HOMESCHOOLING IN TENNESSEE & HOMESCHOOL LAWS
You may be considering homeschooling in Tennessee, but don’t know where to start regarding state regulations and requirements. This guide will walk you through what you need to know to successfully set up your own home school program legally in Tennessee. We’ll cover the history of homeschooling in Tennessee, current homeschool laws in Tennessee, required notifications and filings, curriculum and testing choices, high school transcripts, extracurricular activities, graduation requirements, and special education services.
History of Homeschooling in Tennessee
Homeschooling has been permitted under Tennessee homeschool laws for nearly 40 years. The General Assembly passed Tennessee homeschooling laws formally recognizing the right to educate children at home in 1985. Prior to that, homeschools operated in a gray area of vaguely-defined “private schools”, but the Tennessee homeschooling laws affirmed and codified it as a valid alternative to public and private brick-and-mortar institutions.
In the first few years after the passing of Tennessee homeschool laws, only a minority of families started homeschooling, totaling just a couple thousand students statewide in the late 1980s. However, through the 1990s the numbers gradually increased as curriculum options expanded and more parents researched the concept. By the 2001-2002 school year, Department of Education statistics documented over 20,000 home schooled students across 95 counties, representing about 2 percent of Tennessee’s K-12 youth. Current estimates now exceed well over 30,000 enrolled in homeschools across the volunteer state.
The majority of home-based educators implement structured home school approaches to their child’s education with textbook lessons, formal tests, and transcripts. But flexibility does exist for more real-world, practical learning incorporated into a child’s education, including outdoor exploration, volunteer projects, entrepreneurial enterprises, and internships. State homeschool advocacy groups continue lobbying for expanded flexibility and options for homeschooling laws in Tennessee, seeking access for selected enrollment in public school electives, teams, and enrichment activities.
Current Tennessee Homeschool Laws and Regulations
If you are considering homeschooling in Tennessee, laws are pretty straightforward and easy to follow:
Compulsory Attendance Law
Children must receive formal academic instruction between the ages of 6 and 17 under the compulsory attendance law, whether via public, private, or home schools. Home schools are legally recognized non-public entities, but parents must file an annual notice affirming they meet the compulsory attendance law or risk truancy violation. A student must receive a minimum of four hours of instruction per school day for 180 days per year, so record keeping is important. Attendance records are sent to the Superintendent at the end of the school year.
Affidavits and Notifications Required
Under Tennessee homeschool laws, parents must complete and submit an Intent to Home school form to the local school district in their residing area. The intent to operate an independent homeschool in Tennessee must be submitted to the local superintendent by August 1 of each year. These homeschools register only with the local school district in accordance with Tennessee homeschool laws.
If parents do not meet the educational prerequisites under Tennessee homeschool laws, they have the option to affiliate with a church-related school or umbrella school to conduct homeschooling in Tennessee regardless of religious beliefs. For homeschool students enrolled with a state-recognized church-related school or umbrella school in grades 9 through 12, dual registration with the local school district and the church-related umbrella school is mandatory, as per Tennessee homeschool laws.
Program, Curriculum and Assessment Freedom
Tennessee homeschool laws offer limited direction regarding homeschool curriculum requirements. According to the homeschool laws, parents are mandated to present their proposed curriculum to the director of schools. However, the statute fails to outline specific content for the curriculum. Ultimately, the best homeschool curriculum will fit the needs of your own children.
Testing in grades K–8 at a church-related umbrella school is under the supervision of the that school. A student in grades 9–12 must take the Secondary Subject Area Test in accordance with Tennessee homeschool laws.
Independent homeschool students are required to take the same State Board approved standardized tests required of public school students in grades 5, 7, and 9, except that the high school proficiency test is not required of ninth-graders who are homeschooled.
Many parents take into consideration the testing obligations in grades 5, 7, and 9, during which a student is evaluated on state curriculum standards in reading/language arts, math, science, and social studies. It is recommended that these subjects be incorporated into the proposed curriculum to adequately prepare students for the required assessments in these areas.
Teacher Credentialing and Facility Visits
In Tennessee, independent homeschooling is a school conducted or facilitated by the parent or legal guardian who meets specific educational criteria, such as a high school diploma. To start homeschooling in the volunteer state under this option, parents or legal guardians are required to hold either a high school diploma or an equivalent credential recognized by the Department of Education.
Parents overseeing a state-recognized church-related homeschool for grades K–8 must adhere to educational standards and record keeping set by the church-related school. Those instructing grades 9–12 must possess at least a high school diploma or GED. Parents meeting these criteria can start homeschooling at a church-related homeschool in Tennessee at any point during the school year established by the recognized institution, in accordance with TCA 49-6-3050.
An accredited online school is a non-public school that is accredited by a Tennessee State Board of Education (SBE) approved regional accrediting agency. An Intent to Home School form is not required for students enrolled in an accredited online school because these programs are approved non-public schools that are accredited homeschool programs in Tennessee.
How to Set Up a Homeschool In Tennessee
Major steps for parents preparing to launch a new homeschool in Tennessee include:
Create an annual plan listing subjects to be taught, knowledge and skills covered, along with enrichment elements. Level of detail and proposed hours of study should resemble grade-appropriate public school standards.
Acquire textbooks, multimedia resources, art supplies and technology matching needs described in your academic plan. Consider buying complete boxed homeschool curriculum sets from an education website for efficient preparation or designing original unit studies for your own children.
Submit a formal written home school notice for your child to the local school district at minimum 14 days before you begin homeschooling. Also, request transfer of prior transcripts, test results and other applicable student records to maintain educational continuity.
Balance structured sit-down studies with unregimented time for field trips, spontaneous exploration and recreational activities supporting social/physical development alongside academic growth. Designate a distraction-free area for schoolwork.
Connect with county and statewide homeschool groups for idea exchanges, conferences, group classes, sports programs, new family mentoring, lobbying efforts, and field trips. Arrange regular interactions with other homeschool families for social enrichment.
A student who is home schooled is entitled to the same services as children who are placed in private school by their parents. Special education refers to instruction or assistance in traditional academic areas such as math and language arts. Related services, on the other hand, are aids to a child, like speech therapy.
Maintaining Your Tennessee Homeschool
To remain legally compliant with Tennessee home school regulations, parents must regularly:
Provide annual notice to the local director of schools prior to each school year of the parent-teacher’s intent to conduct a home school and, for the purpose of reporting only, submission to the director of schools of the names, number, ages and grade levels of the children to be home schooled, the location of the school, the proposed curriculum to be offered, the proposed hours of instruction and the qualifications of the parent-teacher.
Keep attendance records detailing days and hours engaged in academic learning for each child. While detailed accounting of every minute is unnecessary, evidence of consistently meeting compulsory attendance norms is prudent.
Assemble representative selections showcasing types of skills worked on: written tests, essays, worksheets, lab write-ups, illustrations, even recordings of speeches or musical performances. This substantiates appropriate progress aligned to public school grade level.
Log curriculum topics addressed, knowledge and skills taught, enrichment elements incorporated for each core subject area matching scope and sequence standards for each grade level. Keep textbooks/workbooks as well in case review is requested.
While Tennessee’s home school statutes are fairly permissive, keeping thorough plans, attendance logs, portfolio samples and subject summaries minimizes risk of audit while benefiting parents with clear documentation of accomplishments. Standardized testing every few years further verifies satisfactory progress.
Tennessee Homeschool Reporting Requirements
Tennessee homeschool requirements do not currently impose routine formal evaluation or reporting rules on homeschooling families. However, under the homeschool laws, local school districts can request evidence of “academic progress commensurate with grade level standards” at the superintendent’s discretion. While cumbersome annual testing is not compulsory, regularly gauging student mastery through quizzes, unit tests and intermittent standardized assessments provides helpful insight for parents while having proof available if inquiries occur. Occasional home visits may happen but are very uncommon. Investing in occasional standardized testing demonstrates educational attentiveness.
Homeschool Testing In Tennessee
Testing requirements vary between the two types of homeschooling in Tennessee.
Independent homeschool students, constituting around 20% of the state’s home school population, are obligated by law to undergo standardized testing in grades 5, 7, and 9. They have the option to take either the TNReady tests, the same as those given to public school students, or alternative standardized tests facilitated by a professional testing service. Test results must be submitted to the parent-teacher, the local public district’s director, and the State Board of Education. Additionally, independent homeschoolers under the IEA program must fulfill IEA testing prerequisites annually from grades 3 to 8.
Church-affiliated umbrella homeschool students, representing approximately 80% of Tennessee’s home school population, are exempt from state testing obligations. However, church-associated schools might impose their own testing requirements, or parents may elect to administer standardized tests by a professional testing service. Under the IEA program, homeschooled students enrolled through an umbrella program are obliged to adhere to IEA testing criteria annually from grades 3 to 8.
The school district is only responsible for testing students registered as independent home school students.
Funding Your Tennessee Homeschool
Unfortunately, no direct public financial assistance is available to offset teaching expenses for Tennessee homeschool families. All homeschool curriculum, books, fees and operational costs must be provided without government subsidy. Public school facilities, classes, and extracurricular activities are also prohibited from part-time participation. However, homeschool groups often organize discounted group purchasing opportunities. Sharing teaching resources with other families saves money too. Some county governments enable homeschoolers to ride school buses for a fee which facilitates group field trip transport. But overall, home school parents undertake the full financial burden.
Federal Tax Breaks
Tennessee homeschooling families may be eligible for certain federal tax benefits to help offset educational expenses. One option is a Coverdell Education Savings Account, which allows money to grow tax-free when used for qualified education costs. Homeschool parents find they might also be able to deduct a portion of mortgage interest or rent if part of the home is used regularly and exclusively for home schooling. Finally, tax credits or deductions could be available for required books, supplies, equipment and curricula used for homeschool instruction. To learn more about these potential tax advantages, homeschooling families should review the information and resources provided by the IRS.
Tennessee Immunization Requirements
Like public and private schools, full compliance with Tennessee health codes for school-age children is mandatory, including vision, hearing, scoliosis screening, and providing current immunization records upon request.
Submit proof of vaccination and receipt of any health services or examinations as required by law. Detailed legal requirements can be found in the official state publications here.
Staying up to date on vaccinations and maintaining related paperwork protects community health. Brief annual written confirmation that necessary health codes have been satisfied may be requested of homeschool families.
Tennessee State Graduation Requirements
Since homeschools operate independently of state curriculum oversight, Tennessee education departments do not govern graduation benchmarks, transcripts or diploma awards. Parents can grant a high school degree at their own discretion without official authorization once the compulsory attendance period ends at 17 years old. However, a college-bound student will need substantiating transcripts with a list of courses, grades and grade-point average from 9-12 grade to support university applications. Competitive institutions expect applicants finished at a minimum 16-20 Carnegie credits across standard subjects:
4 English
3 Math
3 Lab Sciences
3 Social Sciences
2 Foreign Languages
Tennessee Homeschool Charters
A growing number of states allow a student to enroll or dually register in accredited charter-based online schools catering to homeschoolers seeking supplemental online courses and oversite. However, the Tennessee legislature has not yet passed provisions for tax-funded public virtual schools or charter academies serving homeschool families. Physical charter schools remain closed to part-time homeschooler co-enrollment, though advocacy groups continue lobbying for expanded appropriate access.
Likewise there are no fully public online learning or virtual academies available for Tennessee homeschoolers to take an exclusively digital courseload either.
Local Tennessee Homeschooling Resources
While state funding support access remains contentious for homeschool programs in Tennessee, the state offers wonderful homeschool-friendly community amenities like libraries, colleges, museums, zoos, and preservation lands open for educational enrichment. Homeschool support groups provide helpful tips, coordinate numerous field trips, co-op classes, concerts, dances and ceremonies fostering fuller development. Support groups like Tennessee Home Education Association (THEA) host legal advice forums with up to date information answering frequently asked questions about homeschool laws plus used curriculum exchanges/sales enabling cost savings for your homeschool journey. For willing students, community organizations, athletic associations, and recreation centers offer stimulating real-life programs cooperating with customized achievement needs that institutional regulations rarely permit. Keep exploring local options… creativity is the key to unlocking educational opportunities beyond perceived barriers!
