A Kansas Field Guide · Updated for 2026

How to start homeschooling in Kansas.

A clear, practical guide for families ready to bring learning home - written for the way Kansas actually does it. One five-minute registration, ever. A competent instructor - that's you. No tests, no renewals, and real access to school sports. Name your school and begin.

The Path · Getting Started

Five steps from naming your school to running it with confidence.

№ 01
01

Understand the Kansas model.

Kansas has no homeschool statute - instead, your homeschool operates as a non-accredited private school (NAPS). Compulsory attendance (K.S.A. 72-3120) is satisfied when children ages 7-18 attend a private school taught by a competent instructor for a period substantially equivalent to the local public-school term. You are the school; the law treats you like one.

The legal pillars
  • K.S.A. 72-3120 - competent instructor, substantially equivalent time
  • K.S.A. 72-4346 - one-time registration of name & address
  • No testing, curriculum approval, or district oversight
  • K.S.A. 72-7121 - activities access since 2023
02

Register your school - once.

Pick a name for your school (anything from 'Prairie Rose Academy' to your family name works), then register the name and address with KSDE through its online NAPS form under K.S.A. 72-4346. It takes minutes, costs nothing, and never renews - you'd update it only if your name or address changes. KSDE is explicit that registration is not a review, approval, or endorsement of your program.

Your registration includes
  • Your chosen school name
  • The school's address
  • You, signing as the school's official custodian
  • Filed once with KSDE - no district copy needed
03

Withdraw with your school name in hand.

If your child currently attends school, register first, then deliver a dated withdrawal letter stating that your child is transferring to your named non-accredited private school. Keep copies of both documents. With registration done and the letter delivered, the attendance file closes cleanly and there is no truancy ambiguity - you may begin teaching the same day.

Your letter should include
  • Child's name, grade & last day of attendance
  • Your registered school's name
  • A line citing K.S.A. 72-3120's private-school provision
  • Your signature and the date
04

Plan a substantially equivalent year.

Kansas asks that instruction run for a period substantially equivalent to the public-school term - roughly 186 six-hour days or 1,116 hours a year for grades 1-11 - measured in aggregate, not bell schedules. Four-day weeks, year-round calendars, field study, and library research all count. No subject list is mandated; planned, scheduled work in the core subjects is how families show both equivalence and instructor competence.

Keep on file
  • Attendance / hours log toward the ~1,116-hour benchmark
  • A written course plan for the year
  • Work samples a few times a year
  • High school transcript & credits
05

Use the 2023 activities law if you want it.

Since July 1, 2023, resident homeschool students are entitled to join KSHSAA-regulated activities in their resident district without enrolling (K.S.A. 72-7121). Each season, submit an affidavit or transcript showing satisfactory progress toward promotion - that settles academic eligibility. Tryouts, physicals, age rules, and the fees every athlete pays still apply, and the district may not discriminate based on enrollment status.

Season checklist
  • Parent affidavit or transcript of satisfactory progress
  • Sports physical per K.S.A. 72-6262
  • Standard tryouts & participation fees
  • Sign up at the school serving your home address
The Law · Kansas

Your household, chartered as a school

№ 02

Kansas homeschools operate as non-accredited private schools: register the school's name and address once with KSDE under K.S.A. 72-4346, then satisfy compulsory attendance through a competent instructor teaching for a substantially equivalent term under K.S.A. 72-3120. No testing, reporting, or renewal follows - and since 2023, K.S.A. 72-7121 opens district sports and activities to homeschool students by right.

Option 01

Non-Accredited Private School

Best for every Kansas family - the state's single route, with one tiny filing and decades of settled practice behind it.

  • Register your school's name & address with KSDE once - no renewals
  • Teach as a 'competent instructor' - no credential required
  • Run a term substantially equivalent to public schools (~186 days)
  • No testing, reporting, or curriculum approval
  • Governed by K.S.A. 72-4346 and 72-3120
Requirements · Curriculum

The core a competent instructor builds around.

№ 03

Kansas mandates no subject list for non-accredited private schools. The working standard - substantially equivalent instruction by a competent instructor - points naturally to the public-school core below. Teach it with any materials, in any order, on any schedule; KSDE reviews nothing and approves nothing.

01

Reading & Language Arts

Phonics, fluency, composition, grammar, and literature.

02

Mathematics

Numeracy through algebra and geometry, with applied reasoning.

03

Science

Inquiry and observation across life, physical, and earth sciences.

04

Social Studies

History, geography, government, and economics in context.

1
Registration, ever

One online filing of your school's name and address with KSDE (K.S.A. 72-4346). No renewals, no fees.

0
Tests & reports

Kansas requires no standardized testing, progress reports, or curriculum submissions from NAPS families.

186
Days of equivalence

The public-school benchmark your term should substantially match - about 1,116 hours a year for grades 1-11, counted in aggregate.

2023
Sports access since

K.S.A. 72-7121 opened district activities to homeschool students by right - affidavit in, eligibility settled for the season.

Questions · Answered Honestly

Plain answers for Kansas families

№ 04
No. K.S.A. 72-3120 requires a competent instructor but deliberately never defines the term, and Kansas requires no license, degree, or credential. In practice, competence is demonstrated the same way equivalence is: planned, scheduled instruction with real materials. Parents, a retired engineer teaching math, a co-op specialist - all qualify.
Yes, any day of the year. Register your school name with KSDE first - it takes minutes online - then hand the school a dated withdrawal letter naming your non-accredited private school, and begin teaching. There is no waiting period, and the substantially-equivalent time standard simply prorates around the days your child already attended.
No. KSDE is unusually direct about this: registration under K.S.A. 72-4346 records your school's name and address and nothing more - it is not an approval, review, assessment, or endorsement of your program. No inspections, reports, or follow-ups attach to it, your district receives nothing, and you never renew.
Kansas law names none beyond the registration itself, but keep the practical file: your registration confirmation, an attendance and hours log tracking toward the ~1,116-hour public-school benchmark, your course plan, periodic work samples, and a high school transcript. If anyone ever questions whether instruction is competent and substantially equivalent, that file is the entire answer.
Yes - by right, since July 1, 2023. K.S.A. 72-7121 (House Substitute for SB 113) entitles resident homeschool students to participate in KSHSAA-regulated activities at their resident district school without enrolling. Each season you submit an affidavit or transcript showing satisfactory progress, which is deemed to satisfy academic eligibility. Your athlete still does tryouts, the physical required by K.S.A. 72-6262, and any standard fees - and the district cannot discriminate based on enrollment status.
Yes. As a non-accredited private school, you set graduation requirements and issue your own diploma and transcript under your registered school's name. Kansas colleges and employers accept them routinely; a transcript with course titles, credits, and grades does the persuading.
Not currently. Kansas has no education savings account, and its tax-credit scholarship program funds students at accredited private schools, not NAPS families. ESA bills have surfaced in recent legislative sessions without passing, so the picture could change - check current legislation. Until then, homeschooling in Kansas is self-funded and refreshingly string-free.
Not hour-for-hour. The standard is a term 'substantially equivalent' to your local public schools - roughly 186 six-hour days or 1,116 hours a year for grades 1-11 - and KSDE recognizes it as an aggregate measure. Four-day weeks, year-round calendars, field trips, library research, and project days all count toward the total, so the shape of your week is entirely yours.
Resources · Kansas

Where Kansas families put down roots

№ 05
Official - State

Kansas State Department of Education

KSDE's non-accredited private schools page - the online registration form, the agency's own explanation that registration is not approval, and NAPS FAQs.

Visit KSDE
Community - Statewide

Christian Home Educators Confederation of Kansas (CHECK)

Kansas' statewide homeschool confederation - getting-started guidance, regional support groups, legislative monitoring, and an annual conference.

Visit CHECK
Legal - National

Home School Legal Defense Association

Plain-language summaries of Kansas law, registration and withdrawal guidance, and member legal help if a question ever comes up.

Read the Law
The Kansas Getting Started Kit

Name it, register it, run it well.

The Kansas Getting Started Kit walks you from school name to first lesson - the one-time KSDE registration, a clean withdrawal, and the logs that make 'substantially equivalent' easy to show.

  • KSDE Registration Walkthrough - the one-time filing under K.S.A. 72-4346, field by field: choosing a school name, the custodian signature, and proof to keep when it's done.
  • Kansas Withdrawal Letter template - a dated letter naming your registered non-accredited private school, so the transfer is documented and truancy never enters the picture.
  • Hours & Attendance Log - aggregate tracking against the ~186-day / 1,116-hour public-school benchmark that defines 'substantially equivalent' under K.S.A. 72-3120.
  • Weekly Planning Template - the core-subject schedule that doubles as your evidence of competent, planned instruction, with room for co-ops and field days.
  • Activities Affidavit Guide - the K.S.A. 72-7121 season checklist for KSHSAA sports: affidavit of satisfactory progress, physical, tryouts, fees.
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Arrowstead Academy

Insights, tools, and inspiration to help you cultivate wisdom, curiosity, and character at home.

Arrowstead Academy provides educational information, not legal advice. Homeschool law changes; verify current requirements with the Kansas State Department of Education and your school district, or consult an attorney. Statute citations reflect Kansas law as of 2026.

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