Georgia Homeschool Requirements: Declaration, Subjects, and Testing

To homeschool legally in Georgia, you run what the state calls a home study program under O.C.G.A. § 20-2-690(c), and the Georgia homeschool requirements are specific: file a Declaration of Intent with the Georgia Department of Education, hold at least a high school diploma yourself, teach reading, language arts, math, social studies, and science for 180 days a year at 4.5 hours a day, give a nationally normed standardized test at least once every three years starting after third grade, and write an annual progress report you keep on file for at least three years.¹ The rules apply to any child between their sixth and sixteenth birthdays, the same range covered by Georgia’s compulsory attendance law.²

Filing the Declaration of Intent

Every home study program starts with a Declaration of Intent (DOI) filed with the Georgia Department of Education. If you are starting a new program, file within 30 days of beginning instruction. If you are already homeschooling, renew by September 1 each year.¹ The Department forwards a copy to your local school system.

The DOI itself asks for four things: the names and ages of every child in the program, the physical address where instruction happens, the local school system where the program is located, and the 12-month period you are designating as your school year. You can submit it through the Department’s online portal or by mail.³ The information stays private: enrollment records cannot be used for any purpose beyond tracking unless you give permission or a court orders disclosure.¹

Who Can Teach

The teaching parent or guardian must hold at least a high school diploma or a state-approved high school equivalency diploma. If you hire a tutor, that tutor must meet the same credential.¹ No teaching certificate or college degree is required.

One boundary matters here. Under the home study framework, parents can only teach their own children. You cannot pool families and have one parent run a small class for the neighborhood; a separate family needs its own DOI and its own program.¹

Required Subjects, Days, and Hours

Your curriculum must cover at least five subjects: reading, language arts, mathematics, social studies, and science.¹ The statute says “includes, but is not limited to,” so those five are a floor. Add whatever else you want.

Each 12-month school year must include at least 180 days of instruction, with each day running at least four and a half hours. The only exception is if a child is physically unable to meet the time requirement.¹ Georgia does not prescribe textbooks, grading scales, or teaching methods. How you cover the required subjects is up to you.

Standardized Testing

Starting at the end of third grade, your student must take a nationally normed standardized test at least once every three years. Georgia does not name a specific test, only that it be nationally standardized. Common options include the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, the California Achievement Test, the Stanford Achievement Test, and the Woodcock-Johnson. The SAT and ACT also qualify for older students.

The test has to be given in consultation with someone trained in administering and interpreting norm-referenced tests.¹ That does not necessarily mean a certified teacher; most publishers consider anyone with a bachelor’s degree qualified. Some publishers let parents administer to their own children, others do not, so check with the testing service before ordering. Expect to pay roughly $40 to $55 per student for most nationally normed tests.

Scores stay with you. The statute explicitly says test results do not have to be submitted to any public authority.¹ They exist so you can evaluate whether the curriculum is working.

Annual Progress Reports and Record-Keeping

On top of testing, you must write an annual progress report for each student that summarizes how the child did in the required subjects that year. The report is not submitted to the state, but it belongs in the child’s permanent academic record and you are responsible for keeping it.¹

Both progress reports and test scores must be retained for at least three years. Those records are the primary evidence that your home study program is legitimate, and they become essential later when your child applies to college, enlists in the military, or otherwise needs to document their schooling. Store them somewhere safe and keep copies.

Withdrawing From Public School First

If your child is currently enrolled in a Georgia public school, withdraw them before you begin the home study program. Public schools have to have proof that a child is transferring to another school or to a home study program. The Department of Education will forward your DOI to the local school system, but if the school does not receive it within 45 days of the withdrawal, the school is directed to refer the matter to the Division of Family and Children Services for an assessment. The clean way to avoid that is to hand the school a copy of your filed DOI when you withdraw or shortly after.

When you complete the DOI in this situation, use the date your child started at their current school as the beginning of your 12-month school year. Days already spent in the public school that year count toward your 180, so you are not starting over from zero.

Signing School Documents as the Parent

Georgia law gives home study parents explicit authority to sign anything a traditional school official would sign for their child.¹ Practically, that covers:

Verifying enrollment for the Department of Driver Services when your child applies for a permit or license.
Signing documents related to the employment of minors under Georgia’s child labor laws.
Certifying full-time or part-time status, grades, and other educational information for any entity that asks.
Signing documents needed for state or federal public assistance applications.

You are the school official for your program. When someone tells you they need a signature from one, that signature is yours.

Penalties for Non-Compliance

Failing to meet Georgia’s compulsory attendance requirements, whether by never filing the DOI, not hitting the instructional hour minimum, or ignoring other home study rules, is a misdemeanor. Penalties include a fine between $25 and $100, up to 30 days in jail, community service, or any combination at the court’s discretion.²

The penalties stack. Once the school system notifies you that your child has accumulated five unexcused absences, every additional day of absence counts as a separate offense.² The school system has to send notice by certified mail before bringing a case, so you get a warning. Still, waiting for that letter to arrive before filing paperwork that takes ten minutes is a poor trade.

1
Justia Law. Georgia Code 20-2-690 – Educational Entities
2
Justia Law. Georgia Code 20-2-690.1 – Mandatory Education for Children Between Ages Six and Sixteen
3
Georgia Department of Education. Home Study Declaration of Intent