Homeschooling in Kansas

Welcome, Kansas homeschool family. Kansas families homeschool through a Nonaccredited Private School, or NAPS. You choose a school name, register its name and address with the Kansas State Department of Education, notify your child’s previous school when applicable, and provide instruction through a competent instructor for a substantially equivalent period of time. Here is what that looks like in practice.

Who this applies to

Kansas compulsory attendance generally applies after a child reaches age seven and until the child turns eighteen, unless the child has attained a high school diploma, a general educational development credential, or a high school equivalency credential, or another statutory exemption applies.

A child younger than seven who is enrolled in school is also subject to compulsory attendance. A parent may withdraw that child, and the child is then exempt until turning seven or enrolling in school again.

Register your Nonaccredited Private School

Choose a name for your school and register the school’s name and address through the Kansas State Department of Education’s NAPS registration portal.

KSDE says to register the school only once. Registration carries no fee, and KSDE does not approve or review a NAPS. If the school’s name or address changes, update the registration. When the school no longer exists, KSDE asks you to mark it non-active.

The portal does not send follow-up communication. Print or save the registration confirmation for your records.

• Compulsory age

• Legal pathway

• Registration

• How often

• Previous school

• Instructor

• Instructional time

• Curriculum

• Registration record

• High school diploma

• Operate a Nonaccredited Private School, commonly called a NAPS

• Register the school’s name and address with the Kansas State Department of Education

• KSDE says to register once, then update the name, address, or active status when needed

• KSDE directs the parent or guardian to notify the school the child previously attended

• Provide instruction through a competent instructor; a state teaching license is not required

• Provide instruction for a period substantially equivalent to the local public-school term

• Acquire your own curriculum; KSDE identifies state standards as optional guidelines

• Print or save the confirmation because KSDE sends no follow-up communication

• The NAPS issues its own diploma; review KSDE’s recognition warning before the high school years

A competent instructor

Kansas law requires instruction by a competent instructor. The statute does not replace that standard with a particular degree or credential.

KSDE states that a NAPS is not required to employ teachers licensed by the state, while still emphasizing that courses must be taught by competent instructors.

Choosing your curriculum

The NAPS is responsible for obtaining its own books and curriculum materials. KSDE publishes Kansas curricular standards as optional guidelines families may consult, while explaining that the standards themselves are not a curriculum.

Choose materials that support a planned, organized program and keep enough documentation to show what was taught and completed.

Keep your own records

Begin with the registration confirmation KSDE tells you to print or save. It is also prudent to retain your instructional calendar, attendance, courses, completed work, grades, and high school transcript information.

Those family records help you organize the year, document a planned program, and prepare for a future school transfer, college application, or employment request.

Planning for a Kansas diploma

A NAPS issues its own high school diploma. KSDE warns that these diplomas are “not recognized by the State of Kansas as meeting any requirements.”

That warning makes careful high school planning especially important. Keep a complete transcript, course descriptions, grades, credits, and supporting records, and confirm admission or credential expectations directly with any college, training program, employer, or other institution your student may enter.

Your home base: SchoolhouseTeachers.com

Kansas asks you to operate a NAPS with competent instruction and substantially equivalent instructional time. SchoolhouseTeachers.com can help you build that program and keep it organized.

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 and keep your own records:

• Education Plan Builder for mapping each child’s year and course sequence
• Custom Schedule Builder for organizing a substantially equivalent instructional year
• Gradebook and report cards for tracking work as you go
• Portfolio Builder for gathering samples in one place
• Transcript tools for organizing the high school years
• 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.

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