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 Nebraska.

What you need to know:

• Nebraska Homeschool Law requires you to apply for exempt status as a non-accredited school each year by July 15th before homeschooling.
• You need to officially remove your kid from school by having an exit interview with the superintendent, signing a notarized release form with the Commissioner of Education, and filing for exempt status.
• There are no particular requirements for homeschool teachers.
• Homeschool learners must be taught a minimum of 1032 hours per year for elementary learners and 1080 hours for high school learners.
• There are five required academic subjects: language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, and P.E.
• The state of Nebraska does not require any records to be kept for homeschool learners.
• Nebraska homeschool learners do not have to let their kids participate in standardized testing.
• If you re-enroll your kid in a public school, you must inform the Nebraska Department of Education in writing.

Resources

You can learn more at the Home School Legal Defense Association – Nebraska, Nebraska Homeschool, and the Nebraska Christian Home Educators Association.