Hands Off regulation

Homeschool Records Requirements in Alaska

Alaska's home education law is a single line: compulsory attendance does not apply to a child being educated at home by a parent or legal guardian. No notice, no test, no records. Many Alaska families choose something different, a district correspondence program, and that is a public school with its own rules.

Verified against primary sources November 2026. Laws change; sources are linked at the bottom of this page.

What Alaska requires, in short

Under AS 14.30.010(b)(12), the compulsory attendance law does not apply to a child who is being educated in the child's home by a parent or legal guardian. The statute sets no notice, no filing, no testing, no subjects, no days or hours, and no parent qualifications. If you instead enroll your child in a district correspondence program, your child is a public school student: the program writes an individual learning plan with a certificated teacher, includes the statewide assessments, and may provide a yearly allotment for approved materials.

Alaska notice and withdrawal letter Deadlines calendar Attendance and hours log

NoticeNone under the home education exemption

TestingNone under the home education exemption

Records you must keepNothing specified by statute

Days or hoursNone set for homeschooling

Parent qualificationsNone: a parent or legal guardian teaches

Compulsory agesBetween 7 and 16, in the statute's words

Your legal options in Alaska

Home education by a parent or legal guardian (the standard route)

The attendance law does not apply to a child being educated in the child's home by a parent or legal guardian. This is what the rest of this page describes.

No notice, registration, or approval
No testing, subjects, days, hours, or record requirements in the statute
Instruction is given by a parent or legal guardian in the child's home

District or statewide correspondence program (public school at home)

A separate choice, not homeschooling in the legal sense. The Department of Education and Early Development describes correspondence programs as district-supported schooling options in the home. Your child is enrolled in a public program approved by the department, and a family may enroll in its own district's program or in a statewide program run by another district.

An individual learning plan each year, developed with and approved by a certificated teacher assigned by the district
A course of study for the grade level, consistent with state and district standards
An ongoing assessment plan that includes the statewide assessments required for public schools
A signed agreement between the teacher and a parent, and monitoring of the student's work by the teacher
Any allotment buys only approved, nonsectarian services and materials required by the learning plan, never services from a family member

Religious or other private school under AS 14.45

A family or group may operate a religious or other private school that elects to comply with AS 14.45.100 to 14.45.130. This carries real paperwork, so it is a choice some families make for a specific reason, not the default.

The parent files an annual notice of enrollment with the local superintendent on the department's form, signed by the parent and the school's chief administrative officer
Monthly attendance records, at least 180 days a year on a regular schedule, and an annual report to the commissioner of enrollment by grade and the school calendar
A nationally standardized test in grades 4, 6, and 8 each year, in English grammar, reading, spelling, and mathematics
Permanent student records, certified to the department under oath or affirmation

Certificated tutor

The attendance law also does not apply to a child given an academic education comparable to the public schools by tutoring from personnel certificated under AS 14.20.020.

The tutor must hold Alaska teacher certification
The education must be comparable to that offered by the public schools in the area

What the law actually requires

The home education exemption is the whole law

Alaska's compulsory attendance statute lists situations in which it does not apply. One is a child who is being educated in the child's home by a parent or legal guardian. The statute attaches no conditions to that exemption: no notice, no subjects, no assessment, no qualifications.

AS 14.30.010(b)(12)

Know the compulsory ages

The attendance law covers children between seven and 16 years of age. If you enroll a six year old in first grade at a public school, the law then applies; you may withdraw that child within 60 days of enrollment, and the law does not apply again until the child turns seven.

AS 14.30.010(a), (c)

Correspondence is a different legal status

A child enrolled full time in a correspondence study program approved by the department is exempt from attending a physical school under a separate paragraph of the same law. In districts that offer an approved program, a student may enroll in the district program or in the centralized program.

AS 14.30.010(b)(10)(B)

Correspondence programs come with a learning plan

A district or the department that runs a correspondence program must provide each enrolled student an individual learning plan every year, approved by a certificated teacher assigned to the student, with a grade-level course of study, an assessment plan that includes the statewide public school assessments, a signed teacher and parent agreement, and teacher monitoring of the student's work.

AS 14.03.300(a)

Correspondence allotments have limits

A program may give a parent an annual allotment for instructional expenses. It may buy only nonsectarian services and materials that the learning plan requires, that the district approves, that suit the student and align with state standards. It may not pay a family member, including a parent, for services to the student.

AS 14.03.310(a), (b), (e)

Your compliance calendar

Any time	Nothing is due. The home education exemption sets no filing dates, school year, days, or hours.
If leaving a public school	Telling the school in writing that you are withdrawing is good practice. The statute does not require it.
If you choose a correspondence program	The program sets its own enrollment, learning plan, and assessment schedule. Ask the program, since these dates come from the district, not the home education law.

Records to keep

A simple record of what you taught. Alaska requires none, but a list of subjects, books, and work by year is what you will need if your child enrolls in a school later.
A copy of any withdrawal letter. Shows when your child left public school and the exemption you rely on.
Transcript and course descriptions (high school). Required by colleges and some employers, not by Alaska. No statute we found addresses diplomas for children taught at home, so your records are the record.
Work samples (optional). Not required. Useful if your child later enrolls in a school or a correspondence program.

Printable logs for Alaska Transcript builder

What nobody can require of you

No notice of intent, registration, or approval under the home education exemption.
No standardized testing or evaluation.
No required subjects, curriculum, days, or hours.
No teaching certificate or degree for the parent or legal guardian.
No attendance records or portfolio.

Questions Alaska families ask

Do I have to tell anyone I am homeschooling in Alaska?

Not under the home education exemption. AS 14.30.010(b)(12) says the attendance law does not apply to a child being educated at home by a parent or legal guardian, and it attaches no notice or form. If your child is enrolled in a public school now, telling the school in writing that you are withdrawing keeps the record clear.

What is the difference between homeschooling and a correspondence program in Alaska?

The Department of Education and Early Development puts it this way: correspondence programs are district-supported schooling options in the home, and homeschooling refers to schooling without district affiliation. A correspondence student is enrolled in a public school program, with an individual learning plan, a certificated teacher, and the statewide assessments. A homeschooled child under (b)(12) has none of those duties.

What ages does the Alaska attendance law cover?

The statute covers every child between seven and 16 years of age. A six year old whom a parent enrolls in first grade at a public school becomes subject to the law after enrolling, but a parent may withdraw that child within 60 days of enrollment, and the law then does not apply until the child turns seven.

Can a correspondence allotment pay a parent to teach?

No. AS 14.03.310(e) bars using a student allotment to pay for services provided to the student by a family member, which the statute defines to include a parent, guardian, sibling, grandparent, uncle, or aunt.

Common myths about Alaska homeschool law, corrected

A correspondence program is the same thing as homeschooling.

The Department of Education and Early Development separates them: correspondence programs are district-supported schooling at home, and homeschooling is schooling without district affiliation. A correspondence student has a public school learning plan, a certificated teacher, and the statewide assessments. A child taught under AS 14.30.010(b)(12) has none of those duties.

Alaska homeschoolers must file a yearly form with the state.

Not under the home education exemption, which has no filing. The annual enrollment form in AS 14.45.110 belongs to families who choose to run a religious or other private school under AS 14.45.

Allotment money can pay a parent for teaching.

AS 14.03.310(e) forbids using a student allotment to pay for services provided by a family member, which includes a parent or guardian.

Every homeschooled teen can join public school sports under state law.

AS 14.30.365 covers full-time students in an alternative education program, which it defines to include a home school program accredited by a recognized accrediting body and certain statewide correspondence schools. Students must also meet the school's and the governing body's eligibility rules. Ask the school and the governing body before assuming eligibility.

Recent and pending changes

No amendment to AS 14.30.010 is reflected in the current text on the Alaska Legislature's site, read in November 2026; this pass did not trace the section's amendment history.
The correspondence allotment statutes, AS 14.03.300 and 14.03.310, were the subject of litigation beginning in 2024. The current text read here is in force on the Legislature's site; check the department's correspondence page for program updates.

Free tools for Alaska families

Transcript builder: no Alaska statute we found addresses diplomas or transcripts for a child taught at home under AS 14.30.010(b)(12), so the transcript and records you keep are the record colleges and employers will see.
GPA calculator: weighted and unweighted, computed the way colleges do it.
Course description builder: what selective colleges ask homeschool applicants for, written as you go.

Other state guides

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See all state guides.

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Sources

Reference information reviewed August 2026 against primary sources (statutes, NCAA and Common App published requirements). This is general information, not legal advice; requirements change, so verify anything load-bearing for your family against your state's current law.