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 Rhode Island.

What you need to know:

• The state of Rhode Island requires that you submit a Notice of Intent to Homeschool to your school district, and you must receive approval from a committee before homeschooling.
• If you need to remove your kid from school, you should fill out and submit a withdrawal letter to remove your kid before homeschooling.
• There are no particular requirements for homeschool teachers.
• Homeschool learners are required to attend a minimum of 180 days per year of instruction.
• There are eight required academic subjects: reading, writing, geography, arithmetic, history of the US and Rhode Island, civics, health, and P.E.
• The state of Rhode Island requires you to keep a record of your kid’s attendance throughout the year.
• Homeschool learners do not have to let their kids participate in standardized testing.
• If you re-enroll your kid in a public school, inform your district committee. Your kid’s grade assignment is up to the discretion of each school.

Resources

For more, check out the Rhode Island Department of Education’s Homeschooling page, Home School Legal Defense Association – Rhode Island, the Rhode Island Home Education Community, and the Rhode Island Guild of Home Teachers.