New York asks more of homeschooling families than any other state: six or more filings per child per year. The good news is that every one of them has a defined format, so once you have a system it is routine rather than stressful.
Verified against primary sources August 2026. Laws change; sources are linked at the bottom of this page.
Send a letter of intent by July 1, then file an individualized home instruction plan, four quarterly reports on dates you choose, and an annual assessment with the fourth report. Each quarterly report needs four things: instruction hours, material covered per subject, a grade or narrative per subject, and an explanation if you covered less than 80 percent of what you planned.
Each year, notify your district superintendent in writing of your intention to educate at home, by July 1, or within 14 days if you begin mid-year or move in. The regulation does not prescribe the letter's contents; New York City asks for parent name, child name, date of birth, and address. Within ten business days the district must send you a copy of the regulation and an IHIP form.
The individualized home instruction plan lists the child's name, age, and grade level; the syllabi, curriculum materials, textbooks, or plan of instruction for each required subject; the dates you will submit each quarterly report; and the names of everyone providing instruction. Districts may not demand more than the regulation specifies. You may begin instruction before the plan is approved.
On the dates you set in your IHIP, each report must contain: the number of hours of instruction during that quarter; a description of the material covered in each subject listed in the IHIP; either a grade for each subject or a written narrative evaluating progress; and, if less than 80 percent of the planned material was covered, a written explanation. That fourth item is missing from most checklists you will find online, and it is in the regulation.
Each year the assessment is either a commercially published norm-referenced achievement test from the approved list, or a written narrative evaluation. The narrative option is available every year in grades 1-3, only in alternate years in grades 4-8, and not at all in grades 9-12, where a standardized test is required annually. Adequate progress means a composite above the 33rd percentile, or a score showing one academic year of growth over the prior year.
Provide the substantial equivalent of 180 days of instruction, totaling 900 hours a year in grades 1-6 and 990 hours in grades 7-12. Instruction may happen evenings or weekends. Attendance records are maintained by you and made available to the district on request; they are not routinely filed, though New York City circulates an attendance calendar form as part of its own document set.
The regulation enumerates subjects by grade band, and adds requirements that run across all grades: patriotism and citizenship; instruction regarding alcohol, drug, and tobacco misuse; highway and bicycle safety; and fire and arson prevention. Somewhere in grades 1-8 you must cover United States history, New York history, and both constitutions.
| July 1 | Send the annual letter of intent (or within 14 days of starting mid-year). |
| Within four weeks of receiving the district's form, or by August 15 | File the IHIP, choosing your own four quarterly report dates. |
| Four times a year, on your chosen dates | File quarterly reports with all four required elements. |
| With the fourth quarterly report | File the annual assessment (test results or narrative evaluation). |
| If the district finds your IHIP deficient | You have 15 days, or until September 15, to submit a revised plan; the superintendent then has until September 30 to decide. Appeals go to the board and then the state commissioner. |
Four things: the number of hours of instruction that quarter, a description of the material covered in each subject in your plan, either a grade or a written narrative for each subject, and a written explanation if less than 80 percent of the planned material was covered. That fourth item is in the regulation but missing from most checklists.
In grades 1 through 3, every year. In grades 4 through 8, only in alternate years. In grades 9 through 12, no: a standardized test is required annually.
No. The state education department says districts may not demand more information than the regulation specifies for the plan. Knowing the exact list is your protection when a district asks for extras.
Not through home instruction. A diploma may only be awarded to a student enrolled in a registered secondary school. Graduates use a parent transcript, a high school equivalency credential, or a superintendent letter for college admission.
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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.