Kansas Private School Withdrawal to Homeschool: What Parents Need to Know

Withdrawing a child from a Kansas private school to begin homeschooling involves two distinct tracks running simultaneously: the legal education track governed by Kansas compulsory attendance statutes, and the contractual track governed by your enrollment agreement with the private school. Most parents focus on one and underestimate the other. Getting both right protects you legally and financially.

This guide covers the specific requirements for withdrawing from a private school, what the enrollment contract typically means for mid-year departures, and how to complete the NAPS registration correctly so your child is never in a legal gray zone during the transition.

The Legal Structure: Private School to NAPS

Kansas does not have a homeschool law. Under K.S.A. 72-4345 through 72-4347, all families educating children outside the public system — whether leaving a public school, an accredited private school, or a religious institution — operate under the same Non-Accredited Private School (NAPS) framework.

When you withdraw from an accredited private school to begin homeschooling, the legal requirements are identical to withdrawing from a public school:

1. Register your NAPS with the Kansas State Department of Education before your child's first day at home
2. Notify the private school in writing that your child is transferring to a non-accredited private school
3. Request a copy of your child's cumulative educational records

The notification requirement is the step parents most commonly mishandle. Kansas compulsory attendance law (K.S.A. 72-3120) requires that when a student transfers to a NAPS, the previously attended school must be notified by the parent. If that notification does not occur, the school is legally required to report the student as truant. This rule applies to private schools just as it does to public schools.

Send the withdrawal letter via Certified Mail with Return Receipt Requested. Keep the green card. This gives you timestamped proof that the school received notification, which is your protection against any truancy allegation.

The critical sequencing point: complete the KSDE NAPS registration before you send the withdrawal letter. If your child has any gap — even a few days — between leaving the private school and having a registered NAPS on file, that gap can be interpreted as unexcused absence rather than a school transfer.

The Contractual Track: Your Enrollment Agreement

The legal compliance side of private school withdrawal is relatively straightforward. The financial and contractual side is where families are frequently caught off guard.

Unlike public schools, private schools operate under enrollment contracts. These are binding civil agreements between the school and your family, and they typically include provisions that survive your child's departure.

Tuition liability clauses. Most Kansas private school enrollment contracts establish tuition liability for the full academic year, or at minimum for the semester in progress at the time of withdrawal. Some contracts provide for partial refunds if withdrawal occurs before a specified date in the semester; others do not. Withdrawal mid-semester from a school charging $12,000 per year can mean owing the full remaining balance for that term with no refund.

Re-enrollment fees and security deposits. Some contracts include non-refundable enrollment fees paid at the start of the year. These are typically not recoverable regardless of when you withdraw.

Tuition insurance. A minority of families purchase tuition refund insurance at the start of the year, which may provide a partial or full tuition refund under qualifying circumstances such as medical hardship. Check your insurance documentation before assuming no relief is available.

What to do before withdrawing: Pull out your enrollment contract and read the withdrawal and refund provisions specifically. If the language is ambiguous, contact the school's business office in writing and ask them to confirm in writing what your financial obligation will be upon withdrawal. Having their answer in writing protects you if there is a later dispute about what you owe.

Negotiation is sometimes possible, particularly if you withdraw early in a semester or if there are extenuating circumstances (a documented health issue, a family relocation). Private schools are not universally rigid on enforcement, but they are not obligated to modify the contract either. If the financial stakes are significant, a conversation with a family law attorney before you send the withdrawal letter may be worth the cost.

Writing the Withdrawal Letter for a Private School

The withdrawal letter for a private school withdrawal to homeschool serves the same legal function as it does for a public school withdrawal: it formally notifies the institution that your child is transferring to a non-accredited private school, preventing a truancy report.

The letter should include:

• Your child's full name and current grade or classroom
• The effective date of withdrawal
• A clear statement that the student is transferring to a non-accredited private school, in compliance with Kansas compulsory attendance statutes
• Your NAPS name (the name you registered with KSDE)
• A request for your child's complete cumulative educational records
• Your contact information and the address where records should be sent

You are not required to explain your reasons for leaving. You are not required to sign the school's own withdrawal forms or exit interviews. You are not required to provide your curriculum plans or submit to any review of your home education program. The only legal requirement is written notification of the transfer.

Private schools, like public schools, sometimes ask for information that goes beyond what you are legally required to provide. Schools may request that you complete an internal withdrawal packet, meet with an administrator, or explain your educational plans. These requests are typically administrative preferences, not legal requirements. You can decline politely. The written notification you send via Certified Mail satisfies the statutory requirement regardless of whether you cooperate with any additional requests.

Requesting Educational Records

Under Kansas law and federal FERPA protections, you are entitled to your child's cumulative educational records. For a private school student, these records typically include:

• Academic transcripts with grades by year and subject
• Standardized test scores (Iowa Assessments, ERB, or whatever the school administered)
• Any special education evaluations or documents (IEP, 504 Plan)
• Attendance records
• Any disciplinary records

Make the records request in writing in your withdrawal letter. Private schools have up to 45 days under FERPA to respond, though most provide records much faster, particularly when the family is leaving. Do not surrender the originals if the school hands you a physical file — ask for copies and keep everything.

If your child had an IEP or 504 plan at the private school, the documents are important for continuity at your NAPS and potentially for accessing services. Private schools that received public funds (through grants or ESA-adjacent programs) have FERPA obligations; purely private-fee schools may have slightly different obligations but generally cooperate with records requests.

Special Considerations: Religious Private Schools

Many Kansas families withdrawing to homeschool are leaving religious private schools — Catholic, Lutheran, evangelical Christian, and others. These withdrawals are generally straightforward on the legal side, but the cultural and relational dynamics can add complexity. Families may feel pressure from the school community, clergy, or other parents to reconsider.

None of that pressure carries any legal weight. Your decision to register a NAPS and educate your child at home is a right recognized under Kansas law. Religious private schools have no authority to delay your withdrawal or withhold records pending a discussion.

The one situation that can complicate a religious school withdrawal is if your child was receiving specific religious services as part of a special education accommodation — for example, a child with a disability receiving services through a religiously operated special education cooperative. In that case, the service arrangement may require separate notification to the cooperative, and you should document the termination of those services carefully.

If You Are Withdrawing Mid-Year

Mid-year withdrawal from a Kansas private school to homeschool requires particular attention to timing. Your child must have a registered NAPS and a submitted withdrawal letter before their last day at the private school. The KSDE NAPS registration is processed online at apps.ksde.gov/naps_form and is typically confirmed within a short period — but complete it before you send the withdrawal letter, not simultaneously.

The instructional hours requirement (1,116 hours for the full year) applies to the entire school year. If you withdraw in February, you need to ensure that your homeschool logs hours sufficient to reach equivalency by June. You do not receive credit toward the 1,116 hours for months your child was in private school — those months the private school was meeting the requirement on your behalf. Your NAPS is responsible for the equivalency from the date of enrollment forward.

Keep an attendance log from day one at the NAPS. Note what was covered each day and the hours spent. This log is your protection if anyone questions whether instruction has occurred since withdrawal.

The KSDE NAPS Registration: What Private Data You Must and Must Not Provide

The KSDE online NAPS registration portal has a history worth knowing. In 2024, it was discovered that the portal was requesting information not mandated by K.S.A. 72-4346 — phone numbers, email addresses, and student headcount estimates. Following a legal challenge by Midwest Parent Educators and HSLDA, the state was required to correct the form.

What K.S.A. 72-4346 legally requires: the name of the school and its physical address. That is it. If the current online form asks for additional information, you have the legal right to submit only the minimum required by statute. Some families choose to submit a paper registration form via Certified Mail rather than use the online portal, which ensures that only statutorily mandated information is provided.

Getting the Transition Right

The withdrawal from a Kansas private school to homeschool is not legally complicated, but it has more moving parts than withdrawing from public school simply because the contractual dimension of private enrollment adds financial risk that is entirely separate from the legal compliance question.

Handle the legal track first — NAPS registration, then certified withdrawal letter — so your child's educational status is never in question. Handle the contractual track carefully and in writing, so there are no surprises about what you owe.

For a complete step-by-step framework covering the NAPS registration, withdrawal letter templates for both public and private school scenarios, and guidance on the first-year compliance requirements, the Kansas Legal Withdrawal Blueprint covers each part of the process in sequence.

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