Homeschooling in Arizona

Yes, you can do this here. Arizona gives families a clear homeschool pathway: an initial affidavit, proof of identity and age, and five subjects to teach.

If you are wondering whether homeschooling works where you live, the answer in Arizona is yes. The law names homeschooling directly, gives it a definition, and asks four things of your family. Filing the paperwork is the easy part. Teaching your child is the real obligation, and it is the one the statute puts first.

What Arizona calls a homeschool

Arizona names and defines homeschooling directly in its statute. Arizona Revised Statutes section 15-802 defines a homeschool as a nonpublic school conducted primarily by the parent, guardian, or other person who has custody of the child, or nonpublic instruction provided in the child’s home.

The same statute opens by saying that every child between the ages of six and sixteen shall attend a school and shall be provided instruction in at least reading, grammar, mathematics, social studies, and science. Notice where those five subjects sit. They appear in the first sentence, before any choice of school is made. The five subjects apply to every child covered by the compulsory-attendance statute, regardless of the educational pathway selected.

• Provide instruction in at least reading, grammar, mathematics, social studies, and science, for a child from age six until age sixteen. A.R.S. 15-802(A)

• File an affidavit of intent with your county school superintendent within thirty days after homeschooling begins. It states the child’s name, the child’s date of birth, the current address of the school the child is attending, and the names, telephone numbers, and addresses of the persons who have custody. A.R.S. 15-802(B)(2) and (C)

• Within that same thirty days, provide your county school superintendent with proof of your child’s identity and age: a certified copy of the birth certificate, or other reliable proof such as a baptismal certificate, an application for a Social Security number, or original school registration records accompanied by an affidavit explaining why the birth certificate could not be provided, or a qualifying letter from the authorized representative of an agency having custody of the child. A.R.S. 15-828(B)

• If homeschooling ends, notify your county school superintendent within thirty days. If it later resumes, file another affidavit within thirty days. A.R.S. 15-802(C)

• File an affidavit of intent with your county school superintendent within thirty days after homeschooling begins. It states the child’s name, the child’s date of birth, the current address of the school the child is attending, and the names, telephone numbers, and addresses of the persons who have custody. A.R.S. 15-802(B)(2) and (C) It goes to your county school superintendent, not your school district. Use your county’s current form and follow that office’s signing and notarization instructions.

• Both items run on the same thirty-day clock. Sending them together helps keep the filing complete. The office keeps a photocopy of the proof and returns the original document.

• This is the one families forget when a child enrolls in school mid-year. Put it on your calendar the day you decide.

Starting, stopping, and starting again

If your child has never been enrolled anywhere. File the affidavit and proof of identity and age within thirty days of beginning homeschool instruction. If the delayed-start provision applies, use the affidavit required for that situation.

If you are withdrawing your child from a public, charter, or private school. Arizona sets no statewide withdrawal form and no separate notice to the district. Your thirty days run from when homeschooling begins. Separately, and as a practical matter, review your district’s own withdrawal policies before you remove your child, so the school’s records reflect what happened.

If your child returns to school. Notify your county school superintendent within thirty days so the file can be closed. Under A.R.S. 15-745(B), a child who enrolls in kindergarten through grade twelve after homeschooling is tested to determine appropriate grade placement. County offices caution that a district may also ask for subject-by-subject testing before granting credit, even for coursework from an accredited program.

What Arizona does not ask

Two things are worth stating because the statutes state them, not because the law is silent.

There is no annual renewal. Section 15-802(C) says the affidavit is not required after the first filing unless homeschooling stops and starts again.

There is no required testing. Section 15-745 is titled Homeschooled children; testing; prohibition, and it says that nothing in that article shall be construed to require the testing of children who are instructed in a homeschool program while they are receiving homeschool instruction. Many families test privately for their own planning. That is a choice, not a requirement.

Public school activities

Arizona law gives homeschooled students a right to try out for interscholastic activities. Under A.R.S. 15-802.01, a homeschooled child who resides within a public school’s attendance area shall be allowed to try out for interscholastic activities on behalf of that school, in the same manner as an enrolled student. Registration, age eligibility, fees, insurance, transportation, physical condition, qualifications, event schedules, and standards of behavior and performance are the same as for enrolled students.

What you supply is written verification from the person providing your child’s primary instruction, stating whether the student is receiving a passing grade in each course or subject being taught and whether the student is maintaining satisfactory progress toward advancement or promotion.

One limitation worth knowing before you withdraw. A homeschooled child who was previously enrolled in a public, private, or charter school is ineligible to participate for the remainder of the school year during which the child was enrolled. If you withdraw in October, that spring season is not available.

If your child has a disability

Beginning September 12, 2026, Arizona law gives homeschooled pupils who reside in unorganized territory a clear district contact for certain special-education rights. Under A.R.S. 15-768, such a pupil retains child-find rights, meaning identification, location, and evaluation under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and retains a right to equitable services under proportionate-share funding.

The responsible district is generally the adjoining district geographically closest to your child’s residence, and if you are not sure which one that is, you may ask your county school superintendent to identify it. You may request a special education evaluation or enrollment. If an eligible child enrolls, the district is responsible for providing a free appropriate public education. Separate provisions cover homeschooled pupils in certain court-ordered placements and state-agency placements.

If your family uses an Empowerment Scholarship Account

Arizona families use the words homeschool and ESA interchangeably in conversation. The statutes do not. This section exists only so you know which set of rules governs your family.

A homeschool family files the affidavit of intent required by section 15-802. A parent enrolling a student in an Empowerment Scholarship Account agrees, as a condition of that program, not to file that affidavit. The Arizona Department of Education states that an ESA student is not legally classified as a homeschooler.

If your child is currently homeschooled and you enter an Empowerment Scholarship Account agreement, contact your county school superintendent for instructions on withdrawing the homeschool affidavit already on file. Under Arizona law, an ESA student is not classified as a homeschooled student.

Using SchoolhouseTeachers.com curriculum at home does not, by itself, determine your child’s legal classification. Arizona law defines a homeschool according to who provides the instruction and where it occurs, while the homeschool and ESA pathways carry different governing instruments.

Your Arizona year

Compulsory school age. From age six until age sixteen.

Any day you begin. The thirty-day filing period begins when homeschool instruction begins.

Within thirty days of beginning. The affidavit of intent and the proof of your child’s identity and age, both to your county school superintendent.

Once. The affidavit is not renewed annually. A new affidavit is required only if homeschool instruction ends and later resumes.

Within thirty days of stopping. Notify your county school superintendent.

Through the year. Teach the five subjects. Keep clear records of courses and progress so you can see the work completed and provide useful information to a receiving school or college.

What comes with one membership

SchoolhouseTeachers.com is your home base for two things at once.

The Curriculum Lane. Hundreds of online, self-paced courses for preschool through twelfth grade from a Biblical worldview, plus interactive iST courses, Virtual School Boxes, World Book Online, and thousands of family-friendly videos.

The Records Lane. The Homeschool Records & Compliance Center, with the Education Plan Builder, Custom Schedule Builder, Portfolio Builder, Applecore Record Keeping for grades, attendance, courses, credits, and report cards, Schoolhouse Gradebook, Portfolio Review Template, High School Hours Tracking Logs, and Certificates of Completion.

One membership covers every child in the family. No per-child fees, no per-course fees.

Arizona’s filing requirements are concise, which puts the weight on the teaching and on what you can show for it. That is exactly what a membership is for.

Questions? Call 1.888.718.HOME or email customerservice@theoldschoolhouse.com. A real homeschooler answers.

SchoolhouseTeachers.com supports independent homeschooling and does not provide guidance on obtaining or using government education funding. The ESA information on this page is included so Arizona families can identify the legal pathway that governs them.