A Vermont Field Guide · Updated for 2026

How to start homeschooling in Vermont.

Vermont asks more of homeschoolers than most of New England - and it's all entirely manageable once you see the annual rhythm. One enrollment notice to the state each year. The equivalent of 175 days across seven subject areas. A year-end assessment you keep, not send. Here's the whole cycle, walked calmly.

The Path · Getting Started

The Vermont home study year, one calm step at a time.

№ 01
01

Learn the shape of Vermont's home study program.

Vermont centralizes homeschooling with the Agency of Education, not your local district. 16 V.S.A. § 166b calls it a home study program: you enroll annually with the state, attest to a few commitments, teach the minimum course of study, and assess each child at year's end. Heavier than New Hampshire? Somewhat. Unmanageable? Not remotely.

The annual cycle
  • File the enrollment notice with the AOE
  • Receive written acknowledgment within 10 business days
  • Teach the 7-area minimum course of study
  • Assess each child at year end - and keep the records
02

File your enrollment notice with the Agency of Education.

Submit the AOE's online enrollment form at least 10 business days before home study begins, and again each year on or before the start of the school year. Within 10 business days of a complete notice, the AOE must send written acknowledgment - that letter is your enrollment verification, so file it safely.

The notice includes
  • Each child's name, age & full date of birth
  • Contact details for all custodial parents or guardians
  • Attestations: year-end assessment & the equivalent of 175 days in the minimum course of study
  • Disability evidence for children new to Vermont schooling
  • Signatures of all custodial parents
03

Plan a year around the seven subject areas.

Vermont's minimum course of study (16 V.S.A. § 906) names seven areas, from basic communication skills to fine arts - adapted to each child's age and abilities. No curriculum is prescribed or reviewed; a library card, a co-op, and a good plan cover it. Aim for the equivalent of 175 days, however your family counts a learning day.

Build around
  • Reading, writing & numbers daily
  • Vermont & U.S. history, government and citizenship
  • Science outdoors - this is Vermont, use it
  • PE, health, literature & fine arts through the week
04

Keep the records that back your attestations.

You attested that progress will be assessed - so collect as you go. Date a folder of work samples per child, jot progress notes each term, and keep the AOE acknowledgment with them. Nothing is submitted, but the documentation must exist and be yours to show.

Your home file
  • AOE acknowledgment letter (enrollment proof)
  • Dated work samples through the year
  • Progress notes per subject area
  • Grades 9-12: transcript & course descriptions
05

Close the year with an assessment - then re-enroll.

At year's end, assess each child using any option the statute allows - a standardized test, a Vermont-certified teacher's report, a portfolio with at least four work samples, online academy grades, or the GED. You keep the results; the AOE no longer collects them. Then file the next year's enrollment notice and the cycle begins again.

Assessment options
  • Standardized achievement test
  • Vermont-certified teacher's progress report
  • Parent portfolio with 4+ work samples & commentary
  • Online academy grade reports (or GED passage)
The Law · Vermont

Home study, straight or blended - Vermont gives you both

№ 02

Vermont home education runs through one statute, 16 V.S.A. § 166b, which enrolls families directly with the Agency of Education through an annual notice carrying real attestations - year-end assessment, the equivalent of 175 days in the minimum course of study, and all-parent signatures. The AOE acknowledges enrollment within 10 business days but approves nothing; recent amendments dropped the old course-of-study outlines and assessment submissions, leaving the documentation in parents' hands.

Option 01

The Home Study Program

Best for families who want full days at home and a single, predictable annual filing with the state.

  • Annual enrollment notice to the AOE, 10 business days ahead
  • Teach the 7-area minimum course of study, ~175 days equivalent
  • Assess each child yearly - records stay with you
  • Written AOE acknowledgment within 10 business days
  • Governed by 16 V.S.A. § 166b
Option 02

Home Study + Part-Time Public School

Best for families who want the kitchen table and the chemistry lab - or the soccer team - at the same time.

  • Stay enrolled in home study with the AOE
  • Enroll part-time at your resident district's school
  • Up to 2 core courses, plus electives as space permits
  • Athletics & activities access under local board policy
  • Per Act 119 of 1998 and your district's home study policy
Requirements · Curriculum

Seven subject areas - Vermont's minimum course of study.

№ 03

Unlike its no-subject neighbors, Vermont names its expectations: 16 V.S.A. § 906 defines a minimum course of study that home study instruction must cover, adapted to each child's age and ability. No curriculum is prescribed, no textbook approved - the seven areas below are the map, and the route through them is yours.

01

Basic Communication + Numbers

Reading, writing, and the use of numbers - the statute's daily core.

02

Citizenship, History & Government

Of both Vermont and the United States - town meeting counts as a field trip.

03

Physical Education

Movement and fitness - trails, slopes, and swimming holes all qualify.

04

Comprehensive Health

Wellness, nutrition, and sound judgment about substances and safety.

05

Literature

English, American, and other literature - great books across cultures and eras.

06

Natural Sciences

Life, earth, and physical science by inquiry - Vermont is the laboratory.

07

Fine Arts

Music, visual art, drama - making and appreciating the beautiful.

10
Business days ahead

File your enrollment notice with the Agency of Education at least 10 business days before home study begins - and renew annually.

175
Days, equivalent

You attest your child will receive the equivalent of at least 175 days of instruction in the minimum course of study each year.

7
Subject areas

Communication and numbers, citizenship/history/government, PE, health, literature, natural sciences, and fine arts.

1
Assessment per year

Every enrolled child is assessed at year's end - by test, teacher report, portfolio, or academy grades. You keep the records; the AOE doesn't collect them.

Questions · Answered Honestly

Vermont's home study questions, answered without spin

№ 04
No. Vermont requires no diploma, degree, or license of home study parents. The accountability lives elsewhere: the annual enrollment notice, the seven-area minimum course of study, and the year-end assessment of each child. Anyone willing to keep that cycle can homeschool in Vermont.
Yes. File the enrollment notice with the Agency of Education at least 10 business days before you begin, then withdraw your child from school in writing. Once the AOE sends its written acknowledgment - due within 10 business days of a complete notice - your enrollment is verified. Don't pull your child out before the notice is in; the 10-day runway is what keeps the transition clean.
No. The AOE acknowledges your enrollment - it doesn't approve it. A complete notice must be acknowledged in writing within 10 business days, and that letter is your proof of lawful enrollment. Nobody reviews your curriculum, visits your home, or grades your plan. The attestations you sign are commitments you keep, not applications someone judges.
No - not anymore, and this trips up families reading old advice. You attest in the enrollment notice that each child's progress will be assessed at year's end, and you must do it and keep the documentation: a standardized test, a Vermont-certified teacher's report, a portfolio with at least four work samples, or online academy grades all satisfy the law. But the results stay in your file at home; the AOE no longer collects them.
Yes, keep a real file - it's the backbone of Vermont compliance. Store the AOE's acknowledgment letter, dated work samples through the year, your year-end assessment documentation for each child, and progress notes by subject area. None of it is submitted, but all of it backs the attestations you signed. For grades 9-12, add a transcript and course descriptions for college applications.
Yes - Vermont is genuinely good at this. Under Act 119 of 1998, home study students may try out for co-curricular and extracurricular activities at their resident district's school (or its designated tuition school), and may enroll part-time in up to two core courses plus electives as space permits. Each board adopts a policy on how, so ask the school early about insurance, physicals, and registration windows.
You do. Vermont does not issue diplomas to home study students; parents set graduation requirements and issue the diploma and transcript. Colleges - including Vermont's - are well accustomed to home study transcripts. Keep course lists and grades from ninth grade on, and the application season takes care of itself.
Not currently. Vermont has no education savings account or homeschool funding program, and its famous town tuitioning system pays tuition to schools, not to home study programs. The upside of unfunded independence is real: no spending audits, no curriculum strings. Watch the legislature if funding matters to your plans - but as of 2026, budget on your own.
Resources · Vermont

Where Vermont home study families compare notes

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Official · State

Vermont Agency of Education

The AOE's home study page - the online enrollment notice, acknowledgment process, and the state's own guidance on the minimum course of study.

Visit the AOE
Community · Statewide

Vermont Home Education Network (VHEN)

Vermont's statewide, inclusive homeschool network - an excellent enrollment primer, legislative watch, and connections to local groups.

Visit VHEN
Legal · National

Home School Legal Defense Association

Plain-language summaries of 16 V.S.A. § 166b and member legal support if an enrollment or assessment question ever escalates.

Read the Law
The Vermont Getting Started Kit

The whole Vermont cycle, organized before it starts.

The Vermont Getting Started Kit turns 16 V.S.A. § 166b's annual rhythm - notice, instruction, assessment, renewal - into five documents that keep you a step ahead of every attestation you sign.

  • Enrollment Notice Companion - every field of the AOE form explained, with the 16 V.S.A. § 166b attestations (year-end assessment, 175-day equivalent, all-parent signatures) in plain language.
  • Seven-Area Planning Grid - the minimum course of study from 16 V.S.A. § 906 mapped to a flexible Vermont year, co-ops and sugaring season included.
  • 175-Day Equivalent Tracker - a gentle log that shows your instruction commitment was met, however your family counts a learning day.
  • Year-End Assessment Toolkit - all five assessment options compared, plus a portfolio template with slots for the four-plus work samples the statute names.
  • Renewal & Records Calendar - the 10-business-day notice window, the AOE acknowledgment to watch for, and what stays in your home file each year.
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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 Vermont Agency of Education, or consult an attorney. Statute citations reflect Vermont law as of 2026.

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