Kansas Homeschool Laws & Requirements

Compulsory School Attendance Age

Kansas compulsory attendance generally applies to children who have reached age 7 and are under age 18. Special rules can apply to certain children under age 7 who have been identified as having a disability.

Homeschool Registration and Enrollment

A Kansas homeschool operating as a Nonaccredited Private School must register the name and address of the school with the Kansas State Board of Education.

Kansas describes this as registration, not approval. There is no state review or approval process and no registration fee. The Kansas State Department of Education currently instructs families to register the homeschool only once and to mark it non-active when the school no longer exists.

When a student transfers from another school to a Kansas NAPS, the parent or guardian should notify the previous school. KSDE warns that if the prior school is not notified, the student may be reported as truant.

Instructional Days and Hours

Kansas requires Nonaccredited Private Schools to hold classes for a period substantially equivalent to the time public schools are in session.

KSDE currently identifies the public-school benchmark as at least:

• 186 days of not less than 6 hours per day, or • 1,116 instructional hours per year for grades 1 through 11

Families should maintain an instructional schedule and attendance records sufficient to demonstrate substantial equivalence.

Required Subjects

Kansas does not provide a state-approved homeschool curriculum or a single prescribed homeschool textbook program. KSDE states that Nonaccredited Private Schools are responsible for acquiring their own curriculum materials.

Kansas curricular standards may be used as guidance, but KSDE explains that the standards are guidelines and are not themselves the curriculum. Families should provide a genuine, organized educational program appropriate to the student's age and educational needs.

Attendance and Records

Kansas registration identifies the school and the custodian of its records. Families should maintain organized attendance and academic records to document operation of the Nonaccredited Private School and the student's progress.

Useful records include:

• Attendance and instructional time • Courses completed • Grades • Credits • Report cards • Transcripts • Curriculum used • Assessments when used • Graduation records

Standardized Testing

Kansas does not impose the regular public-school statewide assessment program on independently operated Nonaccredited Private Schools simply because they are homeschools. Families may choose private standardized testing or other assessments for their own records.

Parent Teacher Qualifications

Kansas does not require teachers in Nonaccredited Private Schools to hold a Kansas teaching license. However, KSDE states that courses must be taught by competent instructors.

Curriculum Freedom

Kansas Nonaccredited Private Schools select and obtain their own curriculum. The state does not supply homeschool books or curriculum materials and does not require families to use the public-school curriculum. Families may use textbooks, workbooks, online programs, educational websites, parent-created lessons, tutors, cooperative classes, career education, and other resources.

Graduation

A Kansas Nonaccredited Private School issues its own diploma. KSDE states that these diplomas are not recognized by the State of Kansas as meeting state diploma requirements. Families should maintain a complete high school transcript and should research the requirements of colleges, employers, military branches, scholarship programs, trade schools, and licensing agencies.

Alabama Church School Services for Kansas Families

Kansas families are not required to enroll with Alabama Church School. However, they may choose Alabama Church School for curriculum, records, attendance tools, report cards, transcripts, diplomas, and educational support while operating their Kansas Nonaccredited Private School.

• Complete curriculum • Enrollment documentation • Attendance resources • Academic records • Report cards • Transcripts • Diplomas and graduation documentation • Student records • Educational support and other available services

Because Kansas expects a registered NAPS to operate as a genuine school with substantially equivalent instructional time, an organized curriculum and recordkeeping system can be particularly valuable. Enrollment with Alabama Church School does not replace the Kansas family's responsibility to register its NAPS and satisfy Kansas requirements.