How to Start Homeschooling in Arkansas

Yes. Homeschooling is fully legal in Arkansas. The Home School Act at A.C.A. 6-15-501 through 6-15-507 spells it out clearly. A home school is defined as a school conducted by a parent or legal guardian for their own children. This is your right under Arkansas law.

Arkansas is a low-regulation state. No curriculum approval. No teacher qualifications. No standardized testing. It was not always this simple. Before 2013, homeschooled students had to take standardized tests at certain grade levels. If a child scored below the threshold, the state could require public school enrollment. Act 922 of 2013 wiped that requirement away entirely. Today, the annual notice is your only obligation.

The Arkansas Constitution, Article 14, Section 1, establishes the state's interest in education. But the legislature has made clear that parents can educate at home without interference. The superintendent receives your notice. That is the end of the conversation. No approval needed.

Arkansas compulsory education covers ages 5 through 17. Your child must receive education from age 5 until their 18th birthday under A.C.A. 6-18-201.

The cutoff date is August 1. If your child turns 5 on or before August 1, compulsory attendance applies that school year. Turns 5 after August 1? You have another year before the requirement kicks in.

Here is something many parents do not realize. If your child is 5 and you are not ready for formal schooling, you can opt out of kindergarten. File a written notice saying your child will not attend. This delays the requirement by one year. You do not need a home school notice for a child below compulsory age. Once your child hits the compulsory range, you must file the notice or enroll them.

Getting started with homeschooling in Arkansas is refreshingly simple. Here is exactly what to do:

Step 1: File your Notice of Intent by August 15. Go to noihs.ade.arkansas.gov and submit online. You can also mail or email a written notice to your local school district superintendent. Your notice needs three things: (1) each child's name, date of birth, and grade level, (2) your name and address, and (3) a statement that you intend to home school. No curriculum description. No credentials. No test results.

Starting in the spring? File by December 15. Moving to Arkansas? You have 30 days after establishing residency. Starting mid-year for another reason? File at least 14 days before you begin.

Step 2: Pick your approach. Arkansas does not tell you what to teach or how to teach it. Choose a packaged curriculum, build your own, or try interest-led learning. There is no state-approved list and no approval process. This is your call.

Step 3: Teach. Once that notice is filed, you are fully compliant with Arkansas homeschool requirements. Nothing else to submit all year. No progress reports. No end-of-year filings. Just renew your notice by August 15 next year.

The only paperwork is your annual Notice of Intent. Here are three ways to file it:

Online (recommended). Go to noihs.ade.arkansas.gov. The state system accepts both first-time and renewal filings. Save or print your confirmation page.

By mail. Write a letter to the superintendent of your local school district with your child's name, date of birth, grade level, your name and address, and your intent to home school. Send it certified mail so you have a delivery receipt.

By email. A.C.A. 6-15-503 says written notice may be given electronically, including by email. Send the same information by email and save the sent message plus any reply.

The statute used to require first-time filers to show up in person. That changed. The online system and email now work for everyone. Many districts also offer their own form, but no specific form is required. A plain letter works fine.

Whatever method you choose, keep proof of filing. This is your protection if anyone questions your compliance later.

If your child is in public school right now, here is your game plan:

File your Notice of Intent with the superintendent. Send it to the superintendent of the district where your child is enrolled. This is required under A.C.A. 6-15-503. If you file after August 15, know this: there is a 5-school-day waiting period before your child is officially released. Your child stays enrolled during those 5 days. Plan around it.

Tell the school directly. Separately from the superintendent filing, contact the school office. Let them know you are withdrawing your child to homeschool. Request a complete copy of your child's records: transcripts, immunization records, test scores. Put this request in writing. You are entitled to these records and you will want them.

Save everything. Keep your NOI confirmation, your school notification, and every response. If a question ever arises about whether your child was properly withdrawn, this paper trail is your proof.

You can withdraw at any point in the school year. There is no restriction on timing. For the smoothest transition, many families time it between grading periods. But that is a preference, not a requirement.

Arkansas gives you two ways to homeschool:

Pathway 1: Home School Under Notice. The standard path under A.C.A. 6-15-501 et seq. File your annual notice by August 15. No testing. No curriculum approval. No recordkeeping. Most Arkansas homeschool families use this path because it is the simplest.

Pathway 2: Private/Umbrella School Enrollment. You enroll in a private umbrella school or church-affiliated school that lets you teach at home under its name. The school handles filings and maintains records for you. Requirements depend on that school's policies, not the home school statute. This arrangement is not specifically recognized in Arkansas law. It is informal but well-established. It works for families who want administrative support or a school name on their child's transcripts.

Most families start with Pathway 1. If you later want more structure or support, you can explore umbrella schools. Either way, you are teaching at home.

Set a recurring August 15 reminder today. Missing the NOI deadline can trigger truancy proceedings. File early every year. For spring starts, the deadline is December 15. Do not let a missed date create a problem that does not need to exist.

Remember: you must file a new notice every year. Last year's notice does not carry over. Even if nothing has changed, file again by August 15. This is the most common mistake in Arkansas homeschooling.

Build records from day one. The law does not require recordkeeping, but your future self will thank you. Keep attendance logs, work samples, course and grade lists, and copies of every NOI you file. Start a transcript now. Rebuilding years of records when college applications arrive is stressful and avoidable.

The LEARNS Act ESA can pay for your curriculum. Under Act 237 of 2023, the Education Freedom Account at A.C.A. 6-18-2401 et seq. gives every Arkansas K-12 student about $6,864 per year. That breaks down to $1,716 per quarter through ClassWallet. Apply at arkansasefa.com between early March and the June 1 priority deadline. Use the funds for curriculum, textbooks, tutoring, educational therapies, and testing fees. Here is the trade-off you should know about: ESA participants must take annual standardized tests in math and reading. Regular homeschoolers do not. You also face quarterly expense reporting and random audits. If zero testing and zero reporting matter to you, skip the ESA and homeschool under baseline rules.

Your child can play school sports. Under A.C.A. 6-15-504(f), Arkansas's "Tim Tebow Law," home-schooled students can join public school extracurriculars at their resident district. Athletics, band, clubs. Your child must meet the same eligibility standards as enrolled students. Call your district's athletic director to ask about tryout schedules.

Part-time public school is an option. Under A.C.A. 6-15-504, home-schooled students may take individual public school courses. Availability varies by district. Contact your local school to ask what is open to homeschool students.

You issue the diploma. Parents create the transcript and award the diploma. No state template. No GED needed. Arkansas colleges accept homeschool applicants with parent-made transcripts and ACT or SAT scores.

Special needs families: you have options. If your child has an IEP, those services end when you withdraw from public school. But you are not without support. Request a Child Find evaluation through your local district. They must schedule an evaluation within 7 days of your referral. Ask about proportionate share services for homeschooled students. The Education Freedom Account can also fund private speech, occupational, and behavioral therapies from accredited practitioners.

Find your people. The Education Alliance (formerly AHEN) at theeducationalliance.org is Arkansas's statewide homeschool organization. They connect families with local co-ops, field trip groups, and support networks. You do not have to do this alone.