A Missouri Field Guide · Updated for 2026

How to start homeschooling in Missouri.

A clear, practical guide for families ready to bring learning home - written for the way Missouri actually does it. Zero forms to file. 1,000 hours to teach. One logbook that proves it all. Everything you need to begin with confidence, in plain language and without the noise.

The Path · Getting Started

Five steps from deciding at the dinner table to a logbook that protects you.

№ 01
01

Choose: home school or FPE school.

Since SB 727 (2024), Missouri has two nearly identical categories. A traditional home school under Mo. Rev. Stat. § 167.012 answers to no one. A family-paced education (FPE) school under § 167.013 follows the same rules but may participate in the MOScholars ESA program - trading some independence for funding. Most families start as a home school; you can revisit the choice later.

What to weigh
The two categories:
  • Home school (§ 167.012) - no funding, no added strings
  • FPE school (§ 167.013) - MOScholars-eligible, added requirements
  • Both: 1,000 hours, same records, no notice
02

Withdraw cleanly - no notice needed to start.

Missouri requires no notice of intent to homeschool, and no state agency regulates or supervises home schools. If your child attends public school, send written notification under § 167.042 of your intent to pursue other educational options and ask that the child be removed from the rolls - the school must comply promptly. Never-enrolled children simply begin.

Your withdrawal letter should include
  • Child's name and current grade
  • Your intent to pursue other educational options under § 167.031
  • A request to remove the child from the rolls promptly
  • Your signature and the date - keep a copy
03

Map your 1,000 hours.

The school year runs July 1 to June 30, and in it you'll provide 1,000 hours of instruction: at least 600 hours across reading, language arts, mathematics, social studies, and science - distributed among them entirely at your discretion - with at least 400 of those 600 at your regular home school location. The other 400 hours can be co-ops, field trips, music, anything educational. It sounds like a lot; at 5 hours a day it's about 200 days.

The arithmetic
  • 1,000 total hours, July 1 - June 30
  • 600+ hours in the five core subjects, split your way
  • 400+ of those 600 at the regular home school location
  • Applies while a child is age 7 up to 16
04

Keep the logbook - it's the law's whole ask.

Missouri's recordkeeping is not a suggestion. Maintain a plan book, diary, or log of subjects taught and activities engaged in, a portfolio of sample work, and a record of evaluations of progress (or equivalent credible evidence). By statute, producing a daily log that shows a qualifying program is a defense to any educational-neglect prosecution - which makes the log your best legal protection.

Keep on file
  • A daily or weekly hours log by subject
  • A plan book or diary of activities
  • Samples of each child's work across the year
  • Evaluations or other evidence of progress
05

Plan high school, activities, and funding.

Parents issue the diploma in Missouri, so track credits from 9th grade on. Since August 2025, § 167.790 guarantees resident homeschoolers access to district activities and sports - bring proof of residency and a physical, and meet the same standards as enrolled students. And if MOScholars funding tempts you, study the FPE route's added requirements before switching categories.

Decisions to pencil in
  • Transcript format and credit tracking for high school
  • Sports or activities tryouts under § 167.790
  • Whether MOScholars (via FPE status) is worth the strings
  • Dual enrollment options at Missouri community colleges
The Law · Missouri

Same freedom, two flavors - pick your category

№ 02

Homeschooling is legal in Missouri under Mo. Rev. Stat. §§ 167.012 and 167.031, and the state's posture is unusual: no notice, no registration, and by statute no state agency regulates or supervises home schools - but the law defines a home school by 1,000 logged hours of instruction and required records. SB 727 (2024) reorganized the statutes and added the family-paced education (FPE) category for families who want MOScholars ESA funds.

Option 01

Traditional Home School

Best for families who want zero state contact and full independence - the route nearly all Missouri homeschoolers use.

  • No notice, registration, or reporting to anyone
  • 1,000 hours/year: 600 in the five core subjects, 400 of those at home
  • Keep the logbook, work samples & progress evaluations
  • No testing, no teacher qualifications, no curriculum approval
  • Governed by Mo. Rev. Stat. § 167.012
Option 02

Family-Paced Education (FPE) School

Best for families who want MOScholars ESA funds and will accept the program requirements that come with the money.

  • Created by SB 727 (2024) - legally distinct from a home school
  • Same core rules: 1,000 hours, same records, no notice
  • Eligible for Missouri Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (MOScholars)
  • Added requirements apply to MOScholars participants
  • Governed by Mo. Rev. Stat. § 167.013
Requirements · Curriculum

Five core subjects carry 600 of your 1,000 hours.

№ 03

Missouri names five core subjects and asks that at least 600 of your 1,000 annual hours land among them - with full parental discretion over the split. Nothing dictates curriculum, sequence, or grade level; the hours, not the materials, are the requirement. The remaining 400 hours are wide open.

01

Reading

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

02

Language Arts

Writing, grammar, spelling, and clear expression across the curriculum.

03

Mathematics

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

04

Social Studies

History, geography, government, and civic life, near and far.

05

Science

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

1,000
Hours per year

Logged across Missouri's July 1 - June 30 school year. At roughly 5 hours a day, that's about 200 school days.

600
Core-subject hours

At minimum, in reading, language arts, mathematics, social studies, and science - distributed among them however you choose.

400
Hours at home base

At least 400 of the 600 core hours must occur at your regular home school location. The rest can happen anywhere learning does.

0
Forms to file

No notice of intent, no registration, no reporting. Your logbook - not a filing - is what demonstrates compliance.

Questions · Answered Honestly

Honest answers, Missouri edition

№ 04
No. Missouri sets no teacher qualifications of any kind - no degree, license, or training requirement. The law cares about what gets taught and proven, not who holds what credential: 1,000 hours a year, 600 of them in the five core subjects, documented in your logbook.
No. Missouri requires no notice of intent, and by statute no state agency regulates or supervises home schools. The old optional declaration of enrollment is gone from the law. The only notification that matters is the withdrawal letter under § 167.042 when pulling a child from public school - and that exists to protect you, since the school must promptly remove the child from its rolls.
Yes, at any time. Send the district written notification of your intent to pursue other educational options under § 167.042 and request removal from the rolls; the school must comply promptly. For a mid-year start, the 1,000-hour requirement is understood in proportion to the time remaining in the July 1 - June 30 school year - start your log the first day you teach.
Three things, per § 167.012: a plan book, diary, or written log of subjects taught and activities engaged in; samples of each child's academic work; and a record of evaluations of academic progress - or equivalent credible evidence. This is Missouri's real compliance obligation, and it comes with a built-in reward: producing a daily log showing a qualifying program is a statutory defense to any educational-neglect prosecution.
No. Districts have no role at all - no approval, no curriculum review, no visits, no testing. Missouri law assigns enforcement questions to the local prosecuting attorney alone, and your contemporaneous logbook is the evidence that ends any such question. Keep it current rather than reconstructing it later.
Yes - this changed in August 2025. Mo. Rev. Stat. § 167.790 now bars districts and charter schools from denying resident home school and FPE students the chance to participate in events and activities, and from requiring them to attend classes to do so. Expect to show proof of residency and a sports physical and to meet the same academic and behavior standards as teammates. One catch: a student who disenrolls while academically or disciplinarily ineligible waits 12 months.
Yes. Parents set graduation requirements and issue the diploma and transcript - DESE neither issues nor certifies homeschool credentials. A parent-issued diploma backed by a transcript (your high school logbook makes this easy) is accepted by Missouri colleges, employers, and the military, and homeschool graduates routinely dual-enroll at community colleges along the way.
Yes, with a catch. MOScholars - the Missouri Empowerment Scholarship Accounts program - is open to families who operate as a family-paced education (FPE) school under § 167.013, a category SB 727 created in 2024. A traditional home school, by definition, does not participate; accepting the funds means accepting FPE status and its additional requirements. Weigh the strings against the money, and verify current rules with the State Treasurer's office.
Resources · Missouri

Where Show-Me families get shown the ropes

№ 05
Official - State

Missouri DESE

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's homeschool page - the state's own statement of the law and what it does (and doesn't) oversee.

Visit DESE
Community - Statewide

Families for Home Education (FHE)

Missouri's statewide homeschool organization since 1983 - law explainers, legislative watch, regional support groups, and an annual conference.

Visit FHE
Legal - National

Home School Legal Defense Association

Plain-language summaries of Missouri law, hours-log forms for members, and legal help if your records are ever questioned.

Read the Law
The Missouri Getting Started Kit

Everything from this guide, ready to use.

The Missouri Getting Started Kit is built around the state's one real demand - proof of 1,000 well-spent hours. Five polished, print-ready documents matched to Mo. Rev. Stat. § 167.012, so your records protect you from day one.

  • Missouri Withdrawal Letter template - because Missouri has no notice of intent, this is the one letter you'll send: a § 167.042 notification that obligates the school to remove your child from the rolls promptly.
  • 1,000-Hour Logbook - a daily plan book and hours tracker split into the 600 core / 400 elective structure, with a running tally toward the 400-at-home-location rule.
  • Missouri Compliance Checklist - every § 167.012 requirement as a checkable item, keyed to the July 1 - June 30 school year.
  • Portfolio & Evaluation templates - simple frameworks for the work samples and progress evaluations the statute names, organized by child and by term.
  • First 30 Days Roadmap - a day-by-day action plan from decision to your first logged hour of teaching.
Instant Digital Download
$29
One-time purchase · Yours forever
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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 Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and your school district, or consult an attorney. Statute citations reflect Missouri law as of 2026.

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