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 Kansas.

What you need to know:

• Kansas Homeschool Law requires that you must register your homeschool with the state’s board of education.
• If you need to remove your kid, you can do so by phone, in person, or by letter to officially remove them.
• You must be a “competent teacher” to teach homeschool learners. Still, there is no authority to determine who is “competent” to teach, and there are no particular requirements for teachers in non-accredited schools.
• Homeschool learners must be instructed 186 days/year for 6 hours per day for first grade through 11th grade.
• There are no required academic subjects for homeschool learners.
• Kansas does not require that you keep particular records of your homeschooling.
• Homeschool learners in Kansas do not have to let their kids participate in standardized testing.
• If you re-enroll your kid in a public school, the school will test learners to deem the appropriate grade level placement and decide what, if any, credits will be accepted.

Resources

You can learn more at the Home School Legal Defense Association – Kansas, the Christian Home Educators Confederation of Kansas (CHECK), and the Midwest Parent Educators.