The first steps for a Indiana family starting to homeschool: what to file, how to leave a public school, and where to find co-ops, classes and help — drawn from our Indiana guide and articles.
What Indiana offers homeschool families, and what it doesn't
Children with disabilities are the exception. The Indiana Education Scholarship Account (INESA) gives students with an IEP, service plan or choice special education plan, and their siblings, an account of up to
0,000 (or $8,000 for a sibling) for 2026–27. It can pay for tutoring, therapies, curriculum, classes and private school tuition from approved providers. Home education is one of the listed options, but a child using INESA is classified as an ESA student, not a homeschooler, and must take the statewide assessments.
Legal status: Indiana law calls a homeschool a non-public, non-accredited school (IC 20-33-2-12). It isn't bound by the curriculum or program requirements in Titles 20 and 21 of the Indiana Code. IDOE says homebound instruction and Indiana virtual schools, including virtual charter schools, are not homeschooling, because the child is enrolled in a public or accredited program.
Age: compulsory attendance begins at age 7 for a child in a non-accredited nonpublic school (IC 20-33-2-8). A child going to public school must start in the school year in which the child turns 7. Kindergarten isn't mandatory. IDOE says homeschooled students complete schooling at 18. You may start homeschooling before 7.
180 days: provide 180 days of instruction in each academic year, which runs July 1 to June 30. You choose the days and how long to teach each day. If your child changes schools midyear, days attended at the first school count toward the 180.
Attendance records: keep an accurate daily attendance record (IC 20-33-2-20). The Secretary of Education or the superintendent of the public school corporation where you live may ask for it. There is no special form. IDOE adds that, if educational neglect is ever questioned, good attendance records and documentation of ongoing work are the best answer.
Equivalent instruction: the compulsory attendance law (IC 20-33-2-27, -28) requires instruction equivalent to that given in the public schools. State law doesn't define equivalent, and the Indiana Academic Standards are optional for homeschools.
Registration: not required. You may report your homeschool's enrollment to IDOE (IC 20-33-2-21) with its online Homeschool Enrollment form. You do it once, it stays active and covers all your children, and IDOE emails a verification number. Families get no books or curriculum from it.
Leaving elementary or middle school: tell the school you are withdrawing your child to homeschool. A phone call can be enough, but IDOE recommends writing. Not telling the school can get the child reported as truant. State law doesn't require a withdrawal form for these grades, and the school can't require registration, proof of curriculum or anything else that blocks the withdrawal. It also can't make you homeschool a child who is behind or has been suspended or expelled.
Leaving high school: the principal must give you the State Board's Withdrawal to Non-Accredited Nonpublic School Located in Indiana form, which the parent signs (IC 20-33-2-28.6). It is not a registration form; it lets the high school remove the student from its graduation cohort. Attach the IDOE verification email if you have one. If you don't sign, the student is counted as a dropout and the principal may report the student to the BMV, which can refuse or revoke a learner's permit or license.
Testing: none required, and homeschooled students can't take statewide tests such as IREAD or ILEARN unless enrolled in at least one class at a public or accredited school. IDOE recommends periodic standardized achievement testing arranged privately.
Diplomas: the parent issues the diploma. Homeschool students don't get a State Board–accredited diploma, and state graduation requirements don't apply. House Enrolled Act 1348 (2025) says a diploma or credential from a non-accredited nonpublic school is legally sufficient to show the student has completed high school. State agencies, local agencies and Indiana colleges may not reject a person or treat a person differently based solely on that source. The person who runs the homeschool may sign enrollment, grade, transcript and other education documents. Students 16 and older can also take the High School Equivalency (HSE) exam through the Department of Workforce Development.
Returning to school: the public school corporation where you live must enroll your child. A charter school may have a waitlist, and an accredited private school applies its own admissions rules. The school decides grade placement and isn't required to accept homeschool work. In grades 9–12, schools may use a committee, end-of-course exams or achievement tests to decide what credit to give. Bring test results, attendance records and a list of curriculum used.
Special education: you may homeschool a child with an IEP. Under federal law (20 U.S.C. 1412(a)(10)), IDOE says homeschooled children with disabilities have the same opportunity to take part in IDEA-funded services through the public schools as children in accredited private schools. Districts must set aside a proportionate share of federal special education money for parentally placed students in nonpublic schools, including home schools, in their boundaries. Any services come through a service plan (511 IAC 7-34). Talk with your district's special education director.
Work permits: Indiana stopped requiring work permits for minors on July 1, 2021.