Today Connecticut's homeschool law is one sentence: teach the required subjects and be able to show the instruction is equivalent. The notice of intent and portfolio review most families hear about come from state guidance, not statute. A 2026 law adds real filings starting in 2027 and 2028.
Verified against primary sources November 2026. Laws change; sources are linked at the bottom of this page.
Under Conn. Gen. Stat. 10-184, a child aged 5 to 18 must attend public school unless the parent can show the child is elsewhere receiving equivalent instruction, and every child must be taught reading, writing, spelling, English grammar, geography, arithmetic, United States history, and citizenship. No statute requires a notice, testing, a portfolio, or set hours today. The State Department of Education asks parents to notify their district and suggests an annual portfolio review, but that is guidance, not law. Public Act 26-37 changes this: from the 2027-28 school year, withdrawing a child from public school to homeschool takes an in-person form and a DCF records check, and from 2028-29 most families file an intent to educate form by October 1 each year.
The parent teaches the child at home and must be able to show the child is receiving instruction equivalent to the studies taught in public schools. From July 1, 2027, the statute calls this parent-managed learning: education managed by a parent or guardian in a setting other than a public or nonpublic school.
Attendance at a school other than a public school counts only if the school files student attendance reports with the Commissioner of Education. From July 1, 2027, a nonpublic school is one approved by the department after accreditation, or one that files those attendance reports. This is a school's duty, not a homeschool filing.
Every parent must instruct the child, or have the child instructed, in reading, writing, spelling, English grammar, geography, arithmetic, United States history, and citizenship, including a study of the town, state, and federal governments. This applies in every setting and is unchanged by the 2026 law.
A child aged 5 to 18 who is not a high school graduate must attend public school unless the parent is able to show the child is elsewhere receiving equivalent instruction in the studies taught in the public schools. The Connecticut Supreme Court has said the state can compel school attendance but cannot compel public school attendance for those who find an equivalent elsewhere. The Commissioner of Education may not limit a parent's authority to provide equivalent instruction. Each day of noncompliance with 10-184 can be fined up to $25.
The State Department of Education asks parents to contact the superintendent's office to learn how the district prefers to be notified. Its 1994 circular letter C-14 suggests a notice of intent filed within ten days of starting, good for up to one school year, giving the teacher's name, subjects, days of instruction, and how progress will be assessed. Receipt is not approval. The letter calls these suggested procedures, the legislature's research office calls them suggested rather than mandatory, and no regulation adopts them. But the same letter says continued refusal may lead a district to treat the child as truant, so families usually comply.
Circular letter C-14 suggests an annual portfolio review with parents and school officials to see whether instruction in the required subjects was given. The department's current page lists keeping an attendance log of days and hours and a portfolio of work samples, assessments, and a book list as best practice. None of this appears in statute or regulation.
A parent may keep a five-year-old out of school until six, and a six-year-old until seven, by going to the school district office in person and signing an option form. The state's guidance says the option lasts one school year, so it is signed again for a second year.
To withdraw a child from public school for homeschooling, the parent goes to the district office in person and signs a withdrawal form. Within two business days the superintendent runs a records check with DCF on each adult 18 or older living with the child. If anyone is on the child abuse and neglect registry or currently under DCF investigation for abuse or neglect, the withdrawal is not effective. You hear the result within five business days of the check starting. The check is not itself a report of abuse or neglect.
By October 1 each year, file an intent to educate form with the district office for your town, which may be done electronically. It covers a homeschooled child turning five by September 1 or one for whom an intent to educate or withdrawal form was completed for the prior year. Families moving into a district file within 14 days. A district that has no form by November 1 must try at least three times to reach the family and, failing that, notify the State Department of Education.
| When you start (current guidance) | The state's suggested procedure is a notice of intent to your superintendent within ten days of starting home instruction. Ask your district how it prefers to receive it. |
| During the year | No statutory deadlines. Teach the required subjects; the state suggests keeping an attendance log and a portfolio. |
| End of the year (current guidance) | Many districts invite an annual portfolio review. It is suggested in state guidance, not required by statute. |
| From July 1, 2027 | Withdrawing a child from public school to homeschool takes an in-person form and a DCF records check before it is effective. |
| By October 1, from 2028-29 | Annual intent to educate form to your town's district office, for most homeschooling families. |
Not under current statute. Conn. Gen. Stat. 10-184 asks only that you be able to show your child is receiving equivalent instruction. The State Department of Education asks parents to contact their district and give notice, and a 1994 circular letter suggests a yearly notice of intent filed within ten days of starting. Those are suggested procedures, not law. Most families still send a notice because districts expect one. Starting with the 2028-29 school year, an annual intent to educate form becomes a legal requirement for most families.
No statute requires it. It comes from the State Board of Education's 1994 suggested procedures, which the legislature's own research office describes as suggested rather than mandatory. The same guidance says a district may treat a continued refusal to file a notice or join a review as truancy, so many families take part. Public Act 26-37 does not add a portfolio review or any test.
From the 2027-28 school year, the parent must go to the school district office in person and sign a withdrawal form. Within two business days the superintendent runs a records check with the Department of Children and Families on every adult 18 or older living with the child. If any of them is on the state child abuse and neglect registry or is currently under DCF investigation for abuse or neglect, the withdrawal is not effective. The superintendent tells you the result within five business days of starting the check, and if the withdrawal is refused, explains why and how to challenge the findings.
Starting with the 2028-29 school year, the form is due by October 1 each year to the district office for the town where you live, and it may be filed electronically. For a homeschooled child, it applies to a child turning five on or before September 1 of that year, or a child for whom an intent to educate form or a withdrawal form was completed for the prior school year. A family that moves into a district during the year files within 14 days. The State Department of Education must publish the form by July 1, 2027.
Not from the state. The State Department of Education says it does not accredit homeschooling and does not recognize credits or credentials earned that way, and that the route to an official high school diploma for a homeschooled person is passing the GED test.
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Make a free parent accountReference 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.