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Homeschool laws in Rhode Island

Checked Oct 12, 2026 against 3 sources · General information, not legal advice.

Your Rhode Island to-do

  1. Get your at-home instruction plan approved First year
    Before you begin at-home instruction, from the school committee of the town where your child lives.
  2. Wait for approval before leaving public school If leaving a school
    Get the school committee's approval before removing your child from public school; otherwise the compulsory attendance law can apply.

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What Rhode Island asks

In Rhode Island the school committee of your town must approve your at-home instruction plan before you begin, and the instruction must cover the required subjects in English for about as long as public school (RIDE cites 1,080 hours a year). You keep attendance registers, send regular reports to the district, and agree with the school committee on how your child's progress will be evaluated.

School age: Ages 6–17. A child who is 6 on or before September 1 of the school year, or who is enrolled in kindergarten, must attend until completing 18 years of life. Approved at-home instruction, an approved private day school, or acceptance into an accredited postsecondary program satisfies the law; a superintendent may also grant a waiver for an approved alternative learning plan.

At-home instruction approved by the school committee

R.I. Gen. Laws § 16-19-1(a); § 16-19-2 · Level 5: Most involved

All the details, deadlines and notes
Notice
Approval needed before you start. Not verified yet: check with your state: Before at-home instruction begins: present an at-home instruction plan to the school committee of the town where the child lives and get its approval (the process may start with a letter of intent to the superintendent's office). A child moving into a new district is first registered there. A denial can be appealed to RIDE.
Time
1,080 hours a year
The law asks for a period of attendance substantially equal to public schools. RIDE says public schools must provide at least 1,080 school hours a year (the equivalent of a 5 1/2 hour day for at least 180 days) and that home instruction does not have to follow the public school calendar exactly.
Subjects
  • reading
  • writing
  • geography
  • arithmetic
  • history of the United States
  • history of Rhode Island
  • principles of American government
  • civics (per RIDE)
  • health and physical education (per RIDE)
Assessment
Set by your school or school district
Portfolio
Set by your school or school district
Reports
Not verified yet: check with your state
Records to keep
  • attendance registers, made the same as public school registers
  • progress reports or test scores, when testing at home is agreed
Teacher
No qualification required

Deadlines

  • Get your at-home instruction plan approved: Before you begin at-home instruction, from the school committee of the town where your child lives.
  • Wait for approval before leaving public school: Get the school committee's approval before removing your child from public school; otherwise the compulsory attendance law can apply.
The local school committee must lend textbooks in mathematics, science, modern foreign languages, English/language arts and history/social studies on the State Approved Textbook List, free of charge, on request.
There is no minimum education requirement for parents who teach at home.

How Homepen helps

Homepen counts your days and hours as you tick lessons toward this goal, and makes: Notice-of-intent letter, filled in, Attendance & hours report, Daily log, Report card, Year-end summary, High-school transcript.

Sources

General information, not legal advice. Laws change: we check every source at least every 6 months and before each school year. If something looks wrong, tell us. The state agency for homeschooling questions is the Rhode Island Department of Education.

Keep your Rhode Island records without the paperwork

Plan the week, tick lessons, and Homepen keeps the days, hours and portfolio Rhode Island asks for.

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