Is homeschooling legal here?

Yes — in all 50 states. Here's how the legal landscape works, and where to find your state's rules.

Short answer: yes. Homeschooling is legal in all 50 states and D.C., and has been nationwide since 1993. The question was settled a generation ago — what varies now isn't whether you can homeschool, but how much your particular state asks of you along the way.

A spectrum, not a yes-or-no

States fall along a rough spectrum of how much they regulate home education:

• Minimal: no notice required, no testing, no mandated record-keeping — you simply teach your kids (Texas, Idaho, Oklahoma, and others).
• Moderate: usually a notice of intent, sometimes required subjects or periodic assessment, and records worth keeping (the largest group of states).
• High: more layers — an education plan or notification, an attendance or hours minimum, and an annual assessment or portfolio review submitted to someone (New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and a few others).

Where your state sits determines how much paperwork is in your life — not whether you're allowed.

What “regulated” actually asks for

Even in higher-regulation states, the requirements almost always reduce to a handful of categories: whether you notify anyone, which subjects you cover, whether progress has to be demonstrated, what records you keep, and the ages the rules apply to. None of it requires a teaching degree, and in most states no one inspects your home or approves your curriculum.

Don't borrow another state's rules

The most common beginner mistake is reading a scary requirement from a high-regulation state and assuming it applies everywhere. It doesn't — a family in New York and a family in Texas are doing legally different things. Look up your own state, and confirm against its current statute, because laws change and several states have recently dropped requirements (like testing) that older guides still list.