West Virginia Homeschool Requirements Checklist
Everything you need to do to homeschool legally in West Virginia, based on W.Va. Code 18-8-1(c). West Virginia is classified as Moderate regulation.
This is the general checklist for Option 2: Less Regulated Pathway (Annual Standardized Testing), the most common of West Virginia's 3 pathways. Our free wizard customizes this for your family, including grade, pathway, enrollment status, and IEP.
Your compliance checklist
Do first
File your Notice of Intent
Submit to county superintendent. Deadline: before commencing home instruction.
Deadline: before commencing home instruction
More details
One-time notice of intent to provide home instruction. Must include child's name, address, and age, plus assurance of instruction in reading, language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. Must notify superintendent when home instruction ends or upon relocating to a new county. No prior approval of an educational plan is required.
Send a withdrawal letter
If your child is currently enrolled in school, send a withdrawal letter to county superintendent and current school.
Deadline: Before you start (if enrolled)
More details
Submit notice of intent to homeschool to county superintendent and notify current school of withdrawal. County board does not have authority to deny homeschooling under Option 2 as long as statutory requirements are met.
Confirm your qualification
This pathway requires a high school diploma or GED. Alternatives: GED; Post-secondary degree or certificate from a regionally accredited institution.
Deadline: Before you start
More details
Parent/guardian must have a high school diploma or equivalent, or a post-secondary degree or certificate from a regionally accredited institution or institution authorized by WV's higher education commission. Teaching certificate not required.
Ongoing
Required subjects
reading, language arts, mathematics, science, social studies
More details
Subject coverage is demonstrated implicitly through standardized test performance rather than through a reviewed educational plan.
Meet instructional time requirements
Minimum: 180 days/year.
More details
Home instruction must be provided for a term equal to the instructional term set forth in §18-5-45 (no less than 180 separate instructional days). No statutory minimum hours per day.
Show your child's progress
Standardized test or Portfolio review or Teacher evaluation or Other approved method — annually. At grades: 3, 5, 8, 11. Minimum: 4th stanine or above, or showing improvement from prior year.
More details
Annual academic assessment required using one of four methods. Results must be submitted to county superintendent by June 30 at grade levels 3, 5, 8, and 11. Parents must maintain copies for three years. The child is considered to have made acceptable progress when the mean of test results is within or above the 4th stanine, or if below, shows improvement from the previous year. If progress is unacceptable for two consecutive years, additional evidence of appropriate instruction must be provided. If below threshold: Additional evidence of appropriate instruction required. Must demonstrate progress; two consecutive years of unacceptable progress triggers additional requirements. Must provide additional evidence of appropriate instruction to superintendent
Submit at grades 3, 5, 8, and 11 (by June 30) progress reports
Submit at grades 3, 5, 8, and 11 (by June 30) progress reports to county superintendent.
More details
Assessment results submitted to county superintendent by June 30 at grade levels 3, 5, 8, and 11. No annual renewal of the notice of intent. No educational plan submission, portfolio, or mid-year review required.
Good news
Education savings: Hope Scholarship
Hope Scholarship: Varies by application window (see notes). Covers tuition, homeschool curriculum, and qualifying expenses. — WV residents enrolled or eligible for enrollment in a WV public school (K-12); must be under 21 and not have completed secondary education; kindergartners must be at least 5 by July 1
More details
Signed into law 2021, implemented 2022-2023 school year. For 2026-2027, funding varies by application window: March 2 - June 15 = 100%; June 16 - September 15 = 75%; September 16 - November 30 = 50%; December 1 - February 28 = 25%. Funds may be used for tuition, curriculum, tutoring, testing fees, educational therapies, technology, and qualifying expenses. Subject to audit and review; misuse results in scholarship loss and repayment. Recipients must participate in annual academic assessment. Accepting the Hope Scholarship changes the compliance framework — requirements may differ from Option 1 and Option 2. Program upheld by WV Supreme Court of Appeals after legal challenge.
Filing requirements
- What to file
- simple notice
- Send to
- county superintendent
- Deadline
- before commencing home instruction
- How often
- one time
One-time notice of intent to provide home instruction. Must include child's name, address, and age, plus assurance of instruction in reading, language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. Must notify superintendent when home instruction ends or upon relocating to a new county. No prior approval of an educational plan is required.
W.Va. Code §18-8-1(c)(2)
Ongoing requirements
Required subjects
- ✓reading
- ✓language arts
- ✓mathematics
- ✓science
- ✓social studies
Subject coverage is demonstrated implicitly through standardized test performance rather than through a reviewed educational plan.
W.Va. Code §18-8-1(c)(2)
Instructional time
- Days per year:
- 180
Home instruction must be provided for a term equal to the instructional term set forth in §18-5-45 (no less than 180 separate instructional days). No statutory minimum hours per day.
W.Va. Code §18-5-45
Testing and assessment
- Accepted types
- Standardized test, Portfolio review, Teacher evaluation, Other approved method
- Frequency
- annually
- At grades
- 3, 5, 8, 11
- Minimum score
- 4th stanine or above, or showing improvement from prior year
Annual academic assessment required using one of four methods. Results must be submitted to county superintendent by June 30 at grade levels 3, 5, 8, and 11. Parents must maintain copies for three years. The child is considered to have made acceptable progress when the mean of test results is within or above the 4th stanine, or if below, shows improvement from the previous year. If progress is unacceptable for two consecutive years, additional evidence of appropriate instruction must be provided.
See our full assessment guide for West Virginia for details.
W.Va. Code §18-8-1(c)(2)
Reporting
- Progress reports
- at grades 3, 5, 8, and 11 (by June 30) reports to county superintendent
Assessment results submitted to county superintendent by June 30 at grade levels 3, 5, 8, and 11. No annual renewal of the notice of intent. No educational plan submission, portfolio, or mid-year review required.
W.Va. Code §18-8-1(c)(2)
Instructor qualifications
The instructor must have a high school diploma or GED.
Alternatives: GED; Post-secondary degree or certificate from a regionally accredited institution
Parent/guardian must have a high school diploma or equivalent, or a post-secondary degree or certificate from a regionally accredited institution or institution authorized by WV's higher education commission. Teaching certificate not required.
W.Va. Code §18-8-1(c)(2)
What you don't need to worry about
Education savings: Hope Scholarship
Hope Scholarship: Varies by application window (see notes). Covers tuition, homeschool curriculum, and qualifying expenses. — WV residents enrolled or eligible for enrollment in a WV public school (K-12); must be under 21 and not have completed secondary education; kindergartners must be at least 5 by July 1
Other ways to homeschool in West Virginia
This checklist covers Option 2: Less Regulated Pathway (Annual Standardized Testing), the most common pathway. West Virginia offers 3 different ways to homeschool, each with different requirements:
- •Option 1: School Board Approval Pathway : You submit a detailed educational plan to the county superintendent on or before the date home instruction begins, and the county board reviews it for adequacy. Annual assessment by a certified teacher, standardized test, or portfolio review is required, and the board determines whether your child is making acceptable progress. More oversight than Option 2, but offers portfolio review as an alternative to standardized testing.
- •Option 2: Less Regulated Pathway (Annual Standardized Testing)(this checklist) : You file a one-time notice of intent with the county superintendent — no educational plan to submit and no board approval needed. Your child takes an annual standardized test and must score at or above the 4th stanine (or show improvement from the prior year). Test results are submitted at grades 3, 5, 8, and 11. The teaching parent needs a high school diploma or equivalent. Most West Virginia homeschool families choose this less-regulated pathway.
- •Option 3: Learning Pod or Microschool : You organize or join a learning pod (parent-organized group) or enroll your child in a microschool (teacher- or entity-operated, charges tuition). File a one-time notice with the county superintendent. Same instructor and assessment requirements as Option 2, but no 180-day instructional minimum. Multiple families can group their children together, and outside instructors can teach. Established by SB268 (2022).
Our wizard helps you choose the right one. Compare all pathways for West Virginia
Education savings available
West Virginia offers Hope Scholarship. Learn about ESA programs
Related guides
Get your personalized checklist
This is the general checklist for the most common pathway. The wizard customizes it for your family's specific situation, including grade, pathway, and IEP status.
Get your West Virginia checklistRequirements sourced from W.Va. Code 18-8-1(c). Verified against primary legal sources. Last verified: March 2026