Homeschooling Guide: Laws, Requirements & Resources by State

Homeschooling is a legal form of K-12 education where parents take primary responsibility for their kid's learning outside of a traditional school. Kids learn at home, through community co-ops, online classes, and other flexible setups, using a curriculum the family chooses.

It's one of the fastest-growing education models in the U.S., with an estimated 3.3 million homeschooled kids as of 2024. Families come to it from all directions: frustration with local schools, a kid's unique learning needs, scheduling flexibility, or just wanting more say over what and how their kids learn.

Start with your state's requirements; rules vary a lot. Some states require a notice of intent, others require annual assessments, and a handful have almost no oversight at all. Find your state's guide in the hub above.

From there, most families work through 3 practical decisions:

• Curriculum approach: Structured all-in-one, pieced together by subject, or unschooling? There's no single right answer. Classical, Waldorf, and interest-led are all popular starting points.
• Schedule: Homeschool doesn't mean replicating a 7-hour school day. Most families find 2-4 focused hours is plenty, especially in the early years.‍
• Support: Very few families do it entirely alone. Co-ops, tutors, and live online classes fill the gaps. Outschool's small-group classes cover everything from core academics to enrichment, so you don't have to teach every subject yourself.

Yes, plenty of families do. It takes more planning, but it's genuinely workable. A few approaches that tend to work well:

• Asynchronous and self-paced materials for subjects your kid can tackle independently
• Live online classes scheduled around your work hours, evenings and weekends included
• Co-ops or learning pods where kids learn with peers a few days a week
• Splitting the load between 2 working parents by subject or day

It usually works better than people expect, once you accept that school hours don't have to apply at home.

The most meaningful differences aren't about academics. They're about who owns the outcomes.

• Pace: Your kid moves at their own pace. They can spend 3 weeks deep in ancient Rome and skim the parts that don't interest them. Public school moves at the class's average pace.
• Curriculum: Homeschool families choose their own materials. Public schools follow a state-mandated curriculum.
• Socialization: Homeschooled kids aren't isolated. Most are involved in co-ops, sports, community programs, and online classes with peers. It looks different from traditional school, but the opportunities are there.‍
• Accountability: In public school, accountability runs through the institution. In homeschooling, it runs through the parent, which is both the appeal and the challenge.

Homeschool parents aren't paid to teach. But a growing number of states offer Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) or scholarship programs that put public education funds directly into a family account, which can be spent on curriculum, tutors, online classes, and other approved expenses.

States like Arizona, Florida, and Texas have some of the most generous ESA programs, with allocations ranging from $2,000 to $8,000 per child per year. Outschool is an approved vendor in most ESA states, so you can use those funds for live classes directly on the platform. Check your state's guide above to see what's available where you live.

There's no single dominant curriculum, which is kind of the point. The most common approaches:

• Classical: Logic, grammar, rhetoric. Structured and literature-heavy, good fit for families who want rigorous academics. See classical homeschool curriculum options.
• Charlotte Mason: Nature study, living books, narration instead of worksheets. Gentle approach with a strong emphasis on wonder and observation.
• Eclectic: The most popular approach, where families mix and match by subject, grade, and learning style.
• Unschooling: Child-led, no formal curriculum. Parents facilitate rather than teach.‍
• Online-first: Building a full curriculum from live online classes and self-paced courses. Outschool fits naturally into this model, covering everything from math to full-grade subject plans.