Tennessee homeschool requirements and record-keeping, 2026-27
Tennessee has two home school routes: an independent home school registered with your local district, or enrollment in a church-related umbrella school. For an independent home school, you file an Intent to Home School form with your district before each school year, with proof of your high school diploma or equivalent. Your child receives at least four hours of instruction a day for 180 days, and you submit attendance records to the director of schools at the end of each year. Students in grades 5, 7 and 9 take a standardized test.
What you file and when
- Intent to Home School form, with proof of the parent's high school diploma or equivalency
To: Local school district (home school coordinator). When: Any time for the first year; before the start of each later school year - Attendance records
To: Director of schools or designee (usually the home school coordinator). When: End of each school year - Grade 5, 7 and 9 test results
To: Parent-teacher, director of schools (or designee), and the state board of education. When: After testing
Dates to keep in mind
- Submit attendance records to the district (year end): June 30
What you keep
- Attendance records (submitted at year end; open to inspection by the director of schools at any time)
- Standardized test results for grades 5, 7 and 9
How long to keep it. The sources we read set no retention period. Keeping a record for at least a few years is a sensible habit.
Testing. Grades 5, 7 and 9: a nationally normed test chosen by the parent and proctored by someone unrelated to the student, covering English language arts and math; or the same state-board-approved test public school students take (not the 9th grade end-of-course exams).
Hours, days and subjects
- 720 hours a year
- 180 days a year
- 4 hours a day
- Compulsory attendance ages: 6 to 17
At least 4 hours of instruction per day for 180 days.
TDOE: ages 6 through 17, inclusive.
Parents choose the curriculum; the district asks you to identify it.
Work out your hours for Tennessee with the free calculator.
Things people miss
- A new Intent form is due before each school year, even though the first one can be filed any time.
- Attendance is submitted to the district each year, so log every day.
- Test results also go to the state board of education, not only the district.
- Accredited online schools are private schools, not home schools, and follow different rules.
Official sources
- TDOE Independent Home School Requirements: Grades K-12 (revised June 2026) (TDOE guidance on Tenn. Code Ann. ยง 49-6-3050)
Verified checked on 2026-10-18 - TDOE Home Schooling in Tennessee (TDOE guidance)
Verified checked on 2026-10-18 - TDOE Frequently Asked Questions for Home School (TDOE guidance)
Verified checked on 2026-10-18
How Schoolkeeper helps
A twenty-second daily log, and then an export in the shape Tennessee asks for:
- An attendance record showing the days you taught, counted against 180.
- Hours by subject, totalled for the year against 720.
- A portfolio of work samples, photos and what they read, in date order.
Questions parents ask
What do I have to file to homeschool in Tennessee?
Intent to Home School form, with proof of the parent's high school diploma or equivalency, to Local school district (home school coordinator). When: Any time for the first year; before the start of each later school year. Attendance records, to Director of schools or designee (usually the home school coordinator). When: End of each school year. Grade 5, 7 and 9 test results, to Parent-teacher, director of schools (or designee), and the state board of education. When: After testing.
What records do I keep for homeschooling in Tennessee?
Attendance records (submitted at year end; open to inspection by the director of schools at any time); Standardized test results for grades 5, 7 and 9.
How many hours or days does Tennessee ask for?
Tennessee asks for 720 hours a year; 180 days a year; 4 hours a day.
Does Tennessee require testing or an evaluation?
Grades 5, 7 and 9: a nationally normed test chosen by the parent and proctored by someone unrelated to the student, covering English language arts and math; or the same state-board-approved test public school students take (not the 9th grade end-of-course exams).
This is a plain-English summary with its sources, not legal advice. Tell us if this is wrong.