Homeschooling in Indiana

Withdrawing from a public high school

Indiana has a special procedure for a high-school student transferring from a public school to a homeschool or another nonaccredited nonpublic school. Before the student withdraws, the public-school principal must provide the Department-developed form explaining the applicable legal requirements. Both the principal and a parent must sign it.

If the parent refuses to sign, the student is treated as a dropout and may be reported to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. This special form does not apply to elementary- or middle-school students, and the principal’s signature is not an approval of the family’s decision to homeschool.

Instruction, records, and testing

Provide 180 days of instruction each school year. If your child transfers during the year, days already attended at a public school or another accredited school count toward that total. You choose which days your homeschool will be in session and how long to teach each day.

Indiana requires instruction equivalent to that given in the public schools and requires the school to be taught in English, but state law does not define equivalency or prescribe a homeschool curriculum or required subject list.

Keep an accurate daily attendance record. The secretary of education or local superintendent may request it to verify enrollment and attendance. The Department recommends retaining other evidence of continuing educational activity, such as work samples. Those additional materials are practical records rather than a required state portfolio.

The Indiana Department of Education states that homeschool students are not required to take state standardized tests or other tests. Indiana also does not impose a homeschool teacher-qualification requirement.

Homeschool diplomas and transcripts

Under IC 20-32-4-20, a diploma or credential issued by the administrator of a nonaccredited nonpublic school is sufficient evidence that the student completed high school. The administrator may also execute documents concerning the student’s enrollment, educational status, grades, and transcript.

Indiana state and local agencies and institutions of higher education in Indiana may not discriminate against a person solely because the diploma or credential came from a nonaccredited nonpublic school. Keep careful course, credit, grade, and transcript records to support the diploma and the student’s next steps.

Your home base: SchoolhouseTeachers.com

Indiana gives parents substantial freedom to direct instruction while requiring a dependable school calendar and attendance record. SchoolhouseTeachers.com gives your family curriculum and organizational tools in one HOME BASE.

One online family membership gives every child unlimited access to hundreds of online, self-paced courses from preschool through twelfth grade, all from a Biblical worldview, with graduation and college-preparation resources.

You will also find Virtual School Boxes, self-grading iST courses, World Book Online, and thousands of family-friendly videos.

The Homeschool Records & Compliance Center gives you tools to plan the year, document progress, and prepare the records that support a strong Indiana homeschool program:

• Education Plan Builder for mapping each child’s subjects and courses
• Custom Schedule Builder for organizing your instructional year
• Gradebook and report cards for tracking academic progress
• Portfolio Builder for collecting work samples
• Transcript tools for high-school planning and diploma documentation
• Applecore recordkeeping for grades, attendance, courses, and credits
• Certificates of Completion for documenting finished courses

One family membership. Every child in your HOME. No fee per child. No fee per course. No limits.