Hawaii Homeschool Documents & Templates

What to file

simple notice

Send to

principal of the public school the child would otherwise attend based on residence

Deadline

before initiating home schooling

How often

one time

Free-form letter accepted?

Yes. You can write your own letter instead of using an official form.

Per HAR 8-12-13(a), the notice of intent requires only three items: (1) name, address, and telephone number of the child; (2) birthdate and grade level of the child; and (3) signature of the parent. May be submitted on Form 4140 or in a letter. No curriculum plan is required in the notification itself (curriculum records are maintained separately per HAR 8-12-15). Per HAR 8-12-13(c), notification does not need to be resubmitted annually as long as the annual progress report has been submitted per HAR 8-12-18(b), except when the child transfers to a different local public school (e.g., transition from elementary to intermediate). The notice is acknowledged by the principal and district superintendent for recordkeeping and to protect families from unfounded accusations of educational neglect or truancy.

HAR 8-12-13

Status

Not required, but recommended to prevent truancy concerns

Send to

current school registrar or office, plus notification to local public school principal

No statutory waiting period between withdrawal and beginning home instruction. Keep copies of all correspondence.

HRS 302A-1132

Submit to

principal of the local public school

Frequency

annual

Per HAR 8-12-18(b), at end of each school year the parent must submit an annual progress report to the principal. At GRADES 3, 5, 8, and 10: test scores are required per the Statewide Testing Program (HAR 8-12-18(a)); the child may participate at the local public school or the parent may arrange comparable private testing. For the annual progress report at ALL grades, parent chooses one of four methods: (1) nationally normed standardized test showing grade-level achievement, (2) standardized test showing progress equivalent to one grade level per calendar year, (3) written evaluation by a Hawaii-certified teacher showing appropriate progress, or (4) parent-written evaluation including subject progress descriptions, work samples, and representative tests/assignments. At grades 3, 5, 8, and 10, the parent may also opt to use the Statewide Testing Program results as the annual assessment (HAR 8-12-18(c)). If progress is inadequate, the principal may meet with the parent and request the curriculum record; no enforcement action may occur before third grade or unless progress is inadequate for two consecutive semesters (HAR 8-12-18(d)).

See our full assessment guide for Hawaii for accepted test types, minimum scores, and remediation details.

HAR 8-12-18

Frequency

annual

Submit to

principal of the local public school

Hawaii has a one-time intake obligation (notice of intent per HAR 8-12-13, not resubmitted annually) and an annual output obligation (progress report per HAR 8-12-18). The annual progress report is what keeps the notification active; no separate renewal filing is needed. Grade-level milestone assessments are also required at grades 3, 5, 8, and 10 per HAR 8-12-18(a).

HAR 8-12-13; HAR 8-12-18

• ✓Student portfolio

Records may be reviewed by the district.

Per HAR 8-12-15, parents must keep a record of the planned curriculum that includes: (1) commencement and ending dates of the program; (2) weekly hours of instruction; (3) subject areas covered (elementary: language arts, mathematics, social studies, science, art, music, health, physical education; secondary: social studies, English, mathematics, science, health, physical education, guidance); (4) method used to determine mastery of materials and subjects; and (5) a bibliography of textbooks and instructional materials in standard bibliographical format (for books: author, title, publisher, date; for magazines: author, article title, magazine, date, volume, pages). The curriculum must be structured and based on educational objectives, be cumulative and sequential, and take into account the child's interests, needs, and abilities. This record is kept by the parent and may be requested by the principal only if progress is found inadequate per HAR 8-12-18(d). Keep records of all notifications and assessments submitted.

HAR 8-12-15

This page covers Home Instruction. Hawaii offers 2 different ways to homeschool, and each may require different documents:

• •
  Home Instruction(this page): You file a one-time notice of intent with the principal of your local public school, then submit annual evidence of your child's progress. You also maintain a curriculum record (not submitted, but kept on file). Hawaii requires both an initial notification and an end-of-year assessment, making it one of the more hands-on states for oversight.
• •
  Private School or Umbrella Program Enrollment: You enroll in a private school or umbrella program that handles compliance on your behalf. Your child is classified as a private school student, not a homeschooler, so the annual assessment and curriculum plan requirements of the home instruction statute do not apply. Best for families who want less state oversight or prefer institutional support.

Our wizard helps you choose the right one and generates the correct documents. Compare all pathways for Hawaii