How to Start Homeschooling in Georgia (2026 Guide)

The Path · Getting Started

Five steps from deciding to a fully legal Georgia home study program.

№ 01

01

Confirm you qualify - then withdraw.

Georgia is one of the few states with a parent qualification, and it's a modest one: the teaching parent or guardian must hold a high school diploma or GED. (You may also employ a tutor with a diploma or GED.) If your child is in school, send a written withdrawal letter and keep a dated copy - compulsory attendance runs ages 6 to 16, so pair withdrawal closely with step two.

Before you start

Teaching parent holds a diploma or GED
Written, dated withdrawal letter to the school
Pick the 12-month period you'll call your school year
Keep copies of everything

02

File your Declaration of Intent with GaDOE.

Submit the Declaration of Intent to the Georgia Department of Education - online in a few minutes - within 30 days of starting your program, then renew it by September 1 each year you continue. It goes to the state, not your district, and GaDOE's only legal role is to collect and keep it. No approval, no follow-up.

Your declaration includes

Names and ages of your students
The address where the program is located
Your designated 12-month school year
Submitted online via GaDOE's portal

03

Plan the five subjects across a 180-day year.

Georgia's curriculum floor is five areas - reading, language arts, mathematics, social studies, and science - taught your way, with any materials you choose. The calendar requirement is the equivalent of 180 days of instruction, each day at least 4.5 hours (unless the child is physically unable). Mornings, evenings, year-round schedules: all fine, as long as the totals hold.

The framework

Five required subject areas, 'but not limited to'
180 days within your 12-month school year
At least 4.5 hours per school day
Curriculum & methods entirely your choice

04

Write the annual progress report - and keep it.

Each year, you write a progress assessment report covering your student's work in each required subject area. Nobody collects it: Georgia requires you to retain it for at least three years, period. Treat it as a year-end letter to your future self - what was covered, how the student progressed, what's next.

Keep on file (3+ years)

Annual progress report for each student
Standardized test results (from step five)
Recommended: work samples & attendance notes
Recommended: running transcript for high schoolers

05

Test every three years - results stay home.

Beginning at the end of grade 3, your student takes a nationally standardized achievement test at least every three years (roughly grades 3, 6, 9, and 12). You choose the test and arrange administration consistent with the publisher's requirements. There is no minimum score, no consequence attached, and no submission - the results are kept by you.

Testing facts

First test at the end of grade 3
Repeat at least every 3 years after
Any nationally standardized test (Iowa, Stanford, CAT...)
No score threshold; results are not submitted

The Law · Georgia

One road in Georgia - walked on your terms.

№ 02

Georgia homeschooling runs under O.C.G.A. 20-2-690(c), the home study program subsection of the compulsory attendance law. It asks for an annual Declaration of Intent to the Georgia Department of Education, five subject areas across a 180-day year of 4.5-hour days, a parent-written progress report kept three years, and standardized testing every three years from the end of grade 3 - with nothing but the declaration ever submitted to the state.

Option 01

Home Study Program

Georgia's single legal route - clear rules on paper, near-total independence in practice, since records and test results never leave your home.

Declaration of Intent to GaDOE - 30 days, then by Sept 1 annually
Five subjects across 180 days at 4.5 hrs/day
Parent-written progress report, kept 3 years
Standardized test every 3 years from end of grade 3 - not submitted
Governed by O.C.G.A. 20-2-690(c)

Requirements · Curriculum

Five subject areas Georgia builds the year around.

№ 03

O.C.G.A. 20-2-690(c) says your curriculum must include - 'but not be limited to' - these five areas. How deep you go, what materials you use, and how you schedule them is yours to decide; Georgia approves no curriculum and reviews no lesson plans.

01

Reading

Phonics, fluency, and comprehension across genres and grade levels.

02

Language Arts

Writing, grammar, spelling, and composition across the curriculum.

03

Mathematics

Numeracy, arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and applied reasoning.

04

Social Studies

History, geography, civics & government - America and the world.

05

Science

Inquiry and observation across life, physical & earth sciences.

180

Days of instruction

The equivalent of 180 school days within the 12-month year you declare - scheduled however your family works best.

4.5

Hours per school day

Each of those days must run at least four and a half hours, unless the child is physically unable to comply.

3

Years between tests

A nationally standardized test at least every three years, beginning at the end of grade 3. Results stay with you.

5

Required subjects

Reading, language arts, mathematics, social studies, and science - the statute's floor, not its ceiling.

Questions · Answered Honestly

What Georgia parents really want to know

№ 04

Do I need a college degree to homeschool in Georgia?

No - but you do need a high school diploma or GED. Georgia is one of the few states with any parent qualification, and that's the whole of it. No teaching certificate, no coursework, no background check. If you'd rather not teach everything yourself, you may employ a tutor, who also needs only a diploma or GED.

Can I start homeschooling in the middle of the school year?

Yes. Withdraw your child in writing and submit your Declaration of Intent to GaDOE within 30 days of starting the program - the September 1 date is the annual renewal deadline for continuing families, not a gate for new ones. The 180-day requirement applies to the 12-month school year you declare, so a mid-year start simply means your declared year starts mid-year.

Does my school district approve or monitor my homeschool?

No. Since 2012 the Declaration of Intent goes to the Georgia Department of Education, not your district - and the statute limits GaDOE to collecting and maintaining it. No one approves your curriculum, visits your home, or reviews your progress reports and test scores, which stay in your own records.

What records does Georgia require, and who sees them?

Two things, and nobody sees them. First, you write an annual progress assessment report for each student covering each required subject, and keep it at least three years. Second, you keep the standardized test results from the every-three-years testing. Georgia eliminated monthly attendance submissions back in 2013 - today the only document that ever leaves your house is the Declaration of Intent.

Can my homeschooler play sports or join clubs at the public school?

Yes, thanks to the Dexter Mosely Act (2021). Home study students in grades 6-12 may participate in extracurricular and interscholastic activities - including sports - at the public school in their resident system. Two conditions: the student enrolls in at least one qualifying course at the school, and you notify the school in writing at least 30 calendar days before the first day of the semester. Coordinate early with the athletic director.

What happens if my child scores poorly on the standardized test?

Nothing, legally. Georgia requires that the test be taken at least every three years from the end of grade 3 and that you keep the results - it sets no minimum score, no remediation trigger, and no reporting. The test is a thermometer for your own planning, not a gate the state holds you to.

Can I issue a diploma, and what about the HOPE Scholarship?

Yes. You set graduation requirements and issue the diploma and transcript, and Georgia colleges admit home study graduates every year. For HOPE, the Georgia Student Finance Commission provides homeschool pathways - homeschool graduates can qualify through eligible test scores or retroactively by earning the required GPA in their first year of college. Keep a clean transcript; it does the heavy lifting.

Does Georgia give homeschoolers ESA money?

Not most of them. The Georgia Promise Scholarship (SB 233) launched in 2025-26 with up to $6,500 per year, and the funds can cover home study expenses like curriculum and tutoring - but eligibility requires prior enrollment in a Georgia public school (or rising kindergarten) plus residence in the attendance zone of a school on the state's lower-performing list. Families already homeschooling generally don't qualify. Check gsfc.georgia.gov for current rules.

Resources · Georgia

Where Peach State homeschoolers put down roots

№ 05

Official - State

Georgia Department of Education

GaDOE's home school page - the online Declaration of Intent portal, the law's requirements, and official FAQs.

Visit GaDOE

Community - Statewide

Georgia Home Education Association (GHEA)

Georgia's statewide homeschool organization - legal guidance, Dexter Mosely Act explainers, support groups, and an annual conference.

Visit GHEA

Legal - National

Home School Legal Defense Association

Plain-language analysis of O.C.G.A. 20-2-690's requirements, plus member legal support for Georgia families.

Read the Law

The Georgia Getting Started Kit

Every Georgia requirement, handled on schedule.

The Georgia Getting Started Kit turns O.C.G.A. 20-2-690 into working paperwork - the declaration, the 180-day calendar, the three-year testing clock, and the progress report you'll actually enjoy writing.

Declaration of Intent guide & template - every element O.C.G.A. 20-2-690(c) requires, with the 30-day start rule and September 1 renewal date built into a filing checklist.
Georgia Compliance Checklist - the diploma/GED qualification, five subjects, 180-day/4.5-hour year, and every-3-years testing as checkable items.
Attendance & Hours Log - tracking matched to the 180-day, 4.5-hour standard across the 12-month school year you declare.
Annual Progress Report template - a subject-by-subject format that satisfies the statute and reads like a real year-in-review; retain three years.
First 30 Days Roadmap - withdrawal, declaration, curriculum, and calendar, mapped day by day from decision to first lesson.

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