Tennessee homeschool laws
Requirements summary
Tennessee has two homeschool options. Parents can run an independent home school, which means filing an annual Intent to Home School form with the local school district before each school year, or enroll in a church-related umbrella school, which handles records and testing. An accredited online school is a separate private school choice, not homeschooling. Independent home school students in grades 5, 7, and 9 must take a nationally normed standardized test or the state assessment. Parents must keep attendance records (at least 4 hours a day for 180 days) and turn them in to the director of schools at the end of each school year, and must hold a high school diploma or equivalent, with proof shown when filing the intent form.
Expect a one-time or yearly notice. Some states in this group also ask for testing or records; see below.
Notice and filing deadlines
No fixed yearly filing date is listed for Tennessee. The summary above explains when, or whether, a notice is due.
Required subjects
Our summary does not list specific subjects that Tennessee law names. Check the official sources below.
Hours and days of instruction
- Each school year: 720 hours180 days × 4 hours/day per Tenn. Code § 49-6-3050 (independent home school option). Days/hours may be flexibly scheduled. The church-related umbrella school option has different rules, and the umbrella school handles records and testing. Accredited online schools are private schools, not home schools.
Testing and evaluation
Parents can run an independent home school, which means filing an annual Intent to Home School form with the local school district before each school year, or enroll in a church-related umbrella school, which handles records and testing.
Independent home school students in grades 5, 7, and 9 must take a nationally normed standardized test or the state assessment.
Recordkeeping
Parents must keep attendance records (at least 4 hours a day for 180 days) and turn them in to the director of schools at the end of each school year, and must hold a high school diploma or equivalent, with proof shown when filing the intent form.
Pre-filled filing draft
Not yet. HomeStudyPath does not have a pre-filled filing draft for Tennessee, but it can still remind you of any deadlines listed above.
Official sources
This is a plain-language summary, not legal advice. Always confirm with the official sources above.
Homeschooling in Tennessee?
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