As a result of COVID-19, homeschooling is on the rise. For some, this is a short-term arrangement, and others have discovered that homeschooling is perfect for their family. In case you don’t know, homeschooling is simply the practice of educating your kids from home. Some families choose to collaborate through homeschooling cooperatives and extracurricular leagues to enrich the home school experience.

Homeschooling is legal in all 50 states, including the District of Columbia. When exploring the homeschooling route, please be aware that the laws and policies that govern homeschooling differ by state. If you wonder if homeschooling is a good fit for your family, you probably have questions about how to begin the process and what resources are available. Because of this, we created a series entitled, How to Start Homeschooling. In each installment, we will discuss homeschooling rules and resources for each state. In today’s installment, we will discuss homeschooling in Alabama.

What you need to know:

• Alabama requires that you submit an enrollment form to your local education authority (LEA) containing the names of all of the kids you will be homeschooling and their address by the fifth day of the school year or before you remove your kid to begin homeschooling.
• Suppose your kid already attends an Alabama public school. In that case, you must first submit an enrollment form to inform the school that you will be homeschooling, and then submit an official withdrawal letter.
• The teacher does not need to meet particular requirements.
• You must teach the exact number of days as a public school: 180 days per year.
• There are no particular academic subjects that you are required to teach.
• You must keep a record of your kid’s attendance throughout the year.
• There is no requirement for homeschool learners to participate in testing.
• If you decide to go back to a public school, the school you are enrolling in may require records and placement testing.

Resources

You should check out Homeschool Alabama, Home School Legal Defense Association – Alabama, the Alabama Department of Education’s Nonpublic Schools area, and Home Education and Responsible Teaching (HEART) Homeschool Support Group.