FAQs

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A:

Homeschools are considered private schools under the law in Indiana. Here are the general guidelines.
* All children from 7-16 must be enrolled in a school that teaches in English. Kindergarten is not mandatory.
* Parents need to keep track of attendance and be ready to show that as well as give an enrollment of how many children are in each grade. This would usually be asked by a local or state school superintendent.Home educators need to provide instruction for the same number of days required by public schools. Right now it is 180 days.
* Homeschools need to offer an "equivalent" education to what the child would receive in a public school. First graders need to work on learning to read, etc.

This should not be considered legal advice. We are not lawyers. If you have specific legal questions, we recommend you contact Home School Legal Defense (HSLDA).

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Since every family's situation is different, you first may want to obtain legal advice.  

Note: These suggestions do not constitute the giving of legal advice.

* Send a letter to the principal of the public school your child is currently attending.
* Include your name, address, and the names of the children who are going to be homeschooled.

Some things to include in the letter would be the date of the withdrawal and to ask the school to send their records to you. You could also reference the state legislation which makes homeschooling legal by saying that the private school in your home meets the requirements mandated by the Court of Appeals in the Peterman case (State v. Peterman, 70 N.E.2d 50 (1904)) and that you will keep attendance records and meet for the same number of days that the public schools are in session.
 

Sometimes individual schools or school districts have student withdrawal forms. This should be considered an additional step to the ones listed above.

If you would like help composing a letter to your school, paste this link into your browser:

https://iahe.net/withdraw-your-child-from-the-public-school-in-indiana

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You are not required to register with the state. We believe it is up to individual families to decide. You can go to the Indiana Department of Education website and read what they have to say.

Please note: If you are ever pressured or told by anyone that you must register, please notify HSLDA of the situation. Many times it is a misunderstanding of the law, and HSLDA can clear it up with a phone call. You may have to be a HSLDA member for them to do that!

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The home education curriculum market is amazing, exciting, and yet can be overwhelming for a beginning homeschooler. Here are a few things to think about.

First, you need to decide what you want your homeschool to look like. Do you want it to look like a traditional school? Do you want others to evaluate your child's work? Do you want to teach several children at once? Spending some time answering these questions before you start looking at curricula will help reduce your confusion. 

Many parents want to check to make sure what they choose for curriculum covers what the state says a child needs to learn.  This can be checked by going to the Learning Standards page of the Indiana Department of Education's website where one can search for the scope and sequence by subject and grade level.

Please know that your curriculum preferences may change as you develop a better sense of your philosophy of teaching and as you learn your children's strengths, weaknesses, loves, and dislikes. Therefore, please don't agonize over curriculum decisions. Pick one that you think you like and try it! There is no such thing as the perfect curriculum, and you'll drive yourself nuts trying to find it!

Cathy Duffy offers curriculum reviews on her website. You can access it here:

https://cathyduffyreviews.com/

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Because of the quality of students who have graduated from homeschooling, more and more colleges are open to homeschoolers and even actively recruit homeschoolers. Getting into a college for homeschoolers is basically the same for them as any other student - good SAT scores and a transcript showing the student has completed the Indiana Core 40. Colleges will accept a transcript prepared by the parent, and homeschoolers can take the SAT at any SAT testing center.

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This is one of the most frequently asked questions by critics of homeschooling so when most homeschoolers are asked this question you may see them roll their eyes! First, we need to understand some definitions. Socialization means providing the student with enough "people" experience so that they're ready to be a contributing and well-adjusted person in society. Which situation would be more conducive to molding a child into a reliable, responsible adult? The child spends most of his time one-on-one with a loving adult and maybe different age groups sprinkled in, or the child spends most of his time in a group of peers who don't have anymore idea about the "real world" than he has. What most people mean when they ask this question is, "What about socializing?" (By this they mean hanging out with other kids their own age.) Most homeschoolers are involved in a variety of experiences where they make friends and socialize. See Area Resources for a good listing of those opportunities.

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Testing is not required in Indiana. If you would like to see where your child is using some kind of assessment test, you can purchase them from Bob Jones University Press online.