Nebraska Homeschool Laws: What Parents Actually Need to Know

Nebraska does not have a "homeschool law." There is no chapter in the statutes titled "Homeschooling." Instead, every family that teaches their children at home is legally operating a private school — specifically, a non-approved, non-accredited private school called an exempt school. This terminology trips up almost every new Nebraska homeschool family, and it has real consequences: if you misunderstand the framework, you can accidentally trigger truancy proceedings even while doing everything right.

Here is a plain-language breakdown of what Nebraska law actually requires, what changed dramatically in 2024, and what you can safely ignore.

The Legal Foundation: Exempt Schools and NRS §79-1601

Under Nebraska Revised Statutes §79-1601, all private schools must comply with state accreditation requirements — unless they formally elect not to. That election is called "exempt school" status.

When you homeschool in Nebraska, you are not registering as a homeschooler. You are establishing a private school that has formally declined state approval. The grounds for that declination are either sincerely held religious beliefs or your fundamental right as a parent to direct your child's education. You choose one when you file.

This structure matters because it determines who has authority over your program. The Commissioner of Education at the state level is the only person with authority to acknowledge or challenge an exempt school. Your local principal, school board, and district superintendent have no authority over your program once you are properly filed with the Nebraska Department of Education (NDE). This is a distinction that becomes important if you ever face pushback during a withdrawal.

Compulsory attendance applies to children ages 6 through 18 under NRS §79-201. If your child turns six before January 1 of the current school year, they must be enrolled in an educational program — either public, private accredited, or exempt. Children between 16 and 18 who wish to stop attending school entirely (rather than transition to an exempt school) must go through a formal exit interview with the local superintendent and execute a notarized release.

Rule 13: The Administrative Code That Governs Everything

"Rule 13" refers to Title 92, Chapter 13 of the Nebraska Administrative Code — the procedural rules that govern how exempt schools operate and report to the state. When Nebraska homeschoolers talk about "filing Rule 13," they mean submitting the required annual documents to the NDE to establish and maintain their exempt school status.

There are two core forms you file each year:

Form A — Statement of Election and Assurances. This is the document where you formally elect exemption from state accreditation requirements. It includes a written assurance (added by LB 1027 in 2024) that the person monitoring instruction is qualified to do so. You are signing that assurance — there is no external credential check.

Form B — Authorized Parent Representative Form. This designates one parent or guardian as the primary contact with the NDE and collects basic information including your school's dates of operation. That last phrase — "dates of operation" — is your academic calendar. You set it yourself.

When you file for the first time, you also submit a certified copy of your child's birth certificate. This is required once, under the Nebraska Missing Children Identification Act, and does not need to be resubmitted annually.

The annual filing deadline is July 15. If you are withdrawing mid-year and starting home instruction immediately, you file "promptly" — meaning as soon as possible after withdrawing, not at the next July 15 deadline.

What LB 1027 Changed in 2024 (and Why It Matters for You)

Legislative Bill 1027, passed in April 2024, was the most significant change to Nebraska homeschool law since 1984. If you are reading older guides, forum posts, or blog articles written before mid-2024, assume they are describing requirements that no longer exist.

Here is what was eliminated:

Curriculum submission. Before LB 1027, parents had to submit detailed information about their curriculum to the state. As of the 2024/25 school year, curriculum is no longer reported to the NDE. The state portal still shows a "curriculum" step — but it is not required. You are not obligated to fill it in. Many families who follow outdated guides voluntarily hand over information they have no legal obligation to provide.

Instructional monitor names and qualifications. Previously, parents had to report the names and educational backgrounds of everyone involved in instruction. That requirement is gone. The assurance you sign on Form A replaces the entire credential-verification process.

Standardized testing and home visits. The NDE can no longer conduct visits to exempt schools or mandate student testing. These were already rarely enforced, but they existed as latent authority. LB 1027 removed them entirely.

Single-parent filing. Before 2024, both parents were required to sign the Rule 13 paperwork — a rule that created serious problems for single parents and families dealing with custody disputes. LB 1027 allows a single parent, legal guardian, or court-appointed educational decision-maker to file.

The practical effect is that Nebraska's compliance requirements are now almost entirely administrative: file the two forms, confirm your dates of operation, submit the birth certificate once. The state does not tell you what to teach, when to teach it, how to assess it, or who should teach it.

Instructional Hour Requirements

One requirement that did not change with LB 1027 is the instructional hour mandate. Nebraska requires:

• 1,032 hours per school year for elementary grades (K-8)
• 1,080 hours per school year for secondary grades (9-12)

The official reporting period runs from July 1 to June 30.

An instructional hour is defined as a 60-minute period actually used for student instruction. This includes textbook work, educational field trips, library research, hands-on science experiments, documentaries, and educational volunteer work. It does not include recess, lunch, or commute time to a field trip.

If you withdraw mid-year, you prorate. You calculate how many hours your child already completed in public school before withdrawal, subtract that from the state mandate, and you are only responsible for the remaining balance during your months of home instruction.

The state no longer audits instructional hours or curriculum — but you still need to track them internally. If an inquiry ever arises (through DHHS or a county attorney acting on a complaint), your internal records are your defense.

The Five Core Subject Areas

Nebraska requires that home instruction lead to basic skills in five subject areas:

1. Language arts
2. Mathematics
3. Science
4. Social studies
5. Health

The state claims no authority over how you teach these subjects, which textbooks or digital platforms you use, or the overall approach you take. These five areas function as a compliance checkbox, not a curriculum mandate.

What Nebraska Does Not Require

This list is worth reading carefully, because misinformation about these points is widespread:

• You do not need a teaching certificate or education degree
• You do not need to submit curriculum materials to the state
• You do not need to administer standardized tests
• You do not need to allow home visits from the NDE
• You do not need to notify your local school district annually (only the NDE)
• You do not need to follow a state-approved calendar
• Out-of-state umbrella schools do not exempt you from Rule 13 filing — you must still file with the NDE regardless of any online program your child is enrolled in

After Filing: What Happens

Once the NDE processes your Rule 13 paperwork, you receive an acknowledgment letter. Hold onto this document. You will need it if:

• Your child wants to participate in extracurricular activities at a public school (Nebraska law gives homeschoolers a statutory right to part-time enrollment and extracurricular access under NRS §79-2,136)
• Your child applies to college — the University of Nebraska-Lincoln explicitly asks for a copy of this letter as part of homeschool admission requirements
• Anyone ever questions the legal status of your program

The NDE also notifies your local resident school district of your exempt status, which removes your child from the district's expected attendance roster.

If you are navigating this process for the first time — especially mid-year — it helps to have the forms, the withdrawal letter, and the hour tracker in one place. The Nebraska Legal Withdrawal Blueprint includes the exact filing checklist updated for the post-LB 1027 rules, a certified mail withdrawal letter template for your local school, and a proration calculator for mid-year withdrawals.

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