How to Start Homeschooling in Vermont: Requirements, Registration, and First Steps

Vermont has more homeschool-friendly law than most families realize when they start researching. The state calls it "home study," not homeschooling, and the framework was significantly simplified in July 2023 — but the foundational steps to get started legally are not well-explained anywhere official. Here is a complete walkthrough of what Vermont actually requires, in the order you need to do it.

Who Must Comply: Compulsory Attendance Ages

Vermont's compulsory attendance law (16 V.S.A. § 1121) covers children ages 6 through 16. If your child falls in that range, you must be enrolled in a legally recognized educational program — which includes a Vermont home study program.

Children under 6 are not subject to compulsory attendance, so you can begin homeschooling a kindergarten-age child without any registration obligation, though many families choose to register anyway to establish a consistent paper trail. Children 17 and older who have not yet graduated are still technically covered by the attendance statute, but enforcement is rare and the practical obligation is the same as for any home study student.

The "home study" program covers K-12. There is no upper age limit on continuing a home study program — families who want to continue beyond 16 can, particularly for high schoolers working toward college preparation.

Step One: File Your Notice of Enrollment with the AOE

Vermont does not require a permit, approval, or license to homeschool. You do not need to demonstrate teaching credentials. What you must do is file an annual Notice of Enrollment with the Vermont Agency of Education (AOE) under 16 V.S.A. § 166b.

The AOE portal opens each year in early July for the upcoming school year. If you're starting mid-year, mid-year enrollments are accepted through May 1. The portal is available at the AOE's website under the Home Study section.

The Notice of Enrollment is a single-form document. You fill it out online, attest to several legally binding statements, and submit it. The AOE reviews for completeness — not for approval. They are not evaluating your planned curriculum. Once they confirm the form is complete, they issue a Home Study Acknowledgment Letter, which is your legal proof of enrollment.

Critical timing rule: Submit the Notice of Enrollment at least 10 business days before you plan to start home study. This is a hard requirement under Vermont law. Until the AOE issues its acknowledgment, your child is still legally enrolled at their current school. Absences before acknowledgment are unexcused. Families who don't know this rule pull their child out the same week they file — and then spend weeks sorting out the truancy complications. Wait for the acknowledgment letter before your child's last day of school.

What the Notice of Enrollment Requires You to Attest

Under the 2023 Act 66 update to 16 V.S.A. § 166b, Vermont shifted from requiring families to submit detailed curriculum plans to requiring attestations — legally binding statements that you are doing what the law requires. You sign the following:

175-day attestation. You will provide your child with the equivalent of at least 175 days of instruction during the academic year. Vermont does not specify a minimum number of hours per day — 175 days of learning activity is what counts.

Minimum Course of Study (MCOS) attestation. You have developed an MCOS covering all required subjects for your child's age group. Critically, you do not submit this document to the AOE. You keep it privately. The AOE is not reviewing your curriculum plan — they are only recording that you say you have one.

Assessment attestation. You will assess your child's educational progress at the end of the year using one of the five approved methods, and you will retain those records privately.

If your child has a documented disability and has not previously been enrolled in a Vermont public school or Vermont home study program, you must also attach an Independent Professional Evidence (IPE) form completed by a qualified professional.

What Subjects Are Required

Vermont's Minimum Course of Study (from 16 V.S.A. § 906) has an age-based split that surprises many first-year families.

Students under age 13 must receive instruction in:

• Reading, writing, and mathematics
• Vermont and U.S. history, citizenship, and government
• Natural sciences
• English, American, and other literature
• Fine arts
• Physical education
• Health education

Students age 13 and older must receive instruction in:

• Reading, writing, and mathematics
• Vermont and U.S. history, citizenship, and government
• Natural sciences
• English, American, and other literature

Fine arts, physical education, and health education are no longer required at 13. Many families continue teaching them by choice, but they're not legally mandated after that birthday.

Vermont does not specify curriculum or textbooks. You choose what materials to use. Religious, secular, structured, or self-directed approaches are all legal. The requirement is that instruction covers the required subjects — not that you use any particular method.

The 175-Day Requirement in Practice

You need to provide your child with the equivalent of 175 instructional days. Vermont does not define what a "day" looks like in terms of hours, so this gives families considerable flexibility.

What makes the 175-day requirement workable in practice is an attendance log — a simple record noting that educational activity happened on each date. You don't submit this to anyone. You maintain it privately and produce it only if your family faces a truancy inquiry or a dispute over educational compliance.

A weekly log format works well: list the week, the subjects covered, and any notable activities or field trips. If you do this consistently, hitting 175 days is straightforward. Most home study families who work year-round, use a four-day week, or school through the summer find 175 days remarkably easy to hit.

Your Annual Assessment Obligation

At the end of each school year, Vermont requires an annual assessment of your child's educational progress. The five approved options are:

1. Parent Report with Portfolio — You write a narrative summary of what was learned in each subject, supported by a minimum of four work samples per required subject. This is the most commonly used option in Vermont.
2. Vermont-Certified Teacher Assessment — A licensed Vermont educator reviews your child's work and writes a report affirming educational progress. You hire this person privately; costs vary but typically run $100–$250.
3. Standardized Testing — A nationally normed assessment. Note that standard tests don't cover all MCOS subjects (fine arts, PE, and health require separate documentation).
4. Online Academy Grades — Official report cards or transcripts from an enrolled online school or program.
5. GED/HiSET — The high school equivalency exam, primarily applicable to older students.

Vermont does not receive these assessments. You do not submit them to the AOE. You retain them privately for a minimum of two years (permanently for high school records used in college applications).

What the AOE Acknowledgment Letter Does for You

The Acknowledgment Letter matters beyond the initial withdrawal. Keep every letter you receive — you file a new Notice of Enrollment each year, and you receive a new acknowledgment each year. Here is when you'll need the letter:

• When withdrawing from current school — You present proof of AOE enrollment to the school when you send the withdrawal letter.
• When accessing public school courses — Vermont's integration law (16 V.S.A. § 563(24)) gives home study students the right to take up to two courses at their local public school. The acknowledgment letter is required.
• When participating in public school sports — Home study students may try out for local public school teams under VPA rules. The acknowledgment letter is your proof of legal enrollment status.
• When applying to dual enrollment — Vermont's Flexible Pathways Initiative (16 V.S.A. § 941) allows high school-age students to take free courses at the Community College of Vermont and Vermont State University. Acknowledgment of home study enrollment is required.

Getting the Paperwork Right from Day One

The first year of home study is when families are most likely to make procedural errors — filing late, missing the 10-day wait, not keeping an attendance log, or trying to meet all five assessment requirements simultaneously when only one is required. Vermont's system is genuinely manageable once you understand what it actually requires, rather than what anxious forum posts suggest.

The Vermont Legal Withdrawal Blueprint walks through the complete enrollment and withdrawal sequence — from AOE Notice of Enrollment through the school withdrawal letter — with state-specific templates and checklists built around Vermont's current law, including the changes that took effect in July 2023. If you're starting fresh or navigating a mid-year decision, the Blueprint covers the legal compliance side so you can focus on the teaching.

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