Kentucky State Legislature
The Kentucky Department of Education
Kentucky Home Schooling
Compulsory School Age
In Kentucky, home schools operate as private
schools. As such, they are not subject to rigorous government
regulations. Each school year, home schoolers simply send a letter of
their intent to home school to their local public school district
Director of Pupil Personnel stating the names, ages, and place of
residence for each child in attendance at the home school. In addition,
each home school must keep attendance records, regular scholarship
reports, and school a minimum of 175 days per year (1050 hours).
Approval from the public schools is not needed, and standardized testing
and/or filing of report cards is not required.
1. Education is a fundamental right. Rose V. Council for Better
Education, Inc, KY., 790 S.W. 2d 186 (1989). Compulsory attendance laws
require that every child between the ages of 6 and 16 be enrolled in
school. KRS 159.030 exempts a child from attending public school who is
enrolled and regularly attending a private, parochial or church regular
day school. When you decide to educate your children at home, you must
notify the local board of education by letter of intent to teach your
child(ren) at home, giving the names, ages, and address of each child.
You should keep a copy of this letter.
2. Private and parochial schools shall provide instruction for a term
at least as long as the term in effect for the public school in the
district where the child resides, normally 175 instructional days. (KRS
158.080)
3. The private and parochial schools shall teach those subjects that
will educate children to be intelligent citizens. The General Assembly
requires that instruction be offered in English and in the branches of
study that are taught in the public schools. This has been interpreted
to include at least reading, writing, spelling, grammar, history,
mathematics and civics. KRS 158.080, and Kentucky State Board for
Elementary and Secondary Education v. Rudasill, KY., 589 S.W. 2d 877
(1979).
4. The private and parochial schools shall record and maintain
scholarship reports of each student's progress at the same interval as
in the local public school, normally, every nine weeks, grading all
subjects taught. (KRS 159.040).
5. Kentucky requires that an accurate record of pupil attendance be
kept. Attendance may be recorded in a notebook, or on a computer list. (KRS
159.040).
6. KRS 158.040 requires that all private schools be open to
inspection by directors of pupil personnel or officials of the
Department of Education.
