoming
- Level
- Low
- What you are asked to keep
- Curriculum submitted annually to the local board
| State | Level | What you are asked to keep |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Low | Notice through a church or private school; attendance records |
| Alaska | None | Nothing filed; records for your own use |
| Arizona | Low | Notice of intent; keep your own records |
| Arkansas | Moderate | Notice of intent each year; records of instruction |
| California | Moderate | Private school affidavit; attendance register and course list |
| Colorado | Moderate | Notice; attendance, immunization and test or evaluation every other year |
| Connecticut | None | Nothing required; portfolio only if you opt into review |
| Delaware | Low | Enrollment and attendance reported annually |
| District of Columbia | High | Notice; portfolio available for review; annual reporting |
| Florida | High | Notice; portfolio of work and log kept two years; annual evaluation |
| Georgia | Moderate | Declaration of intent; attendance; annual progress reports kept |
| Hawaii | Moderate | Notice; record of curriculum; annual progress report |
| Idaho | None | Nothing filed; records for your own use |
| Illinois | None | Nothing filed; records for your own use |
| Indiana | Low | Attendance records, produced on request |
| Iowa | Low | Options range from none to reporting; depends on the route chosen |
| Kansas | Low | Register as a non-accredited private school; keep attendance |
| Kentucky | Low | Notice; attendance and scholarship records |
| Louisiana | Moderate | Application or notice; portfolio or test results annually |
| Maine | Moderate | Notice; annual assessment by test or portfolio review |
| Maryland | High | Notice; portfolio reviewed by the district up to three times a year |
| Massachusetts | High | Prior approval of your plan; progress reports as agreed |
| Michigan | None | Nothing filed under the home education route |
| Minnesota | Moderate | Notice; annual testing; records of subjects and attendance |
| Mississippi | Low | Certificate of enrollment filed annually |
| Missouri | Moderate | No notice, but a log of hours, samples of work and evaluations kept |
| Montana | Low | Notice; attendance and immunization records kept |
| Nebraska | Moderate | Notice and information filed annually; attendance records |
| Nevada | Low | Notice of intent filed once; records for your own use |
| New Hampshire | Moderate | Notice; portfolio kept two years; annual evaluation |
| New Jersey | None | Nothing filed; records for your own use |
| New Mexico | Low | Notice filed annually; immunization records |
| New York | High | Notice; individualised plan; quarterly reports; annual assessment |
| North Carolina | Moderate | Notice; attendance and immunization; annual standardised test kept |
| North Dakota | Moderate | Notice; annual testing in certain grades; records kept |
| Ohio | High | Notice; annual academic assessment by test or portfolio review |
| Oklahoma | None | Nothing filed; records for your own use |
| Oregon | Moderate | Notice on starting; testing at certain grades, results kept |
| Pennsylvania | High | Affidavit; log, portfolio, and annual evaluator review |
| Rhode Island | Moderate | District approval; attendance and progress as the district requires |
| South Carolina | High | Association or district option; portfolio, log and progress records |
| South Dakota | Low | Notice; testing at certain grades |
| Tennessee | Moderate | Notice; attendance; testing at certain grades depending on route |
| Texas | None | Nothing filed; keep curriculum evidence for your own use |
| Utah | Low | One-time affidavit; records for your own use |
| Vermont | High | Enrollment filed annually; assessment and progress report |
| Virginia | Moderate | Notice; annual evidence of progress by test or evaluation |
| Washington | Moderate | Declaration of intent; annual test or assessment, results kept |
| West Virginia | Moderate | Notice; annual academic assessment kept |
| Wisconsin | Low | Annual enrollment report filed |
| Wyoming | Low | Curriculum submitted annually to the local board |
Which states require a portfolio
Nine jurisdictions sit in the high group: the District of Columbia, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Vermont. In those, a portfolio or a formal annual assessment is part of the law rather than a good habit.
If you are in one of those, the portfolio is not a formality. Someone reads it, and building it in April from memory is far harder than adding to it as you go.
What a portfolio usually contains
A log of what was covered, samples of work from across the year rather than only the good pieces, attendance where your state counts it, and test results or an evaluator's report where those are required.
If you are in one of the nine high-regulation jurisdictions, the detail matters, and it is set out in what actually goes in a homeschool portfolio.
What to keep even where nothing is required
Three things are worth recording regardless of your state, because they are the ones you will want later and cannot reconstruct.
3 things to do
Ticks are for this visit only. Nothing here is saved anywhere.
Why most record keeping fails
It fails in one of two directions. Either nothing gets kept at all and a year cannot be accounted for, or somebody builds a system so heavy that it is abandoned by half term and the result is the same.
The version that survives is the one that takes under a minute a day and does not require you to feel behind when you miss a week.